April 26, 2011
From: Wen-Jui Han <wh41@columbia.edu>
Date: Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Subject: Letter to Students re: Capstone
To: SSW-CAPSTONE@cuvmc.ais.columbia.edu
Dear Students
We are writing to address unsubstantiated claims of ethical concerns related to the 2010-2011 Capstone Project. We are stunned and saddened by assertions about the ethical nature of some of its dimensions. We will continue to seek a meeting with students who have lodged these claims and with Ms. PaintedCrow. We have asked for time during an upcoming student town hall and have been told that it is for students only. Thus, we are left with this means of communication to provide all students with facts surrounding the Capstone Project, which is a requirement for graduation. We hope that you will take the time to learn the facts and then attempt to discern the difference between facts and a narrative that is emerging on Facebook and other sites. We do not wish to see your degrees devalued as you leave the School.
What is the purpose of the Capstone Integrative Project?
The purpose of the Capstone Project is to provide an opportunity for students to integrate their social work knowledge across years of study and areas of specialization. The heart of every Capstone Project is a complex narrative in which policy, programming, administrative, and clinical practice issues converge. This year, the Capstone Committee after much deliberation decided to develop a Capstone assignment based on the book, The Lonely Solider: The Private War of Women Serving in Iraq, authored by Helen Benedict (2009).
The Faculty Capstone Committee represents the faculty, all of who were briefed about the Project at the outset and participate in the Kick-Off and closing activities. The Committee has been committed to developing a project that engages students in critical thinking around important issues of racism, sexism, oppression, justice, and diversity. Based on comments the Committee has received from many students over the past few weeks, it is clear that many of you have found the Capstone to be an enriching experience.
Why was The Lonely Soldier was chosen as the focus of the Capstone Project?
Many members of the faculty have been acquainted with Professor Benedict’s work for several years. A highly regarded journalist at Columbia University, Helen Benedict is known for her commitment to issues of social justice and to those that pertain to the military. The Lonely Soldier is an award-winning nonfiction book that has received a Ken Book Award from the National Alliance of Mental Illness. From the early Capstone planning stages, the Committee has been in contact with Professor Benedict. The Committee has engaged in conversations with Service Women's Action Network members. Each of the narratives featured in The Lonely Soldier is complex and serious. Each narrative provides an opportunity to examine issues of policy, programming, administrative procedures and clinical practice. The Capstone Committee was deliberative in the selection of Ms. PaintedCrow's narrative as the focus of this year’s project. It was expected that The Lonely Soldier would raise questions, compel critical thinking, and require self-reflection while stimulating multilevel analysis and synthesis.
Was it ethical to not seek Ms. PaintedCrow's permission to use her story as written and published by Helen Benedict?
Ms. Painted Crow is a public figure. We have heard and read that some students dismiss the fact that Ms. PaintedCrow’s story is public information. Ms. PaintedCrow consented to be interviewed and to have her story enter the public domain. Ms. PaintedCrow opted to use her real name. Other women whose stories appear in the book chose to not reveal their identity. She signed off on the final version of her chapter after requested revisions were made. Ms. PaintedCrow and the other women whose accounts appeared in the book participated in the development of the material fully knowing that their accounts would be public information. For those with an interest in the ethics of using The Lonely Soldier, you should know that Dean Nick Lemmon of the Columbia University School of Journalism, widely regarded as an expert in matters pertaining to ethics and journalism, has offered to be part of the discussion – to clarify the ethical and legal bounds related to accounts published about living public figures.
We acknowledge that Ms. PaintedCrow has reported distress upon learning that the Capstone assignment was developed based on Helen Benedict’s chapter of her story. This is truly unfortunate.
The use of published narratives by students and instructors to further educational goals is both ethical and good pedagogy. For many years, the CUSSW HBSE course used a non-fiction book, Random Families, which chronicled the lives and circumstances of an extended family in the Bronx. Real names and events were described. We have also used a book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, based on the narratives of a Hmong family living in Merced California. These are just two of the many wonderful books that chronicle the lives of individuals, families, and communities that highlight and spur the examination of the issues. The individuals who are interviewed for these publications give explicit consent in order for their stories to move into public domain for public use. It is not incumbent upon the reader to seek permission of these individuals to use this published material for discussion nor is it incumbent upon the reader to check whether the individual approves of their portrayal in the book.
We have read students’ interpretations of the NASW Code of Ethics to contend that the assignment is unethical. Please remember that Ms. PaintedCrow is not a client. She is public figure who chose to make a version of her story public domain.
Moving Forward
We are concerned by the decision to speak with Ms. Eli PaintedCrow and to decline or postpone the several requests from faculty to meet. We hope that there is not a rush to judgment without full information. We hope that professional comportment will prevail. We hope that students will not feel coerced into one narrative or another and that all feel free to examine the facts as they complete their assignment. We are eager to meet and discuss the issues with those who have voiced concerns.
In good faith,
Wen-JuiHan
PeggyO’Neill
MarionRiedel
Fred Ssewamala