Letter to the Editor 03/16/22

In response to “Students claim discrimination led to their dismissal from School of Education Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program” published March 10, 2022: 

To the Editor, 

An article published in The News-Letter made unfounded allegations about the School of Education’s counseling program and its faculty members. The article (“Students claim discrimination led to their dismissal from School of Education Clinical Mental Health Counseling program,” published March 10, 2022) featured first-person accounts from former students but did not include corroborating evidence to support claims of discriminatory behavior — even while identifying individual faculty members. This decision to name faculty members while providing anonymity to former students was irresponsible and unfairly puts the professional reputations of our scholars at risk.

I have worked for five years with the faculty members named in the article, Sterling Travis and Christina Harnett. They, like their other colleagues in the School of Education’s counseling programs, are dedicated instructors and researchers. Professors Travis and Harnett are among our most upstanding faculty members, professionally and ethically, and they are deeply committed to their profession and our institution. No one wants our students to succeed more than they do.

As far back as we have records, there has been no finding of disability discrimination against any faculty member within the School of Education’s counseling program, including Sterling Travis and Christina Harnett.  All programs within the School of Education strive to treat all students fairly and without regard their race, gender, disability status, sexual orientation or any other protected class.  The School of Education is committed to providing academic programs, support services, and facilities that are open and welcoming to all. We are further committed to educating the next generation of scholars and all faculty members within the program work hard to build relationships with students enrolled in our programs in order to foster their growth and development.

Publishing unfounded allegations has significant consequences and can cause real harm for real people. I ask that the News-Letter review its editorial practices and retract this article immediately.

Sincerely, 

Christopher C. Morphew PhD 

Dean, Johns Hopkins School of Education