Classroom, Wright State University | Photograph by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
During the public session of a Sept 26 Board of Trustees meeting, a College of Nursing and Health alum and current student attended to get answers about the leave of Dr. Kristine Scordo.
In mid Sept Scordo was placed on paid leave for sending gun emojis in a text. The message was reported to General Counsel and police escorted her off campus.
Before going into executive session, the board members were approached by alum, Carol Griffith. She requested to join the meeting to speak on behalf of the ongoing situation in the Adult-Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program, that Scordo teaches.
When Larry Chan, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel, informed Griffin she would have to be on the agenda in order to speak before the board she pressed for time.
“Well, I think you guys still need to hear what her students are saying,” said Griffith before Trustee Fecher interjected to state she must be on the agenda before speaking. “You can be upset all you want but what you’ve done to her students and as a former student, what you have done to me.”
After Chan stated Griffith must be on the agenda to speak she asked to speak outside.
“Then I will follow you Dr. Chan. You did not bother to respond to my email or any of the other ones that were sent to you so when you guys are ready, I will gladly speak to you. I have several people who would like to put their input in as well,” said Griffith.
After the board went into its executive session Chan spoke with Griffith and a current student, LaDonna Josey in the hallway.
Josey and Griffith voiced their concerns and fears to Chan who directed them to contact the Interim Dean for the College of Nursing and Health, Deborah Ulrich.
The following conversation took place:
“We have. We’ve gotten no answers. Here’s my concern: I’m a current student. I have midterms coming up,” Josey said to Chan. “I need Dr. Scordo to teach me the material because it is her lecture, it is her examination I will be taking. You have provided me with a dean who is not a nurse practitioner who cannot provide the education that I need to succeed in her class.”
Josey and Griffith informed Chan of their concern and distress about the lack of communication and information to the nursing students affected by this situation.
“They [students in the program] are not being kept up to speed on it, they’re not being kept up to date as to where it is, the program is basically stuck,” Griffith said.
“My concern and my frustration is that I found out about this via third party, I found out through the school paper [The Wright State Guardian],” said Josey. “You were responsible for having her removed. The students should have been your next priority. And we are not a priority. I am currently paying out of pocket to come here.”
Chan informed Josey and Griffith that he had no knowledge that the courses weren’t covered and that he would have a conversation with Dean Ulrich about the lack of class coverage.
“If Dr. Scordo is going to be removed, I want to know who is going to help me transfer my credits to another program,” said Josey.
“Okay, I think your imagination is running wild,” Chan said.
“How would you feel if you were going through a program, I have put my life on hold to go to this program,” Josey said to Chan. “I have cut down on my work schedule. I barely work and I pay out of pocket to come to this program. This happens. It’s an unfortunate event, but when I read through the paper it states that the police officers also state that it was no direct threat noted. When I look at the policy and procedures for Wright State, it says if there is a direct threat made then that becomes a violation.”
Chan asked if Josey had read the violence in the workplace policy, she said she did not see how the policy applied to the situation. Chan stated that the policy covered a lot of different situations and there was a lot of language in the policy.
Josey voiced concern that she and her classmates had all been emailing Chan, Dean Ulrich, and Provost Edwards to no reply of any kind.
“My concern is that you are saying this, it’s like a shadow, and the students, are left out in the dark. And that does not provide me with confidence as a graduate of this university,” Josey said. “At this point, it makes me feel that the university does not care about its students,” said Josey.
Chan responded to their comments with assuring them the university cares for its students.
“I can assure you that the university does care about its students and actually the fact that we’re going through the investigation of this situation, I think is an indication that the university does care about its students,” Chan said. “Again, from my position, if Dr. Scordo, unbeknownst to every single one on campus, for some reason has a break from reality and does procure a weapon and does go out and shoot people and we have noticed that there was a potential for violence out there, who do you think bears a responsibility and liability for that?”
Chan told Josey and Griffith that he believes the investigation will be drawing to a close soon and that it will likely have a favorable conclusion. He insisted that the investigation was necessary to have a record to show that there is no present or future threat.
Dean Ulrich was asked to comment on the on going concerns and responded that she could not further comment on a confidential personal matter but assure that courses were covered.
“[Dr. Scordo’s] online pathophysiology class is being taught by an MD that is a very experienced faculty member and an expert in pathophysiology," Ulrich said. "Her other clinical class is taught via guest lecturers either in person or via online voice over PowerPoints. These lecturers were selected by Dr. Scordo and the same way the class is taught by her. There are two adjunct faculty teaching the clinical portion that were selected by Dr. Scordo.”
