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PROFESSOR FIRES BACK WITH NEW GRIEVANCE AGAINST U Faculty member says he will make disturbing 'revelations' by Doug Harrison
An English professor against whom a former student filed a discrimination grievance has turned the tables, filing his own grievance against the University. In a letter to English Department faculty Feb. 24, John Onuska, associate professor of English, told colleagues of a grievance he had filed that would make "revelations that should deeply disturb" faculty members. Though Onuska's letter does not elaborate on the nature of his grievance, Steven Ryals, Onuska's attorney, said that Onuska's complaint "arises from the consituttional infirmities of the process itself and how it applies to Dr. Onuska and his treatment by the University." In his letter, Onuska, who has declined repeated requests for an interview, wrote of "[t]his unpleasant situation . . . [that] has been going on now for 15 months," calling it "the most distressing episode in my long career." "This marks my 30th year on this campus," Onuska wrote in the two page document. "I have foregone any of the public occasions marking the event. Given the part played in this academic nightmare by various administrators . . . in Woods Hall, I felt it would be hypocritical of me to participate in any ceremony in which they "honored" me for my long service." In his letter to faculty, Onuska offers faculty a four-point list of suggestions about dealing with students, including the prohibition against tolerating "academic dishonesty . . . because you fear litigation," adding that "the reason I have not rolled over and played the martyr/victim is my determination to do everything in my power to see that no one of you or any member of the community is subjected to such treatment again." Onuska's grievance will not be heard until after the current grievance against him has been adjudicated. Melinda Long, a senior English and education major, has charged that Onuska violated her civil rights as an African-American woman and her right to privacy. She alleges that in the fall of 1996, Onuska both distributed copies of her quiz and attendance records to his English 338 class and penciled in "disparaging" comments about her weight and race in the margins of the roster. Long said she wants the original grade she received in the course, a D, to be changed to an A and Onuska to be fired. Documents obtained by The Current show an excerpt from Onuska's roster. Next to Long's name is the handwritten word "black." Ryals said Onuska "denies the allegations that he wrote disparaging remarks on the roster ciruclated in the class." A grievance committee is currently hearing the case. Long, who has insisted since she filed the grievance in April that Onuska and administrators have intentionally delayed the process, said Feb. 24 that the hearings were in violation of University guidelines. "The committee lets [Onuska's attorney] bad mouth me, call me a poor student and say that I cheat," Long said, referring to regulatory prohibitions against attorneys' direct involvement with grievance hearings. "They can't do that." Under the Collected Rules and Regulations 390.010, section F.6b, "the advisor of the grievance or respondent may briefly explain his or her position but shall not be permitted to testify or cross examine." Long alleges Ryals has done both. "He has yelled at me, at the committee, at everybody," Long said. Ryals said he has not overstepped the provisions of the guidelines. "I have not been permitted to participate more than the rules allow," Ryals said. "I certainly didn't yell at her or any witness. I asked twice to participate and was denied." Bob Fritchey, a student and chairman of the grievance committee, said "attorneys have been alowed to speak in some instances." "I can alter or suspend the rules as I see fit, though I've not chosen to do that," Fritchey said, referring to Section 6 of the collected rules that states the "chairperson may, for good cause and with the concurrence of a majority of the entire committee, authorize deviation from the suggested format." Long said few of Onuska's 10 proposed witnesses have testified, though the grievance hearing has continued through two different sessions, lasting two and a half hours each: the first on Feb. 9, the second on Feb. 16. Long blames the delays on the time "wasted" by Ryals when he hand writes questions for Onuska to ask of witnesses. One of those witnesses, Jennifer MacKenzie, English lecturer, assisted Long with her papers for various classes in the Center for Academic Development's Writing Lab, where MacKenzie was a tutor at the time Long was taking Onuska's class. "Her (Long's) writing needed a lot of attention," MacKenzie said after her testimony. MacKenzie said Long's work in Onuska's class was consistent with work from other classes she had seen. But Long contends Onuska had it out for her, that her writing was given high marks by other professors and that Onuska was retaliating against her because of their differences on homosexuality in the assigned texts. "He didn't like it," Long said, referring to her vocal opposition. "It's odd that I can go to Wash. U and get very good grades, have been a paralegal for nine and half years, written opinions for 14 different judges and pass the SAT to enter college but suddenly I can't write." Long, who is seeking new legal counsel after firing her former attorney, Doris Black, maintains that she will take her case to federal court as soon as the University proceedings are complete.
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