University chairman disciplined

[Peter T. Chattaway]

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=bbb5cead-796e-4529-beac-5e946873eea2&k=48737

Trinity students reveal disciplinary record to amplify their concerns over
board of governors handling of harassment case

Janet Steffenhagen, Vancouver Sun
Published: Friday, January 27, 2006

LANGLEY -- The man who directed Trinity Western University through a
recent sexual harassment scandal is now in the spotlight himself following
revelations that he was disciplined twice in the 1990s by the California
Board of Psychology for unprofessional conduct.

Allan Hedberg, chairman of the university's board of governors, wrote to
staff and students last week, defending himself after students exposed his
disciplinary record to amplify their concerns about the board's handling
of a harassment complaint against university president Neil Snider and its
overall accountability.

In his letter, Hedberg played down the circumstances in his private
practice as a psychologist that gave rise to the discipline, which
included a year of probation in 1995 and -- on another matter -- two years
of probation in 1999.

He suggested the first case was a misunderstanding and said the second was
prompted by a former employee who had been "coached" by a psychiatrist to
lay a complaint.

Records from the Board of Psychology indicate Hedberg was disciplined in
1995 for failing to report promptly the suspected sexual abuse -- later
found to be true -- of a seven-year-old patient by her stepfather. The
1999 discipline was for hiring a former patient to work in his office in
violation of the professional code.

Hedberg, who practises psychology in Fresno, Calif., said in an interview
he was surprised that students dug up information on his discipline and
made it an issue. "It's been public in our area but it's certainly not
been public in Canada. Somehow or other, there was motivation to snoop
around ... and that information popped out."

Still, he said it doesn't reflect on his capabilities as board chairman.
"You get wiser as you move along ... [and] you learn from some of the
decisions you make," he said.

"I made the decisions on the basis of the best interests of my patients at
the time and the situation that was there. Nobody got hurt. In fact, both
situations came out extremely well, except that we just had people who
said, 'Well, you could have done it differently.' That's probably true. I
don't deny that."

Bob Gordon, spokesman for the TWU board, said the discipline does not
create a conflict for Hedberg as chairman.

"The issues date back quite awhile and Dr. Hedberg has been open and frank
about this," he said. "His response was appropriate at the time ... and
there was no conduct that would prevent him from serving as a board
member."

While admitting he was unaware of the discipline until this month, Gordon
said Snider had been told earlier.

Hedberg was the main TWU spokesman when a former employee filed a sexual
harassment complaint last fall against Snider with the B.C. human rights
tribunal because she said the university had failed to address her
concerns.

At the time, Hedberg said Snider was accused of intruding on the woman's
personal life "in an unwanted manner through phone calls, personal
comments and invitations to social events." As well, there were
allegations of physical contact, but "none of which -- on any other
grounds -- would violate the university's standards of personal conduct,"
he said.

Snider, president for 32 years, took a leave of absence in October. The
complaint was settled informally when Snider and the university apologized
to the woman and promised to change procedures for dealing with
harassment.

In December, Hedberg announced that Snider was returning to campus for a
few months before his planned retirement in June and that his "moral
integrity cannot be called into question."

That didn't satisfy student representatives, who said the handling of the
complaint pointed to broader problems.

"Those allegations weren't just against president Snider. They were also
against Trinity Western University for failing to respond adequately to
the harassment charge," said Matt Jenkins, editor of the student newspaper
Mars' Hill.

"The fact that it went to the B.C. human rights tribunal indicates that it
wasn't just sexual harassment, it was abuse of power. And that is an issue
that has been murmured about for a long time."

"We need a paradigm shift in how Trinity is run," he added. "It's been a
very closed book."

The faculty association is also calling for changes, saying the board
makes most decisions behind closed doors and doesn't meet the
accountability standards of the Association of Universities and Colleges
of Canada, of which Trinity is a member.

Gordon said the sexual harassment "crisis" highlighted some problems and
admitted the board has done a poor job of communicating with students and
staff.

jsteffenhagen-***@public.gmane.org

--- Peter T. Chattaway ------------- http://filmchatblog.blogspot.com/ ---
Nothing tells memories from ordinary moments; only afterwards do they
claim remembrance, on account of their scars. -- Chris Marker, La Jetee