Opening Session Panel - Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS ONCE IN A CAREER OPPORTUNITY!!!

This year marks a milestone of a watershed event in student conduct/judicial affairs, higher education, the nation’s history, the 50th anniversary of the Dixon v Alabama State Board of Education court case. It is my pleasure to announce that the opening session at this year’s annual conference will consist of several significant players in the case.  St. John Dixon, James McFadden (two of the students in the case) and attorney Fred Gray (lead counsel for a number of 1950’s Civil Right icons and in the students in this case) will be the Association’s guests and will discuss their roles and thoughts on this historic occasion. 

This event serves as a foundation for the profession in that it defined students’ due process rights and began the shift of colleges and universities away from in loco parentis.  Like their peers at other Southern colleges, fifty years ago this February a group of Alabama State College students held a “sit-in” at their county courthouse lunch counter, coordinated subsequent community demonstrations protesting segregation, and were subsequently expelled from school without a hearing for their conduct. They successfully sued for the right to be heard.

Despite the massive implications of the events and the subsequent decision, the parties involved in the original complaint have rarely spoken about the events and not made a public appearance together, much less in a higher education forum where the decision had the greatest impact. This truly is a rare opportunity, one that has not been previously afforded to higher education associations.  Through the hard work, dedication and commitment of several ASCA colleagues however, this experience will be made possible to conference attendees this year.

All ASCA members are highly encouraged to attend the conference this year.  In addition to our traditional rich educational and networking experiences, there will be the opportunity to share in a truly historic moment.  As the conference theme “ASCA 2010: Our History Informs Us, Our Vision Moves Us, Connecting the Traditional Way in a New Day” and this singular event suggests, one way in which our daily efforts are shaped is through our collective history, whether that is in an individual campus conduct office or national policy shaped by our country’s leadership.  Join us as we commemorate a unique moment when both occurred simultaneously, substantially changing the student-institutional relationship for a generation of students.

More details will follow as the conference nears please continue to review messages sent to the membership about the opening session and all the other conference opportunities.

Sincerely,
Tamara King, JD
President
Association for Student Conduct Administration