As some of our commentators on our earlier post noted, many are relieved that Dean Burton will no longer be teaching. However, many of the concerns that students raised about Dean Burton's teaching are applicable to her new role as Dean. Embedded after the jump are copies of the complaints submitted to Dean Anderson & Co. about Dean Burton's difficulty with communicating with students, inconsistency and lack of professionalism.
Given these complaints (which seem to have been ignored by the administration), it is unsettling that Dean Burton was given so much power. After the jump, we have listed some of the responsibilities of the Dean of Students (which includes having the sole discretion in granting or denying makeup exams and being in charge of the support services).
On a side note, We feel that CUNY is responsible for the history of problems with Dean Burton. It is shameful that there is no structure in place to help professors become good, dynamic teachers. Word on the street is that Dean Burton is an amazing teacher in small groups and comes to the law school with a lot of valuable experience. CUNY needs to hold professors accountable for thier teaching and provide resources and time for professors to develope into good teachers (god knows the building is filled with professors who are amazing teachers and those who could become amazing teachers)
Complaints and excerpts from handbook to follow.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Dean of Students
"The Assistant Dean of Students supervises the Offices of Student
Affairs, Career Planning. and the Children’s Center."
"On a day-to-day basis, staff
members work with student organizations to facilitate
community-wide activities; counsel students with academic or
personal difficulties; assist students with housing needs; provide
assistance to individuals with disabilities; and administer
disciplinary procedures."
"In conjunction with the Office of
Admissions, the office coordinates recruitment efforts to attract
future students to the Law School. The staff also works closely
with the Offices of Alumni Affairs, Development and External
Affairs on matters regarding relations with graduates of the Law
School."
Examinations
"A student will only be excused from taking an examination at the
assigned date and time or from meeting a take-home examination
deadline upon approval from either the instructor of the course or
the Assistant Dean of Students. The Assistant Dean of Students
has the sole authority for reviewing all petitions for examinations
designated as a midterm or final for all courses."
"When a petition has been approved, it is the student’s
responsibility to contact the Office of the Assistant Dean of
Students to arrange for a makeup exam."
"Requests for rescheduling of examination times due to
conflicts must be made by filing a petition with the Assistant
Dean of Students at least one week before the examination."
"Any time you use a
computer you take some risk of an error occurring that cannot be
corrected regardless of the best efforts made. If the incomplete
exam cannot be retrieved within 24 hours, the Dean of Students,
in consultation with the instructor, will determine remedial
options, if any."
May 2007 Complaint letter (class of 2009)
April 2008 Complaint letter (class of 2010)
2008 Support letter (class of 2009)
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9 comments:
Burton doesn't seem to be a permanent appointment ("Interim Assistant Dean for Student Affairs"). That said, I was very much one of the students who had problems with her as a professor -- but I still don't think it's fair to assume she'll be anything but a good Dean. In small settings, she's patient, understanding, and helpful. I think that when she acted otherwise in class it was because she got a lot of hostile criticism that put her on the defensive. I'm not saying such defensiveness is or was appropriate, but perhaps it suggests the campus should give her the benefit of the doubt for a few months.
She should absolutely be given the benefit of the doubt.
INSTITUTIONAL RACISM!!!!!!!
I'm confused. Is it now considered institutionally racist to promote black people?
Anon. 8:48-
Thank you for your comment. If you feel like it, We would appreciate any further comments on the institutional racism at Cuny or of this blog. If you would like to write a post on the topic please email cunylawblog@gmail.com for posting access.
Thanks again for the comments and feedback.
clb
It was rumored that Burton made racist comments toward a white student in a class a few years back and that student either sued her or threatened to sue her and there was some sort of settlement. The rumor continues that after this incident, Burton herself sued or threatened to sue CUNY Law for race discrimination and Burton either won the suit or CUNY Law settled. It is also rumored that this is the reason that the school refuses to give her tenure while simultaneously refusing to let her go despite the yearly student revolt in her classes.
I can not confirm any of this information but it may be a good place to start asking questions. If any part of these rumors are true, I'm sure the administration will be dying to talk about it with students.
Sounds like a job for the NY Freedom of Information Law. Who will volunteer to send a FOIL request to CUNY and CUNY Law?
I can say from experience that Professor Burton is a competent, well-qualified, and brilliant individual. She comes to CUNY Law having graduated and taught at NYU Law School and Syracuse University School of Law. At CUNY, many instructors tend to overly remediate material; to spoon feed students; and to spend too much time fixating upon simple concepts like IRAC, rather than getting into the larger legal themes and their implications.
Professor Burton does this brilliantly well, and much of the criticism of her came because of this gap in understanding. It's not about "small groups," it's about the fact she comes here with a solid pedagogical foundation, from schools that do not overly remediate. David Nadvorney's "Legal Skills" and "Methods" classes, for example, which reinforce basic concepts that many already have. Focusing on these things fosters a dependence upon instructors like him who spoonfeed.
Professor Burton's classroom approach fostered independent thinking much more effectively. If people had stopped complaining that she has a different approach and instead looked at what she was trying to accomplish, then this would have been more evident. While her work has catered to at-risk African-American youths, she is hardly racist. She is a hard worker, dedicated to her job and to the CUNY mission. She is on a tenure track, and it is untrue that her tenure has been withheld in an untimely manner.
Finally, she has administrated in varying capacities in the past, which makes her more than qualified for this interim position. Just because Professor Burton has a different approach sometimes, it is hardly a "wrong" approach -- however that is a theme at CUNY Law School: it's good to be different, until you disagree with me.
After reading the above post, it looks like both Angela Burton and Sam Sue read the blog.
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