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November 8, 2011
Dr. Jeanette Takamura, Dean,
School Of Social Work
1255 Amsterdam Ave
6th Floor Mail. Code: 4600
New York NY 10027

Dear Dr. Takamura:
This letter is to express my concern about the 2010 Capstone Project and the total disregard of Ms Eli Painted Crow’s rights.  It was my understanding that academic institutions of the calibre and prestige of Columbia University would have a rigorous and mandatory ethics revie...

I understand the "public persona" situation, however, that does not take away your rights under "human research laws" pursuant to the Declaration of Helsinki and/or The Belmont Report. Public speaking has little to nothing to do with research criteria. Don't let one thing confuse the other.

Gosh, Eli, I am so sorry you are going through this....

Much love, Terez

I assume someone has written to the Provost. In reviewing the Columbia University administration, I came across this regarding the Provost:

Claude M. Steele is the 21st provost of Columbia University, as well as a professor of psychology. He is recognized as a leader in the field of social psychology and for his commitment to the systematic application of social science to problems of major societal significance. His research focuses on the psychological experience of the individual and, par...

Sent: Friday, To: jtakamura@columbia.edu; provost@columbia.edu; ,
Cc: Daigo Shima; Adrienne Carey Hurley, Prof
Subject: Regarding Ms. Eli Painted Crow, Prof. Helen Benedict and the School of Social Work

Dear Dean Takamura, Assistant Dean Yoshioka, and Provost Steele,

My name is Brent Lue and I recently received word of a particularly offensive capstone project assigned by the Columbia University School of Social Work from my mentor, Adrienne Hurley, an activist and professor at McGill University....

Subject: Concerns and Request

Morning!

I apologize for not getting back to you. I had supervision late night and ended up rushing to get things done.

Eli, my notes indicate that you and I did not talk until after "thanksgiving" b/c you were renovating your house. I don't have our actual conversation in this particular book however, there is one more place I can check for the details. I hope this is helpful.

On another note, it is important for me reiterate that when I spoke to both you and Anu, as far as I knew, CUSSW had NO...

Dear Eli,
Thank you for meeting with me today. I apologize that the capstone project caused you such personal discomfort, given everything that you have been through. It was my hope that our meeting today could begin a process of healing—a process that is important to me, and I sense it is for you also. Please note that the focus of the Friday capstone session was changed and will not include a discussion of your account. Students were notified a week ago to remove your name and identifying...

We spoke to several attorneys and stakeholders all across the country today.

The Dean of the School of Social Work, Dean Takamura, reached out to Eli for a meeting, which Eli is trying to push for tomorrow. She will likely be bringing me and Aaron Frishberg, and attorney Rachel recommended, to that meeting. (The Dean has only allowed Eli two guests to a meeting with her. I wonder how many lawyers and faculty the Dean will have present?)

The faculty have told students that any student not wi...

Dear Dr Steele,

It is with grave concern and a deeply heavy heart that I write this letter to you. My name is Anu Bhagwati. I am the Executive Director of Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), the nation's leading advocacy organization for military women and women veterans. I am also a former Marine Corps Captain.

I am writing because of a serious breach of ethics committed by the faculty and administration of the Columbia University School of Social Work against an Iraq war veteran, Serg...

May 1,2010

To: kristendbush@gmail.com
Cc:

 Subject: Re: Untitled document

Dear fellow students,
As you may know, the capstone committee has scheduled a mandatory meeting with each capstone group individually tomorrow at different times throughout the day. We are disappointed that the capstone committee has chosen this forum rather than the more open forum requested and as planned for last Thursday.

Below are some sample questions that students have come up with that you may have too. Feel free...

RESPONSE TO ELI PAINTEDCROW

May 1, 2011

I am saddened to see the letter by Eli PaintedCrow about the use of my book by Columbia’s School of Social Work. I am also saddened that she is distressed. But there is some misinformation here that must be set straight.

Eli PaintedCrow willingly and graciously agreed to let me interview her for my book, The Lonely Soldier, because she wanted to teach the public what women go through in the military and at war. We spent hours talking over ...

Associate Dean for Research and Academic Affairs, Allan Zweben

Director of Institutional Research, Ned Walsh

Assistant Director of Institutional Research, Jose Monterroso

Director of Communications, Jeannie, Hii

Capstone Committee

May 1, 2011

Re: The Case of Retired Sergeant Eli PaintedCrow

Dear Dean Takamura, Associate Dean Zweben, Ned Walsh, Jose Monterroso, Jeannie Hii, and members of the Capstone Committee at the School of Social Work, Columbia Universit...

From: Jane F
Sent: May 1, 2011 12:52 AM
Subject: Re: Fw: Re: a new problem for women veterans being exploited at Columbia University asking for support

On quick glance she needs to contact the Human Resources Ethics Committee for Research at Columbia University. This is totally unethical as it is presented. Any research on a university campus must go through an Ethics Review Board. This is a very serious process. I can't believe that this could happen in the U.S.

Jane F, Ph.D.

April 30,2010

Hi Eli,

This is Susan from Texas, responding from my personal e-mail address. I am so sorry to hear about this, but I'm not surprised. Your status as a Native-American, female warrior, and activist make you exotic......you are unique and people want to know more. And whether you like it or not you are rising to icon status. Exploiting you gives that author a sense of power and accomplishment that she herself did not earn. I do advocate for veterans to take advantage of the GI ...

April 30,2010

Hau Eli,

I read your email with great interest. My recommendation is that you seek out the Ethics committee for consultation. Typically, there is a chairperson and that person may be able to an emergency meeting.

Your outlining the mental anguish this is causing you, especially if it relates to military trauma, will be a compelling argument. Also, this is timely as an article was just in the NY Times newspaper about the exploitation of the Havasupai by that university researcher ...

April 30,2010

Hey Eli,

I can only begin to imagine how completely awful this must feel. I am just happy to know you could be with Anu at such a horrible time. If someone is "studying" something that involves real people or movements, they should be accountable to those people and movements, their knowledge and experiences, and their actual lives. It's totally exploitative, but all too common for academics (especially white academics) to focus more on their own career advancement or insti...

It seems that we veterans in the process of putting our selves a vulnerable
positions in hope of creating a voice for women veterans have found ourselves in
yet another form of exploitation. I know find myself as the lab rat for 400
students who are to diagnose and provide treatment strategies as their final
project, (to include a poster of me), at Columbia University. Helen sold 400
books and allowed the committee to move forward in exploiting me at another
level that is so devastating and dehu...

April 29,2010

So because you signed on the dotted line this woman has the legal right to do this to you??
Have you faced her? Have you been given the platform to speak to her class?? The Dean of
the school does need to be addressed.
I will forward to my friend Cheryl Franks who left Columbia because of their policies and procedures.
She got tired of fighting...and has a better job. Actually several people left that INSTITUTION.
I just got out of a family team decision making meeting...and have...

April29,2010

Dear Anu,

The dean has asked me to email you to let you know that we are unable to move her calendar around. We will be back to you.

Thank you,
Sheryl

--
Sheryl Nelson-Sodohoue
Executive Assistant
Columbia University School of Social Work
1255 Amsterdam Avenue
New York, NY 10027
sns14@columbia.edu
(212) 851-2324 (phone)
(212) 851-2323 (Fax)

(Community Members & Allies),

We write to you asking for your support for a serious breach of ethics that has recently emerged at the Columbia University School of Social Work (CUSSW).

As you may or may not know, graduating students at the School of Social Work have been assigned to complete a "Capstone Project" that crosses serious ethical boundaries with respect to the "human subject" of their study. Over 400 graduating students have been asked to conduct a multilevel analysis on the narra...

Hello Eli,

We are a part of one of the capstone groups and have been so impacted by this project and issue. We would like to honor you and refuse to answer the micro section of this project as it has been assigned.
Instead, we would like to feature your voice in place of the micro section. We'd like to offer this space to you to express your feelings in a statement. We are open to suggestions about how you would like to do this.

Thank you so much. I was at the meeting last night and I have ...

Hello Dear Friends,

Many of you know that the faculty and administration at the Columbia University School of Social Work recently committed a grave offense to our beloved sister, Eli Painted Crow.

Eli has been sucked into a whirling storm of ethical wrongdoing, traumatization and exploitation. She has offered to fly herself out here to meet personally with students, faculty and administration to address these wrongs. As I have observed the back and forth miscommunication by th...

Ms. PaintedCrow,

I'm so sorry I wasnt in touch yesterday. Yes, things are stressful here but moving! I will give you a call shortly.

Here's where we are:

After Tuesday's town hall, students compiled a list of demands and launched a massive outreach campaign to gain even further momentum.

The demands and survey results are as follows:

April 27,2010

Hi Jeanette, so glad we are on a first name basis. I received your email I'm
sorry it took so long for you to get it. Marion has had the email all along so I
find it interesting that it took 24 hours to get it. I was wondering why Marion
didn't call back as she said she would but instead the question of ethics became
a legal issue and I was embarrassed for the students at the cynical tone your
letter presented. I feel dehumanized as a research subject and I can see that
your pr...

April 27, 2011

Dear Students;

I have read the letter from the Dean and I am painfully aware that my mental distress is unimportant and that her only comment about it was that it was unfortunate. Her cynical tone is subjective and dehumanizing to my existence.  What I interpret is what matters most to her is the work being on women at war, (is such a hot topic and research worthy). It’s just too bad. The lack of respect and dignity by the author in authorizing this knowing my feelings abou...

Dear CUSSW friends,

Thank you so much to the 186 students who were able to attend
tonight's town-hall meeting as well as those who were there in spirit!
We appreciate that you took time out of your busy schedules- during
finals- to come and be present for this important conversation. We
raised $394 tonight through your generosity and kindness.

We are in the process of compiling our notes and all pertinent
information in an email that will be sent later today, Wednesday,
April 27th. We will also inclu...

To: Wen-Jui Han <wh41@columbia.edu>, Marion Riedel <mr108@columbia.edu>, fs2114@columbia.edu, mmo34@columbia.edu, Marianne Yoshioka <mry5@columbia.edu>, "Jeanette C. Takamura" <jct8@columbia.edu>
Cc:

Members of the Faculty and Administration,

I am writing you on behalf of many concerned students.

As you may or may not know, 186 members of the student body gathered on the evening of Tuesday, April 26, 2011, to discuss the serious ethical considerations and impacts that have emerged with regards to...

I was happy to be a part of the conversation tonight. I want to say that If you
cannot get consensus on doing the project this way or the faculty doesn allow
it, then I will have to say that I request the project not go through at all. It
is rather a difficult thing to monitor whether this occurs or not. I would like
a letter stating with each student signing this as an agreement to honor my
request to eliminate the unethical micro section of the Capstone project that
unethically forces me to be...

Ms. PaintedCrow & Anu,

I hope you are both well. Ms. PaintedCrow, thank you for sharing so much of yourself, your spirit and your truth with us tonight. Copied on this e-mail are fellow students who have been working to organize students to build and support this movement. Please know that we gathered 186 students at our meeting and that your words moved a whole room - a whole school.

Here's our plan of action:

Right now, I am sitting with a number of student organizers to send o...

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 d...

Dear Columbia Faculty:

I am writing to all of you to ask why I am being patronized, dismissed and disrespected knowing that a huge mistake has been made and continues to grow. I want you to know that I am now seeking legal counsel on this matter as now you are infringing on my right to speak with the students privately.  Why do you wish to monitor my emails as though I was a terrorist or something?

I have asked to be flown there immediately to address this situation and Marion has ...

From: Jeanette C. Takamura <jtakamura@columbia.edu>
Date: Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Subject: Capstone
To: jct8@columbia.edu
Cc: mr108@columbia.edu, wh41@columbia.edu, mmo34@columbia.edu, fs2114@columbia.edu, mry5@columbia.edu

Dear Students,

We gain much in the course of difficult situations if we hold ourselves as professionals to the standard of critical, reflective thinking before a rush to judgment occurs. You have voiced concerns about the Capstone Project designed and being conducted by a f...

Hello Marion and Kalima:

In response to the “as you know” email I must confess that I don’t know. I understood this to be a conversation that would be followed up with a possible trip to talk to a class but that never happened.

First of all I don’t know what Capstone Project means and I’m not all that familiar with university language. I understood a classroom, not an entire graduating class of 400 students. I am taken aback by this and very shocked to learn all of th...

Dear Sasha:

Thank you for contacting me about this situation. It seems that your university’s graduating project is already challenging the integrity and strength of every individual involved. All the students who will leave this school of social work with letters behind their name and every staff member who promoted this and allowed this to move forward.

 I understand the fear that many students might have to make a wave in the process of completing this course and I am sorry to throw...

April 20,2010

Dear Ms. Paintedcrow:

I am a student at Columbia University School of Social Work. The graduating class is currently assigned to study and understand you, propose pathways to better support returning women veterans, and become intimately familiar with your journey. Part of the project involves making a poster. I wonder if you can send me a high-resolution photo of yourself to include? You and I are about the same age, I have been struck by the very different trajectories our l...

From: Wen-Jui Han <wh41@columbia.edu>
Date: April 19, 2011 9:41:25 AM EDT
To: Anu Bhagwati <anu@servicewomen.org>
Cc: fs2114@columbia.edu, mr108@columbia.edu, mmo34@columbia.edu
Subject: Re: Capstone: Eli Painted Crow

Dear Anu-

Thank you for your email and for addressing your concerns about our Capstone Project. We would love to meet with you as soon as possible to discuss and try to rectify these concerns. We are familiar with the work of SWAN through Kalima DeSuze, who has been involved in ou...

Dear Professors,

I hope this note finds you well.

My name is Anu Bhagwati. I am a former Marine Corps Captain and the Executive Director of Service Women's Action Network (SWAN), an advocacy organization that is spearheading a national movement to end military rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. Eli Painted Crow is one of our co-founders, and she serves on our Board of Directors.It has come to my attention that "The Lonely Soldier" is being used as the only required reading for the ...