The title says it all in a nutshell. The details are fodder for a movie if some screenwriter/filmmaker could work some of that Hollywood “suspension of belief” magic.

So after blogging about things in December here before, as well as going on the radio about my problems with school, with the Christmas holiday break looming, the heat went up in the kitchen–way up. Every day was some setback, some new depth of laziness and ineptitude by school officials uncovered, each of which could have been a blog entry in itself. However, as anybody can see, the site has been near-dormant for the last 6 weeks or so with the exception of occaisional “fluff” posts and status updates. I had been trying to do the right thing and not publish something I’d regret later, as well as not plunge this blog into uncomfortable negativism and hostility.

Well, there’s nothing more on the line to worry about regretting, that’s for sure. However, to actually catch up to give everything that’s happened justice (and it’s not just about me, believe it or not ) will take a couple more posts, so please bear with me. I promise I won’t dwell on my problems forever; in fact, I am looking forward to putting all of this behind me in my daily life, even if I’ll be dealing with the financial, academic, and some of the emotional consequences for a very, very long time.

So first, the good news: the school’s financial committee decided to forgive the debt representing the tuition of the semester I didn’t attend. This would seem like an obvious slamdunk decision, and indeed, that’s what I was expecting back in November. However, I was told this after classes began in January (knowing full well the decision came in December; they just waited for either laziness or spite), so that’s already strike one. I said publicly that no decision before the break was a “no” decision, because I couldn’t be on pins and needles with no loan money, no job, and risk things not working out in the end, spending what little money was left in the meantime just waiting (rent, etc.) Therefore, I fully expected to come back to gather my things and leave with whatever means I could, even if it meant just practically giving stuff away and leaving with what could fit in the cars.

And now, the bad news: a faceless, secret committee mentioned before has for sure sealed my fate by deciding that I could not re-enroll for school–even if things worked out with the financial committee–because of “my attitude.” Yes, those last two words in quotes were given to me verbatim. But not by anybody with authority–oh no. This was given to me by a minion (who I later found out was just as miffed at having to deal with this bullshit almost as much as I was) who was allegedly told this by a representative of said committee. I mentioned this on the radio show linked above, but I hadn’t really uncovered the festering rot that is at the core of the wretched institution quite yet, so I thought that it was all a matter of just ruffled feathers over something (I had no idea what–still don’t), and that the appropriate “mea culpa”/”I’m sorry” would suffice to stroke the ego/whims of whatever muckety muck that got their short-and-curlies caught in their zipper. Whatever “attitude” they could be referring to was clearly unwarranted. Had I threatened, been insubordinate, disresepectful to a professor/dean or the like, I’d understand at least, “Oh yeah, it was probably that,” but honestly nothing even close to any of that has ever happened. My frustration in dealing with all this was obvious, but I never “let loose,” so to speak, to anyone.

Unfortunately, I found out that my being asked to leave went much deeper and was more sinister than a simple misunderstanding or the like. The “secret” committee that I have been talking about actually has a name: “Honor y Justicia” (”Honor and Justice”). Can you believe that shit?! What kind of “justice” exists when an entire committee of unnamed, unreachable faculty and administrators meet to try, sentence and seal your fate without even letting you know until after the fact? And what input could one give if one isn’t even made aware that there are “charges” or problems in the first place? I would imagine a committee like this would deal with serious infractions of honor, integrity, or ethics. However, there are students who have been caught cheating–red handed–and they are not expelled; everyone who goes to school here knows exactly what I’m talking about. Oh, but I’m told I can’t come back. What did I do that’s worse than cheating?! To make matters worse, my repeated requests to get something in writing stating this fact have been denied. Just two days ago, I asked Ms. Red Flowers, the director of International Student Affairs, in person (by finally barging into her office since her pit bull secretary wasn’t there to close her door upon seeing me as usual) yet again, and to my face she told me that she has nothing in writing, and that “We could ask the committee to provide something, but it would be up to them.” When I asked which committee, she replied she didn’t know. To my face.

But the greatest breach of confidence and trust truly came from dean/director Dr. Multiple Sclerosis (MS), as I’ve blogged before, pretending to know nothing. In spite of knowing exactly what kind of student I am and professes these excellent qualities himself, Dr. MS said not just to me, but to my wife that he knew nothing of any such decision to prevent me from re-enrolling but also that he would not be willing to follow up on it. Dr. MS said, “I don’t know where this comes from. But perhaps it comes from a committee called “Honor y Justicia“. This was the first I’d heard of this “committee” and I could scarcely believe my ears.

He continued, “Remember when I talked to you in July about some things you wrote online? I sat you down and explained things [read: droned uselessly–see link] because I know that you are very smart, an excellent student, and that you were just confused and need to be educated on things that you may not be aware of. Perhaps others weren’t so understanding, and maybe that’s where the problems come from. Perhaps. But I don’t know for sure.”

If I am so smart, then don’t you think I’d be able to see through this lamely constructed veil of false deniability? Moreover, how impotent/incompetent can this guy be if an entity outside the School of Medicine is totally going over his head to screw with me and him not even know it? On the flip side, if I’m such a good student, like he says, why is there no outrage at 1) the fact that someone is meddling on his turf from the outside and/or 2) that one of his students is being ramrodded? Because he knows full fucking well indeed and is lying to my face–and not just him, one of his lapdog minions, Dr. WolfCamp, who should know even less since I’ve never had anything to do with him academically, but had quite a few things to say about something that he also claimed to know nothing about.

Between the lies and the outright refusal (with my wife as my witness) to help me in any way shape or form at this December meeting, any and all respect I had for anything at this school was gone. My personal decision was made before I left for Christmas break that things were done with this school. That’s what these monkeys don’t understand: I’m playing for keeps–this is my financial future, my wife, my child, my career. For them, I’m an account number and more dollars to add to the slush fund. There are students who literally go four years here, never having passed Step 1. I shit you not. Does the school give a rat’s ass? No, because they keep collecting their tuition money without a care in the world that maybe–just maybe–they need a “time out” by force to get their stuff done. Students are a disposable commodity to them–much easily discarded if, like me, they seem to present a “problem” to administration–since there are so many willing, naive students ready to take any given place.

But are there so many eager students? What if the well of students who would want to come here would run dry? That’s the real-life drama of the next installment.