By Jonathan Stankiewicz

Former student teachers and their supporters participated in an on-campus protest on Friday, Aug. 27th against the Office of Field Experiences, warning incoming student teachers about the “unfair treatment” that they might experience from the OFE.

The protesters were outside of the fall student teacher orientation to “raise public awareness of a situation on campus,” said protester Dianna Wilson.

The group of protesters consisted of Mario Castellano, a former technical education student teacher and current CCSU student, Monica Kerkes a supporter and alumnus from CCSU, Craig Johnston, a supporter and Dianna Wilson, a former business education student teacher, among others.

The protesters didn’t enter Memorial Hall, but were handing out flyers and Johnston was carrying a poster that read “Warning! OFE is UNFAIR.”

The events management office realized that the protesters hadn’t “booked a spot” with them and two representatives from the office asked them to leave.

“We refused to leave until the police arrived,” said Wilson.

Director of events management, Scott McKenna, then went over to talk to the protesters along with campus police, identifying that they needed to be sponsored by a campus organization or department.

“Police were on site,” said McKenna, “but they were there in case something escalated…I don’t want anyone to be in harms way.”

According to Wilson, campus police never got out of their cars and never said a word. The protesters were asked to accompany McKenna back to his office in Welte Hall, but didn’t accept the invitation.

“[McKenna] only wanted to give us his business card; [that was] not something we felt we wanted or needed at the time,” Wilson said.

No harm was done and the orientation in Memorial Hall went on without a problem.

Wilson is now organizing student complaints about the OFE to make an expansive formal complaint to present to CCSU’s administration. Wilson has received seven of these complaints so far, but has heard of many more. According to Wilson, some students are afraid to come forward, but as word gets out about her efforts, she expects to get more current and former student teachers to join her cause. Wilson says that every complaint has a common theme.

“Every complaint involves the actions of Ms. Holly Hollander, director of the OFE,” said Wilson.

Hollander, director of the OFE for eight years, has years of experience with classroom teaching and teacher education.

“The OFE is mandated by school districts and the state of Connecticut, not just OFE guidelines,” said Hollander.

According to Hollander, problems are dealt with quickly and definitively.

“As soon as [a problem] is identified,” said Hollander, “we are having conversations, we are bringing the coordinator or the student or the cooperating teacher.”

Hollander advocates an open-door policy and believes that the whole department wants everyone to succeed.

“This is the subtleties of what makes a community,” said Hollander. “This work is grounded in equity and integrity, there are no intentions to see anyone fail.”

Dr. Mitchell Sakofs, dean of the School of Education and Professional Studies agrees with Hollander.

“The skill sets that are being required of our teachers is getting harder,” said Sakofs. “We need those skills, some come with them, some get them along the way and some never do.”

Wilson was placed in a school with two cooperating teachers, one whom she liked and one that she felt acted “emotionally abusive towards me.”

Not wanting anyone to feel sorry for her she didn’t say anything to any faculty at the high school. The cooperating teacher’s negative attitude began to escalate and Wilson couldn’t take it anymore.

“By my sixth week, in early March, I realized I could not succeed with [the teacher] as one of my cooperating teachers,” says Wilson in her complaint, “…she began yelling at me and told my university supervisor untruths about my work efforts and behavior.”

In early March Wilson wanted out of her current placement, asking to be relocated to another high school. Hollander “refused that option” but allowed Wilson to have a two-week break from the negative [cooperating] teacher. During this break Wilson began experiencing paralyzing anxiety and continued to be refused by Hollander to get another placement.

“With absolute knowledge that I would fail student teaching working under her, I again asked to be released, this time in both her and Ms. Hollander’s presence.  The negative teacher immediately became enraged and said ‘I’m done with this student teacher,’”  said Wilson in her complaint.

“I was shocked by my final grade for student teaching, which Ms. Hollander is responsible for, and [I] feel that she issued punitively because I was able to be released from the negative teacher and that was not in her plan for me,” says Wilson in her complaint.

“[I think that] the OFE is either too overwhelmed in its case load to act responsibly to the students or it’s heartless, or maybe both,” said Wilson.

Wilson wants to see things changed for student teachers at CCSU.

“The OFE needs to be investigated,” said Wilson, “[this is] not just disgruntled students, there is a pattern of abuse, abuse of power.”

Hollander, a veteran of the program, seems to act harshly with the complaints, but according to Sakofs there is a reason for that.

“Holly is very supportive and very skilled,” said Sakofs, “[but] she is very direct.”

Neither Hollander or Sakofs chose to comment on the specific complaints from Wilson and other students. Sakofs contends that the OFE does their best for their students, but admits that their office isn’t perfect.

“We have a spirit of continuous improvement,” said Sakofs. “We work hard to help students.”