(The following letter to the editor has been submitted to numerous publications, including the Joplin Globe, Chart, and Kansas City Star, and was written by MSSU alumnus Phil Dowden.)
After graduating in December of 2008 I was very proud of my degree from Missouri Southern State University. Not only did I enjoy my experiences, but was able to grow as an individual and in turn I believe that has helped me into a successful career as a professional.
However, after learning news of my advisor, teacher, and good friend T.R. Hanrahan being let go of his duties, I have never been more upset and embarrassed of where my degree has came from.
By no means do I consider myself an award-winning writer (which has been a product of The Chart and Mr. Hanrahan) nor do I consider myself a great writer, (which Mr. Hanrahan and The Chart has produced in great number) however, I do owe a great deal of credit to “one of our own” for where I am today.
So sit in here in my office wondering just how many others feel the same sentiment I do. With the boom of social networking and texting I didn’t have to wonder long as I have seen this story blasted with similar disdain as I currently have including a good number of text messages that I would happily save for any administration, or public figure that would care to test the waters.
This brings me to the greatest point I need to make, the first amendment. Administration at Missouri Southern has just let go not only one of the finest teachers I have had in my college career. I feel as though the university is dismissing someone based on the first amendment rights of The Chart and every American individual for that
matter. Has there really been so much controversy that an individual’s livelihood has been taken from him? Please let us not forget our first amendment right the United States government has given each and everyone of us, which ironically allows me to write this.
TR Hanrahan has been a substantial voice not just in media circles, but also in the lives of many students who have walked through Webster Hall. I have since moved on from Joplin and Missouri Southern, and have continually stood behind and defended many naysayers about the community and university. However, I feel as though it has come back to bite me as our administration has an agenda that has been discovered and is trying to stomp it out. I fully understand how politics work, and this is a part of that, but when you start limiting the freedom of press you have gone to far. Remember, it is not our fault you choose to respond with “no comment” or have a “gag order” about the university, but it just appears as shady and that’s where the real journalism and investigation comes in.
11 comments:
Great job Phil
Agree or don't, TR was very important from helping me transform from a punk kid who rarely attended class on the verge of never graduating, to a young man with a degree.
He's helped me continue my career where I am now a professional at Abilene Christian University as the Assistant Director for Athletic Media Relations.
As an alumnus myself and employee, I was very disappointed but hardly surprised by the firing of Mr. Hanrahan. I was very proud of my degree from MSC and was proud of MSSC but feel nothing but dispare and shame over MSSU and the administration. Faculty and staff are treated with disdain and no respect is shown toward the students who provide their jobs. We'll raise tuition and so what if we loose some students we want to remodel our buildings. Wake up Joplin and demand transparency and accountability. I fear it may already be too late to turn this university into the exceptional educational institution the four state area has know in the past.
I attended MSSC from 1995-2000 and earned a BS and a BA in that time. I loved that school, and I very much enjoyed and benefitted from the time I spent in Southern's classrooms in a variety of departments. I was fortunate to have very dedicated faculty members who taught and guided me along my way--and I believe that those dedicated teachers were the rule, not the exception. It saddens me to see what has become of that institution, and it is particularly frustrating to think about all the opportunities lost due to the current administration's actions. Unfortunately, I have to agree with the previous poster--I also fear that it is too late to turn things around, and that's a damn shame.
Pass on the word to alumni and those who care about MSSU that Governor Nixon will be the speaker at one of the Commencement ceremonies. That will be an opportunity to get his attention. He can change the membership of the BoG as their terms expire (some already have as they continue to serve). It is going to take changing the BoG to change the culture of Hearnes Hall. Alumni have the power. Let's go alumni! Faculty and staff are looking over their shoulders and looking around corners before speaking. The push to kill tenure is meant to make for fewer and fewer dissenters. You dissent, you're out.
TR Hanrahan's firing, and the way that it was done, was simply an abomination! TR's lack of tenure keeps him from having the protection of due process that tenure affords.
I hear that some university President was telling the faculty that he would not stand for slander of people in administration. Someone needs to explain to the rhetorician that slander requires that a statement be malicious and false. I've yet to read any FALSE statements coming from the Chart! And cries of malice are simply mistaken understanding of why people are so fed up with what is going on in Hearnes!
Those who are so certain that Hanrahan's firing was solely a First Amendment issue may consider otherwise. Might it be a matter of personal or professional conduct?
To Anonymous 5:57: You're obviously an administration apologist if not in administration and you've got some nerve to make such accusations out of thin air. Show us that Hanrahan is anything but an outstanding teacher and advisor with more integrity than the entire MSSU administration (and obviously you).
If it were one of conduct/professionalism, wouldn't it be one that was handled with less secrecy? And wouldn't such an incident(s) be carefully recorded in a personnel file?
It isn't like he was abusive to his newspaper students or anything, was it Jarred?
The only misconduct came from the Admins and the department head who allowed this to happen. Where were the people who could have prevented this horrible thing? I hope they all are proud of themselves, those who chose to cover their own messy butts and not protect a talented teacher from such crap.
Jay??? Chad???? Where were you? And HOW could you???
everybody and their dog knows how to run a university...what does Hanrahan have to say
To 5:57
How dare you insert such an irresponsible comment into the discussion! To suggest personal or professional misconduct, without the slightest evidence to offer, is the lowest form of muck shuffling!
You should be horse-whipped; you cowardly, collaborating low-life!
What about your own misconduct, huh? How about your afternoons in that adult arcade, the one with the hole in the wall?
See how it can start?
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