Ex-student sues Purdue

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Huh! What do you think of this story? Ex-nursing student sues Purdue, 4 IPFW employees for $2.3 million | The News-Sentinel - Fort Wayne IN

A former IPFW student is seeking $2.3 million in restitution, according to a lawsuit filed in Allen Superior Court that alleges she was kicked out of the campus’ nursing program without due process.

The complaint was filed last week by Allen County resident Judy Chang against Purdue University and four IPFW employees.

Purdue and IPFW officials both said they cannot comment on pending litigation.

The complaint stems from an Oct. 30, 2008, incident when Chang, who started at IPFW in 2005, and another nursing student were involved in a verbal argument about a group project, according to court documents.

About one week later, Chang was called into a meeting with the nursing department where she was asked to present her side of the story. She then received a letter on Nov. 12 saying that there was evidence of “a pattern of unprofessional conduct that jeopardized the safety of classmates (which) was documented to support dismissal from the nursing program,” court documents say.

The complaint goes on to claim that Chang was never given any notice that she was being investigated and no documentation has been produced to prove that her classmates felt unsafe. It goes on to say that the nursing department did not follow the Purdue Student Conduct Code or the IPFW Student Code of Rights and Responsibilities.

Chang was given a Campus Appeals Board hearing, but, according to court documents, was not allowed to present witnesses or to cross-examine individuals who spoke for the campus. Chang was also given an “F” in a nursing class which has affected her ability to enroll in another nursing school, court documents say.

The complaint specifically names Dr. Linda Fink, dean of the College of Health and Human Services; Dr. Carol Sternberger, chair and professor of nursing; Dr. Linda Meyer, professor and director of undergraduate programs for the department of nursing; and Dr. Kathleen O’Connor, chairman of the Campus Appeals Board for Chang.

“The basic issue is over the professional misconduct code and due process,” said Norman Roelke, Chang’s attorney. “She’s been fighting this whole due process all along. … They’ve never really given her any explanation for why she got dismissed.”

Roelke said they have tried to talk to both campuses to get this resolved, but they “blew us off,” he said. “What alternative does she have?” he said as to why she filed the complaint in court.

Chang is seeking $300,000 for loss of wages, increased education expenses and costs and other costs and expenses. She is then seeking $2 million for punitive damages, and that the “F” be removed from her records.

“I did not come to IPFW to argue. I came to learn,” Chang said in an interview with The News-Sentinel earlier this year.

This complaint is similar to the appeal that Chris Mertz, then an IPFW senior, made to IPFW during the last school year because during his internship – a key class for his graduation – he was forced out by his professor for no stated reason until he was notified eight days later. He then fought the removal, and the campus ruled in his favor this past spring.

Campus officials said in May that the university was reviewing its complaint procedures to make them better and easier to understand for its students.