Hi there. I have a big problem I would like input on. I am graduating in May 2006 from a community college program. It took me four long years to do all the pre-req's and make it through to graduation when many of my classmates have failed along the way. Early in this last semester, the SNO officers and a few others decided that they were speaking for the entire class when they decided the HESI exam should not be a requirement to graduate, and they started a petition and called meetings with the nursing teachers to get it changed. (The requirment for passing HESI with a minimum score was not something we just heard about, we were all aware that students from previous semesters has failed soley based on HESI performance and had to re-take the entire semester.) At the time, I did not agree with the way the SNO handeled it, and they had secret meetings and decided what to do without our entire class voting on it. Meetings occurred without the SNO advisor present, and it was all hush-hush, and any student who voiced a differing opinion was not told about any more meetings.
Well, that all went down, the SNO members went above the Dean of Nursing and complained to college administrators, again, not sure what actually happened because although I go to all announced official meetings, all the info I have about what actually transpired is second-hand and gossip coming from students, so I can't entirely trust it all. But the end result was suddenly the dean of the college overulled the dean of nursing and allowed those who did not pass the HESI to graduate, but the nursing dean maintains that they will have to take the HESI every several weeks until they pass or she will not vertify them to sit for the NCLEX.
That all happened, has been over with, and now the SNO officers and a few others have decided that they are not inviting the Nursing Dean to our pinning and will not ask her to make a speech as she has traditionally done, and in fact for our "speaker" they have decided that a certain classmate of our(one who spear-headed the whole HESI fiasco) will speak as a "voice for us."
I am extremely upset, and no longer want to attend my own pinning. The Dean of nursing is upset with us and feels insulted, and I don't blame her. Apparently, from what the SNO officers say, there has been a lot of personal confrontations going on behind closed doors with them and the dean--well, I don't know, and who knows what really happened. I would be angry too, if I was the dean, and they went above my head like they did about the HESI thing. But now the class is saying they don't even want the dean at the ceremony?
I feel like they way the SNO has operated is higly unprofessional, disrespectful, and embarassing. If I was an employer and knew what they had done, there is no way I would want to hire any of these people. Furthermore, the SNO has made decisions claiming they represent our class, yet our class did not vote on these things officially or only a small number of people were present at non-school sanctioned meetings that they did have real votes at. I am not willing to sit there and look like an idiot in front of my family while my classmate stands up and rants and raves about our "horrible" school and claims she speaks for all of us, while they exclude the dean. I think it looks petty and juvenile. And furthermore, what on earth do they think they will accomplish by behaving like this? The Dean could very well take her sweet time certifying us all for the boards, and there is nothing we could do about it. No matter what has happened, or if they think the dean acted unprofessionally, I think we should stand up and act like professionals and adults, not like juveniles who refuse to invite the dean to play with us. And it makes me so angry they keep saying they speak for our class, when our class itself has never approved or voted on much of the decisions made.
Can I get your opinions on this from an objective view? I think I am way too emotional right now to rationally react. As nurses, what do you think of this behavior from students? Would you join in on something like this if it happened with your union, for example? And how do you think it makes us look as new nurses entering the workforce?
You are already showing yourself to be a true professional by staying above the level of those who have created this situation.
Just one more thought: Is your SNO an independent organization, or is it a "franchise" of a national group? If it is the latter, your officers may be violating the rules of conduct set forth by the national organization (by holding unannounced meetings and votes). In that case, they could be "forced out" by the national board. The same may hold true if your SNO is a campus-sanctioned organization, especially if it receives any funding from the university. Not that you need one more thing to consider at this late date in the semester, but it might be worthwhile to look into these possibilities and inform the SNO officers that they may be jeopardizing the entire organization by their conduct.
It sounds like the little SNO group doesn't know what a "team player" is. First off it's comprised of individuals, each who have their own individual opinion, their own individual ideas, their own idividual wants/needs, their own individual goals, etc. Being a "team player" means taking into account the individuality of each of it's members. It's about listening to each other, it's about finding the best compromise for a given situation, it's about the best interests of a whole not the select interests of a few. Loyalty is not about blind support, it's about meeting obligations (which can be an oath one takes, a promise one makes) to a person (or persons, or thing imposing an obligation), it is given with the expectation that it will be returned. The SNO has not been loyal to the students they respresent if the interest of a few has been behind their agenda while ensuring exlusion of the majority, which they have shown by:
1. Having meetings without the SNO advisor present in a clandestine way (hush-hush). It would indicate that things may have been planned behind the SNO advisor's back.
2. No apprising it's members of the situation. It's members should not be receiving their information from second-hand or hearsay. What about submiting a copy of the meeting minutes to their members. It would indicate there are things they do not want their members to know about.
3. Excluding those that had a differring opinion. Suddenly they're not being told about meetings. This is called "stacking the deck," meaning that a select few wanting to further their own agenda without input/opposition from those whom they perceived as being in their way.
4. Using the group for retaliatory revenge on an individual who they perceived as an enemy by virtue of opposing their agenda. The dean of the college overruling the dean of nursing should have been the end of the story. Their subsequent actions towards the dean of nursing since are nothing more than petty vindictiveness unbecoming of anyone with professional aspirations.
5. Despite being vindictive enough to want to retaliate against the dean of nursing to call for a vote to exclude the dean from the pinning ceremonies, they also ensure to stack that vote by excluding 2/3 of it's members from participating in it.
6. In essence they used the SNO as weapon to gain revenge against the dean of nursing, which should never be purpose of an organization like this. Achieving their goal wasn't enough, they now have to "punish" the dean of nursing for opposing them. I'm sure the dean of nursing was superiorly more graceful with defeat in this issue than the SNO was in victory. In fact their actions since the dean of the college overruled the dean of nursing have been deplorable. Apparently opposing them on one issue negates everything else.
7. Intimidating their members to go along silently with what they've done. Those passive-aggressive e-mails for instance:
a) Questioning loyalty, which they've demonstrated little of. They also have an obligation to be loyal to those they represent, which involves including them.
b) Questioning ethics (you're not "advocating"/or are not a "team player") that they have not displayed. Advocacy has nothing to do with revenge or retaliation, it is about recommendation in the best interests of another person or a group of people. They lack the understanding of the word advocacy but yet they use that word to question another's ethics. They forget that a "team" is not 1 individual or a select few, yet accuse others others of not being a "team player" when they themselves have not behaved as "team players." They want to discount/discourage any opinion that differs from their own by attacking them.
c) Accusations towards others (you're not being supportive or are taking sides) when they've been the ones who have not supported those they represent and created the opposing sides. Essentially they are accusing others of what they themselves are guilty of, in essence it is called displacing blame. This group became about achieving the interest/agenda of a few to the exclusion of the majority. They picked the opposing sides and set them up by making the situation into "you are either for us or against us", no middle ground. Not all members of any organization is going to agree with every issue/decision. Within any organization some of the members are going to agree some of the time, but all members are not going to agree all the time, it is something that never (or rarely) happens. It tends to be what the majority agrees on, not just those they choose to include.
I feel like they way the SNO has operated is higly unprofessional, disrespectful, and embarassing.
I wrote a retort several times, but never did hit "reply", because I feel that they are all behaving like children on our class message board and I just don't want to stoop to that level.
They have behaved unprofesisonally, disrespectfully, vindictively, and disloyally not only towards the dean of nursing, but also towards the students they represent. You don't have to respond to them on their childish level of name calling or accusations. If you choose to respond you can call them out for what they are by representing the facts or making it clear what YOUR OPINION is about the situation.
It just all really stinks. I just want to celebrate my accomplishment and have my family see me pinned by my instructors, with our Dean there to congratulate us. But I just can't be a part of purposefully embarassing/excluding our dean. It just all stinks. I am hoping in the next few days others who feel like I do will come out of the woodwork. It's getting kinda lonely up here on my high-horse.
I do like the suggestions of others on how to express your thanks towards the dean of nursing, especially arranging to have you own pinning ceremony. By arranging you own ceremony, even if it is not on campus, you can have your family there and not have to be a part of ceremony that now represents something it should not (snubbing the dean).
I'm going to jump off my horse now and congratulate you on your upcoming graduation and wish you all the best in your future career. Be proud of what you have achieved and move forward with your head held high.
Has it been suggested to the 1/3 who sound like they are putting their energies toward ruining the graduation celebration for everyone that, since the vote to ban the dean was not unanimous or even majority, they could also consider the option of not attending the ceremony in protest, leaving the celebration intact for those who would like to mark the end their hard work on a positive note.
They can go off and organize their own anti-graduation, graduation and have their pins stuck on them by whomever they choose (and they should get poked with them for their horrid behavior).
Hope these clowns don't need any reference letters from school as new grads looking for jobs...Hope you don't have to cross paths with any of them as co-workers.
Congratulations on your graduation. I truly hope it smooths into an enjoyable event for your class.
Jolie, BSN
6,375 Posts
You are already showing yourself to be a true professional by staying above the level of those who have created this situation.
Just one more thought: Is your SNO an independent organization, or is it a "franchise" of a national group? If it is the latter, your officers may be violating the rules of conduct set forth by the national organization (by holding unannounced meetings and votes). In that case, they could be "forced out" by the national board. The same may hold true if your SNO is a campus-sanctioned organization, especially if it receives any funding from the university. Not that you need one more thing to consider at this late date in the semester, but it might be worthwhile to look into these possibilities and inform the SNO officers that they may be jeopardizing the entire organization by their conduct.