College courses don’t always go as planned.
Elizabeth Carter and many of her classmates would agree - and they decided to do something about it.
A committee of about 20 students that took Religion 205, Myth, Self and Religion, last fall, have submitted a formal grievance regarding the course and its professor, John Greene.
“When I first started, I was really excited to learn the subject matter,” said Carter, a family community services senior. “But it was only one day a week so it took a while for the realization to sink in that he was so inconsistent, it was hard to learn.”
Carter said nearly one-third of the class signed the complaint, listing several inconsistencies in Greene’s course organization such as changing the number of exams, requiring additional reading materials and administering outdated exams.
Bill Willingham, a psychology senior who is leading the group, said several complaints were filed with MSU Ombudsman Stan Soffin by individual students during the semester. A formal grievance was submitted near finals week last semester.
The grievances demonstrate students’ dissatisfaction with the way Greene conducted the course, Willingham said.
“It stands out as a class that was unfair,” he said. “I’m a senior, I should be used to things like this. But what about a freshman taking this?
“I don’t want that to happen to anybody.”
Greene, when contacted by The State News, declined to comment about the grievance.
“I first of all know nothing of the true nature of the complaints; there are so many things that are unsettled,” he said.
But Greene said the course was close to his heart.
“It’s one of my flagship courses,” he said.
The students listed their complaints on the basis of violations to MSU’s Academic Freedom Report and the Code of Teaching Responsibility, using Soffin’s help.
The Academic Freedom Report establishes settlement procedures for undergraduate student grievances and disciplinary complaints against students. The Code of Teaching Responsibility outlines regulations for faculty.
No matter what the outcome of the trial, Greene will remain an MSU professor.
The student committee is currently waiting for confirmation regarding a formal hearing, which should come in the next few weeks, Willingham said.
Wendy Wilkins, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, said this is the first time a grievance has reached trial stage in her three years as dean.
The college, one of MSU’s three largest, has jurisdiction over the Department of Religious Studies, the department where Greene works.
“The grievance is being heard according to university policy,” Wilkins said. “The concern is that the whole process is handled according to policy and with fairness both to students and to the faculty.”
All grievances must include a possible remedy to the complaint, according to the Academic Freedom Report. In response to the violations noted, the students asked that the course be changed to credit or no-credit status rather than numerical grading.
Carter said, like many students, she’s concerned about passing the class fairly - not getting a 4.0.
“I don’t have anything against professor Greene. I just think it would only be fair to have it changed to credit/no credit,” she said. “We weren’t even given the class we were supposed to be given.”
Willingham said he hopes more students will come forward and see the ombudsman or an academic department official if problems with classes or professors arise.
“If (students) feel they’ve been treated in an unprofessional manner, they should take the necessary steps,” he said.
Nicole Jacques can be reaches at jacques9@msu.edu.
