Disruptive students are the latest challenge for higher ed faculty

April 8, 2005

Above: From left, Anthony Wildman of NYSUT, UUP's William Scheuerman and FA of Suffolk CC's Ellen Schuler Mauk. Below: Cecelia McCall of PSC and Chris Black of NYSUT.

Higher ed faculty, particularly at community colleges, are increasingly confronted with the problem of disruptive - and sometimes worse - students, according to members of NYSUT's Higher Education Council.

"We've been noticing there are a number of changed behaviors among students," said Ellen Schuler Mauk, president of the Faculty Association of Suffolk Community College.

Fran Hilliard, president of the Nassau Community College Federation of Teachers, agreed: "Over the past five years, there's been a noticeable shift in the cultural climate on campus. It's difficult to cope and to teach in this environment."

Schuler Mauk, Hilliard and Ellis Gage Searles, president of the Mohawk Valley Community College Professional Association, led a discussion on disruptive students at Thursday's council meeting. The Higher Education Council is chaired by UUP/SUNY President William Scheuerman.

The community college unionists said both new and veteran faculty are concerned about students who exhibit behavior that ranges from rudeness to threats. And, they said, faculty get little support from administrators when such behavior is reported. Instead, administrators take a "customer is always right" attitude.

"We're concerned about colleges' response to this problem," Searles said.

PSC/CUNY Vice President Steve London said the student behavior issue is another by-product of the state's chronic disinvestment in public higher ed.

"The counseling staffs are on the margins - they are being thinned out," London said. "We have to point out in our lobbying that resources for student support services are not being put into higher ed."

Schuler Mauk said NYSUT's Community College Conference in the fall would hold a workshop on student behavior while, at the same time, the union's Education and Learning Trust develops a series of seminars on this issue under the broader theme of "critical thinking."

Council members also agreed that NYSUT should investigate legislative, contractual and policy options to address the problem.