Cannot find a lawyer to take my case.
I was in Chapman University’s master’s/credentialing program in Orange, California.. I graduated in May 2005 with my master's degree and only needed to complete my student teaching in September of that year to get my credential. However, I was expelled from Chapman with only this one semester left to go. I had an argument with two professors regarding where I would be doing my student teaching and I walked out of the room. They accommodated every student there but me when it came to placement in their student teaching.
The next day I called the Dean of the department to let him know what happened and he informed me that I was being expelled. That professor and her close associate wrote a total of eight pages of complete slanderous lies about me.
It went before the Student Review Board-which was made up of four professors who work intimately with these two professors. How biased was that! The next day they voted on my expulsion. I then appealed to the provost, but to no avail. I then went to the Dean of the department who gave me an offer: "If you voluntarily leave the program I will pull the letters from your file." I told him that those letters of lies should not even be in existence. I told him I would not voluntarily leave. He said “Sorry” and I was expelled.
When I first went to the student review board I came not only with my pastor but with all my documents that disputed everything these professors wrote, plus I had a 3.6 GPA, recommendations from two other professors, and was never in trouble academically or socially, but it meant nothing to them. Those professors’ lies were gold in their eyes.
I was not able to afford a lawyer but have called many to see if I could get one on a contingency, but so far no such luck. I have called many schools to see if I could do just student teaching, but they all said that I have to at least take 65% of their classes and have a letter of good standing from my university before I would be allowed to student teach, which is not possible if you were expelled.
Chapman University in Orange , California has destroyed my career. I am $44,000 in debt and just turned fifty-one. When I attended Chapman University I made the mistake of revealing to one of the professors who wrote the negative letter about me that I had a documented learning disabilty from tests I took at Saddleback College's Disability Services. From that point on that professor would make every attempt she could to dissuade me from continuing in the teaching program. In her negative letter about me she states that I have a hard time in class and that she told me her class would be difficult and that I should rethink taking it. Also, when I went to disability services on compus for accomodation they would not honor the documents from Saddleback College. They said I would have to be retested by an outside agency for $500. When my disabilty was revealed it was all downhill from there. I was treated as if I were an idiot and Chapman could not wait to find a way to get me out of their program. This, I believe- was why they were placing me in a district out of the perimeter of Chapman University and far from my place of resident so I would not bring any shame on Chapman University. All the other students there that were doing student teaching were pretty much placed locally.
I cannot believe this happened to me. I did nothing to deserve this. The one teacher I had the argument with was the head of the Special Education department and that was enough to expel me. If they felt I was not teacher material why did they wait till I started my very last semester of the program and then expel me? Also, whenever I request an official transcript for the M.A. I earned at Chapman it states expelled on it. Why would it have to state that when I was expelled out of the teaching program and not the master's?
Some people say that I must have really done something wrong, I did not and I have proof that backs my innocence. I have wrote to senators, newspapers, and even president Bush, to no avail. I guess private schools basically have autonomy and can destroy any life of their choosing.
For awhile I wrote what happened to me on the back of my truck with an email address and had many people who wrote that they could not believe it. I had one guy who even started a blog for me. I am not slandering anyone and have the proof to prove it and I know that if enough people were to know my story I would have justice. When I wrote the newspapers they did not want to publish he-said-she-said stories. It really makes me think of all the people in the world who are hurt by someone stronger and have no recourse to justice. What really is so painful and visceral is how this hurt my mother. I cried like a baby at the student review board because the words those professors wrote were an affront to the person who always was by my side and encouraged me while at
I was in Chapman University’s master’s/credentialing program in Orange, California.. I graduated in May 2005 with my master's degree and only needed to complete my student teaching in September of that year to get my credential. However, I was expelled from Chapman with only this one semester left to go. I had an argument with two professors regarding where I would be doing my student teaching and I walked out of the room. They accommodated every student there but me when it came to placement in their student teaching.
The next day I called the Dean of the department to let him know what happened and he informed me that I was being expelled. That professor and her close associate wrote a total of eight pages of complete slanderous lies about me.
It went before the Student Review Board-which was made up of four professors who work intimately with these two professors. How biased was that! The next day they voted on my expulsion. I then appealed to the provost, but to no avail. I then went to the Dean of the department who gave me an offer: "If you voluntarily leave the program I will pull the letters from your file." I told him that those letters of lies should not even be in existence. I told him I would not voluntarily leave. He said “Sorry” and I was expelled.
When I first went to the student review board I came not only with my pastor but with all my documents that disputed everything these professors wrote, plus I had a 3.6 GPA, recommendations from two other professors, and was never in trouble academically or socially, but it meant nothing to them. Those professors’ lies were gold in their eyes.
I was not able to afford a lawyer but have called many to see if I could get one on a contingency, but so far no such luck. I have called many schools to see if I could do just student teaching, but they all said that I have to at least take 65% of their classes and have a letter of good standing from my university before I would be allowed to student teach, which is not possible if you were expelled.
Chapman University in Orange , California has destroyed my career. I am $44,000 in debt and just turned fifty-one. When I attended Chapman University I made the mistake of revealing to one of the professors who wrote the negative letter about me that I had a documented learning disabilty from tests I took at Saddleback College's Disability Services. From that point on that professor would make every attempt she could to dissuade me from continuing in the teaching program. In her negative letter about me she states that I have a hard time in class and that she told me her class would be difficult and that I should rethink taking it. Also, when I went to disability services on compus for accomodation they would not honor the documents from Saddleback College. They said I would have to be retested by an outside agency for $500. When my disabilty was revealed it was all downhill from there. I was treated as if I were an idiot and Chapman could not wait to find a way to get me out of their program. This, I believe- was why they were placing me in a district out of the perimeter of Chapman University and far from my place of resident so I would not bring any shame on Chapman University. All the other students there that were doing student teaching were pretty much placed locally.
I cannot believe this happened to me. I did nothing to deserve this. The one teacher I had the argument with was the head of the Special Education department and that was enough to expel me. If they felt I was not teacher material why did they wait till I started my very last semester of the program and then expel me? Also, whenever I request an official transcript for the M.A. I earned at Chapman it states expelled on it. Why would it have to state that when I was expelled out of the teaching program and not the master's?
Some people say that I must have really done something wrong, I did not and I have proof that backs my innocence. I have wrote to senators, newspapers, and even president Bush, to no avail. I guess private schools basically have autonomy and can destroy any life of their choosing.
For awhile I wrote what happened to me on the back of my truck with an email address and had many people who wrote that they could not believe it. I had one guy who even started a blog for me. I am not slandering anyone and have the proof to prove it and I know that if enough people were to know my story I would have justice. When I wrote the newspapers they did not want to publish he-said-she-said stories. It really makes me think of all the people in the world who are hurt by someone stronger and have no recourse to justice. What really is so painful and visceral is how this hurt my mother. I cried like a baby at the student review board because the words those professors wrote were an affront to the person who always was by my side and encouraged me while at