request in change to GenEd representative for SUNY Albany

UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY

Dr. Jeanette Altarriba

Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education

Phone: 518-442-3950

Fax: 518-442-4959

http://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/acaproplan/general-education/

Every member of the community, including both faculty and students, shares an interest in maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. [...] When the entire University community upholds the principles of academic integrity, it creates an environment where students value their education and embrace experiences of discovery and intellectual growth. [...] Maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity insures the value and reputation of our degree programs; these standards represent an ethical obligation for faculty intrinsic to their role as educators, as well as a pledge of honor on the part of University at Albany students. If a violation of academic integrity occurs, faculty, deans, and students all share in the responsibility to report it.

http://www.albany.edu/studentconduct/appendix-c.php

While Chair of the Department of Communication, Jeanette Altarriba knowingly permitted untenured visiting assistant professor of Communication Michael W. Barberich to engage in academic dishonesty in a course meant to fulfill information literacy general education requirement. Mr. Barberich had at least four of his five teaching assistants writing his lectures and lecture notes for him, which he presented in class and online as his own work. At least two of the four TAs plagiarized material in order to prepare those lectures and lecture notes for him. Mr. Barberich permitted students to openly cheat on the daily quizzes, and did not report plagiarism and falsification on work submitted on the information literacy project. Mr. Barberich made errors on his exams, and did not inform students of that fact and Ms. Altarriba said that she would not do so either. Ms. Altarriba claimed, in defense of Mr. Barberich arriving to class late on a regular basis, that most professors at UAlbany regularly arrive late - something I did not find to be true while a student there.

Ms. Altarriba also allowed Mr. Barberich to engage in sexual harassment, and to joke about torturing one of his minority students. Ms. Altarriba claimed to me in writing that she had addressed the things I'd reported, which manifestly was not true.

I reported Ms. Altarriba, who had refused to grant me academic accommodation and forced me (and others) to remain in Mr. Barberich's class continuing to be subjected to his offensive and alarming behavior as a condition of receiving a degree in Communication and graduating, over my objections - quid pro quo sexual harassment. She assisted Mr. Barberich in his retaliation.

Her promotion to Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Education was, of course, completely unacceptable, as is her being General Education representative for SUNY Albany given her support of sexual harassment, academic dishonesty by students, teaching assistants, and faculty, and her acts of retaliation.

There is ample documentation for Ms. Altarriba's unsuitability for employment at any institution of learning... much of which I expect SUNY already has?