Dental hygiene students picket for a purpose

By Gus Bode

Rather than attending classes and waiting for the strike to end, a group of dental hygiene students decided to take action.

Amanda Rafferty, a senior from New Lenox studying dental hygiene, was one of several students who supported faculty by joining professors at the picket line Friday. She said she felt insulted by being expected to attend a lecture from an instructor who is unfamiliar with the curriculum.

Leigh Tiebout, Faculty Association member and associate professor of dental hygiene, cries Friday after some of her students arrived to support her and other teachers. While walking through campus, the dental hygiene students shouted, “What do we want? Our teachers back! When do we want it? Now!” Looking at her students, Tiebout said. “I just want to come back.” Look for the full story in Tuesday’s edition of the Daily Egyptian. Nathan Hoefert | Daily Egyptian

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“This dental hygiene group is like our family. Our teachers have been with us since our sophomore year … we’re getting ready for our clinical board portions and are finding patients for it,” Rafferty said. “I don’t know how they’re expecting some random person to come in and help us with that when our staff has been there with us since day one.”

Ronda DeMattei, a Faculty Association member and striking associate professor in dental hygiene, is one of the students’ professors who resides on the picket lines. DeMattei said students’ actions are a natural response to current circumstances.

She said students are discovering their voices and realizing the power they hold. She said many students question the top-down corporate model being imposed on campus.

“It’s impossible to replace professors with qualified instructors on the spur of the moment … and pick up where the other professors have left off,” DeMattei said

Though the department has tried to replace the professors, she said her students have told her they have had little success.

Charla Lautar, director of the School of Allied Health, refused to comment.

Rafferty said she and a group of seniors addressed a letter to Rita Cheng voicing their concern on the lack of instructors currently in the department. She said one of Cheng’s assistants responded to the message without a direct answer toward the issue.

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Rafferty said she will continue to strike alongside her professors until a resolution is met between the faculty and the administration.

“It’s dumb for me to strike one day and go to class the next,” Rafferty said. “I’m here to support my teachers. We love them; we want them back. I’m not going to go back and forth.”

Rafferty said the strike is not only affecting students and staff but also dental hygiene patients. She said higher level students see patients, and it’s impossible to meet all patients’ needs with only one professor left in the department.

“When I came in on Thursday, our clinic was shutdown and they weren’t even scheduling,” Rafferty said. “It’s not fair to the patients … they’re going to have to totally reschedule and wait until more professors are available.”

Michelle Johnson, a sophomore from New Lenox studying dental hygiene and who was also on the picket line Friday, said one of the few remaining professors in the department took attendance for her class Thursday. She said the professor also presented a brief lecture on material to be covered later in the semester.

Johnson said this is the most critical year for sophomore dental hygiene students. She said SIU’s program is much more expansive than other universities because it is the only one in Illinois to offer a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.

“This is a whole new thing; it’s like Spanish to us. We don’t know anything about this,” Johnson said. “Our semester’s on a really tight schedule and this is going to force us to cram all this information.”

Despite some concerned words from her mother, Rafferty said she is standing her ground and does not think her decision will impact her grades. She said she is protesting alongside her professors and doubts they will penalize her for it.

Tyesha Lowe, a sophomore from Moweaqua studying dental hygiene, said she attended class Monday with no instructor present. She said she received an email from the professor stating she was unable to attend because she was teaching a different course at that time.

She said students decided to leave together as a class and not show up to any of their other classes for the day. Lowe said she is frustrated because she doesn’t think the administration realizes that general substitutes can’t cover her classes. She said professors need to be certified dental hygienists.

“We’re just now learning things that are extremely hands-on and that must be done in a certain way,” Lowe said. “These things we’re learning are going to be happening for the rest of our lives.”

Although no end date has been set for the strike, DeMattei said professors in the department are highly skilled and know their discipline. She said when they return, she and the staff will help students catch up on any material they could be behind in.

“Students are the reason SIU exists. I work for my students and whomever is paying their bills,” DeMattei said. “I am here to serve them, and they hold me accountable.”

 

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