Chris Maple
Robert Gotee
Dear Sirs,
Writing this letter is very difficult for me because of the pain and trauma the companies that you represent have inflicted on me, however I want and need my voice to be heard.
I have spent the last year and a half trying to understand and make peace with the fact that I was terminated from OIT and ODS. I have tried to move forward but that fact is that I cannot. I have been financially injured but even worse, I have experienced extreme emotional harm, which has resulted in a severe sleep disorder and other problems. Even working with my counselor, I haven’t been able to cope with the stress of looking for a job; I’ve sent out many hundreds of resumes but haven’t had any offers. Every single day since I was terminated I’ve been frightened of not being able to find another job but even worse, I ampetrified at the thought of starting a new one because of what your companies have done to me. Though I had very good evaluations and work history, I’m left with the feeling that I am incompetent and unable to succeed at my next job. My confidence in myself and my trust in employers is irrecoverably shattered.
I started working at the school in 2006, initially a day a week and my hours increased from there. In 2009 I was working at a dental clinic 3 days a week and the school the 2 remaining days. I took on many as many tasks and the need for more of my time arose so I was asked if I would work more days and Sue Hopper said she had talked to Bill Ten Pas about getting me on full-time and asked me if I would be willing to do that. Quitting my other jobt was a tough decision to make because I had established a 13 year relationship with my patients and coworkers but absolutely loved working at ODS. I took a $10,000 a year loss but it was worth it to be able to do a job that I had a passion for.
I asked for, and took on many duties for Sue, Heidi the receptionists, and Dr. Stuedli. I did tasks that no one else wanted to do, such as maintaining equipment, inventory/ordering, I was involved with quality assurance and, because I paid attention to the details, discovered that there were some liability issues so I brought them to my supervisors attention and corrected them. One of the things I noticed was that no one had ever registered the x-ray equipment with the state, another involved faulty biological monitoring strips that were used to ensure the sterilizers were functioning properly, HIPPA violations and concern about radiographs not being reviewed by a dentist which meant there was a possibility of missed diagnoses.
Winter term 2011-Sue Hopper told me that when OIT took over control of adjunct faculty they wouldn’t pay me for the non-clinical and lab hours nor would they provided benefits. However, Dr. Stuedli told me that ODS would pay for all of the jobs I did for the company and I they would continue to provide my insurance.
Just before summer term, the first term OIT was in control of the adjunct staff, Dr. Stuedli and Coy Saxton informed me that I had meet with Jan Cope to find which of my extra duties were to be paid for by OIT. I was told to question Jan and I wasn’t to tell her that I was doing so at ODS’s insistence.
Jan decided that she wanted to hold our meeting in the student break room so she could greet the students as we conducted our business. I was distressed that I was put in this position and also by being told that I wouldn’t be paid, by OIT, for extra time worked during lunch and after hours. I was crying as she was talking to me and when students approached to say hello to Jan they saw me; it was very humiliating. Coy Saxton was present at this meeting and when Jan would go talk to students Coy told me, several times that I would be “okay”. We concluded the meeting with Jan saying she would check on some of the things we talked about and get back to us.
Following the meeting with JanDr. Stuedli took me up to Coy’s office to discuss the talks I was told that I had to email Jan and Sue Hopper to continue to find out what OIT’s responsibly would be. I voiced my concerns that there would be repercussions and I was, once again, assured that I would be “okay” and not to worry because Sue and Jan were professionals. The following discussions between me, Jan, Sue, and other ODS staff were conducted via email; each of them sent first to Mary Lou True. Mary Lou gave suggestions on corrections and content of the correspondences.
I was told to meet with Sue Hopper to further discuss the issues so Dr. Stuedli, Sue, Amy Benson and I were present and Mary Lou was on the telephones intercom during this last meeting. One of the issues that continued to arise was that we, the instructors, continued to have to work over the allotted clinic time because we were always so busy. Jan Cope and Sue had both told us that there was no reason for instructors to work past the given time. During the initial meeting, Jan told me that OIT’s instructors didn’t have a problem keeping within the clinic times and we shouldn’t either. I’d like to point out at this time, that I was also told that the Klamath Falls campus has a better instructor/student ratio. Getting back to the meeting with Sue, when the overtime issue was discussed, she kept insisting that there was no reason to be overworked in clinic but it was pointed out to her that there was less staffing on the La Grande campus and, in addition to that, there was an ongoing problem with one of the staff members constantly leaving the clinic floor which made the rest of us cover her students too. Sue told me that if there was a member that wasn’t staying in clinic I was to go to my direct supervisor, Heidi Denton, to report it. I was shocked that she said this because she was aware that Heidi was the one that always left the it was; they were constantly in each other’s offices
Through the talks, It was decided that I wasn’t to give students extra help and when they came to me to ask for it and I had to tell them that there had been some changes and I was to send them to talk to Sue or Heidi Denton. I was told, in numerous emails and verbally, that I was not to let the students see patients past the given dismissal time, even if the patient came from out of town or any other reason. Sue said she wouldn’t approve any hours I worked beyond the allotted time; however she did approve extra hours for other adjunct staff. Later I was reprimanded for having a student dismiss their patient on time. When I stated that I was doing what I had been told to do I was threatened by being told that I didn’t have to schedule for the next term.
In an email from Mary Lou True, minutes of a meeting help with Sue Hopper, Sue reiterated that I wasn’t to work over the allotted clinic time and I should follow the example of one of the other instructors. If you look at time cards from that time, you will notice that Sue was approving overtime that other staff members were working.
Not too long after the threat, I was working with one of my students and her patient. We needed Dr. Stuedli to see the patient as soon as possible because the patient has a bad infection and needed antibiotics. I tried to find him but he wasn’t in the building so I had the front desk call him to let him know what was going on then I went into Dr. Stuedli’s office to get a prescription pad so it would be readily available when he arrived. When I got the pad out I noticed some papers right under the cupboard that it was kept, the papers were notes I had made for myself, students assignments, and a note I had written to Jon Franklin regarding a piece of equipment that needed to be repaired. I placed the notes in the shred bin when I was done with them so someone pulled them out and were being collected. I realized that the information was probably being gathered to make a case to let me go so the next morning I went into his office and asked him why he was collecting information about me. He said that he didn’t know what I was talking about so I pointed to the stack and said that Pauline Stuedli had be collecting those things. The Stuedli’s had been my mentors and friends for many years so it made this incident all the more painful. Having to review this documentation and listening to the recording of that conversation made me relive that horrible incidence and I don’t want to listen to it again.
The day I was let go by both companies I was in shock and I wanted to talk to OIT’s HR rep, Ron McCutcheon, about what happened to me but he informed me that I was laid off due to lack of work. I wrote back to him that I had been scheduled for the following term and there were extenuating circumstances; I requested a meeting with him and Sue Hopper but was denied.
I observed students leaving the computer screen on in the “privacy”area when patients were seated there. The patients were able to see private information about other patients, which violates HIPPA. I discussed the problem with Heidi Denton and Sue Hopper. Heidi said that she would inform the students that they would receive a 5 point deduction if they were seen leaving the computer on when patients were in the privacy area. I saw it happening again so I emailed Heidi that I was still noticing the problem so we needed to address it. A little after the email I was in the clinic with my students and Heidi approached me and started yelling at me about the email and said that I was to continue to give 5 point deductions. I told her that once that happened the HIPPA had already been violated so I thought we should consider having the “privacy” area return to being private and the patients that were in there waiting for xrays could be seated in the clinic in a spare operatory. Heidi continued to yell at me for a while and then stormed out of the clinic. The minute she left, my students came up to me and gave me hugs to and saying how wrong it was that I was treated like that. We had to see patients that morning and it was difficult for all of us because we were so shaken. At the end of clinic Sue Hopper approached me and told me that I wasn’t to email her or Heidi because we worked in the same building so there was no need for it. I reminded her that we had already spoken personally about the issue but I was still seeing the problem. She was very angry with me and said “we are going to need to meet to discuss this further” so at that point I realized that things were going to continue getting worse as a direct result of me being pushed by ODS to meet with Sue to discuss the transition details. I told Sue that when we talked I wanted both HR representatives present. She got angry and said “I’m going to have to think about that” It was very soon after that incident that Sue came up to me and told me that I was taken off of the fall schedule. She told me that I was to go up to Coy Sexton’s office so I did and she, along with Mary Lou on the phone, told me that I was being “released” and I was to pack my office and leave. I told Mary Lou that I was confused because we had met very recently and she had assured me that I would be able to continue to work at ODS if I was taken off the schedule. Mary Lou said that she hadn’t planned on keeping me on if OIT wasn’t going to use my services at all but I reminded her that I had already told her, in our previous meeting, that I feared Sue was going to get rid of me for retribution but I was still let go.
The abuse didn’t stop there; when I was let go I applied for a California hygiene license and one of the requirements was that I had to have proof that I had worked a set number of hours in the past 5 years. I took the form that I needed to have Sue fill out that gave documentation of my clinical hours to ODS and left it with the receptionist. A little bit after that the receptionist called me and said that Sue didn’t know how many hours I had worked and that I should fill the form out myself and she would sign it. I didn’t know how many hours I had worked plus the form specified that it had to be filled out by a supervisor. I emailed Sue and this is what transpired:
______From: Alana Robocker Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 5:55 PM To: Suzanne Hopper Subject: RE: California licensing
Thank you Sue. I am truly grateful for your assistance!
______From: Suzanne Hopper Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 3:35 PM To: Alana Robocker Subject: RE: California licensing
Hi Alana,
Here you go. I think I'm fairly accurate. If in doubt I guessed just slightly under.
I've left the original with Mary K.
Suzanne
______From: Alana Robocker Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 1:10 PM To: Suzanne Hopper Subject: RE: California licensing
Hi Sue,
Thank you so much for your willingness to help. This summer I worked in the anesthesia lab for 6 hours a week and then clinic on Tuesday afternoons, all day Wednesday and Thursday. If I calculate correctly, that adds up 20 hours per week plus the 6 hours from lab for a total of 26 hours.
Beyond that I truly cannot remember how many clinical and lab hours I have worked in the last 5 years. Every term is different, fall and winter the heaviest load and spring and summer lighter. I have been in the dental materials lab since the beginning and radiology labs starting with the second graduating class. I don't remember when I started the anesthesia lab but I believe this last term was the third time I was involved there. I think that I was in the A&P lab twice. I also don't remember how many radiology labs I was in from year to year, I think that I was in a couple per term but don't know for sure.
I am begging you to help me with this Sue. I don't know how to move forward without you completing the remainder of the leg work. I had though that you held on to all of the staffing assignments for accreditation purposes. Do you think that you might have sent them to the Klamath Falls campus? If so I would be happy to send the form there.
Thank you,
Gmail - FW: California licensing
1 of 45/25/2013 8:14 PM
Alana
______From: Suzanne Hopper Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 11:39 AM To: Alana Robocker Subject: RE: California licensing
Hi Alana,
Yes, I can help you with this.
I don't mind filling it out, but I need your help. You can calculate the hours per month and then I can double-check and put it into the form.
For example, you could work backwards starting with summer term, then the past spring term, the past winter term etc. I think you'll be able to go back over the past terms and figure your hours per month. What's more difficult is when you go back beyond 3 years before you started full-time. I don't remember how many days a week you worked during those first couple of years, but I'm going to guess you'll be able to estimate pretty close.
So anyway, if you could put together a draft then I could double-check it the best that I can. But I really need you to do the leg work.
Thanks,
Suzanne
______From: Alana Robocker Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 11:19 AM To: Suzanne Hopper Subject: California licensing
Hi Sue,
I really need to be able to prove my hours that I have worked under OIT's direction so I am wondering if you would be willing to search through your records again to see if you can locate the past schedules for clinics and labs. Mary K told me that you had said you didn't save any of them so if you don't find those do you think that you might still have the pod assignments? If you have those they could assist you in filling out the form that I need for my California license. The labs would not be on the assignment sheet but those would be much easier to reconstruct a schedule for.
I phoned the California licensing committee again, after you had contacted me via Mary K, and asked if I could, as you had suggested, fill the form out myself and then you would sign it. I was told that I "absolutely" could not do it myself and that I would have to have the person who did the scheduling do so. I have attached a copy of the form in case you didn't save the one I had brought to the school.
I'm very sorry to bother you with this but I have invested a lot of time and money in the application process and I desperately need to be able to move forward in finding a new job .