MEMO
FROM: M. Millman
TO: LaGuardia Faculty and Administration
DATE: 11/14/00
RE: Mass Invasion of Privacy
Dear Colleagues,
As you may know, Dr. Evan Siegel has instituted grievance proceedings against the College regarding his dismissal from the Mathematics Department last year. One of the reasons cited by former President Matthews for this firing was student evaluations among the worst in the department. (In point of fact, Dr. Siegel's evaluations were among the best). Dr. Siegel, exercising his legal rights, requested and received from Personnel copies of the student evaluations of almost every member of the Mathematics Department for the two-year period of his employment. Incredibly, the name of each faculty member appeared on their respective evaluations! Of course, these names should have been blacked out. Even by LaGuardia standards, this is mind-boggling incompetence of epic proportions. I expect that the name of the nitwit who committed this act will never become known to us. The PSC attorney assures me that this is in flagrant violation of Board of Trustees by-laws, which prohibit the divulging of confidential information in the personnel files of faculty members to unauthorized parties. The right to privacy of almost every member of the Mathematics Department has been compromised. I suggest that those Math faculty who hesitate to believe this violation has occurred contact Dr. Siegel and arrange to view his/her evaluations. I am sending a registered letter to President Mellow demanding to know how the Administration intends to deal with those responsible for this invasion of privacy and how it intends to prevent similar occurrences in the future. I suggest you do the same.
cc:
G. Mellow, President, LaGuardia Community College
M. Goldstein, Chancellor, CUNY
H. Badillo, Board of Trustees, CUNY
D. Lynch, PSC Representative
N. Russo, PSC Attorney
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