It is inconceivable that any reputable law school, medical school, or university would do what Ave Maria School of Law has just done: single-out a student and distribute criticism of that student to the entire institution, including fellow students. The student is none other than the Chairman of the institution's Honor Board.

The full text of the student's letter and the administrator's letter are here. Analysis of the Deans' letter is here.

Think of it. Would five Deans at Notre Dame or Harvard Law Schools find the respectful-but-critical comments of a single student so intimidating as to issue a letter to all faculty and students about said student? The AMSL administrators' action only underscores the student's point - that intimidation is used in Ave Maria's governance. The Deans contend: ".. while the author expresses a desire to "bring peace to our school," it is difficult to understand how this goal is advanced by his provocative statements, which are self-evidently contentious and are likely to be divisive." Of course these Deans find it "difficult to understand", just as they also cannot understand why the American Bar Association has an ongoing investigation, specifically, into Ave Maria's unhealthy environment. Heaven forbid that a law student say something that might be "divisive". And even if a student's statement is divisive, so what? Are these Monaghan administrators so insecure that a gang of them must address the student in public, in front of peers? Students at a law school or university cannot be critical of the education that they're paying for? Such petty public action by a group of administrators, against a respected student, is difficult to fathom in a real law school.

Since then, the Student Bar Association's Vice President resigned, and AMSL alumni have issued strong statements to the administrators involved.

[hat-tip to Fumare]

Tags: accountability, employee-treatment, environment