Studen't Field Instructor Responds to Social Work Department

On the Impending Academic Lynching of Andre Massena

After eight years of tenancy in public housing a young mother and her three children, now homeless, the youngest just born, were evicted several weeks ago for a harmless, undisruptive, and unproven lease violation.

In her defense, the former president of the tenant’s association, an African-American, wrote, to no avail, “(L)etters in April of 2002 from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to local housing authorities inform them that even if leases are violated they do not have to evict and that ‘such evictions often do more harm than good’ and ‘eviction should be a last resort.’ But, not only did I not violate the lease and, not only did I do more than what was asked in community service, I am now being punished.”

Andre Massena now stands accused of entering Binghamton University’s downtown academic building without announcing that he was distributing a flyer and later denying it.

Suppose he did. What should outraged community member and Binghamton University graduate student Andre Massena, who had followed the case, have done to gain the needed immediate attention of the School of Social Work and the greater community to address this on-going social injustice? What tactics and strategies were learned at the Binghamton University School of Social Work necessary to fight against poverty and racism? What academic instruction was provided, what courses were taught, what books were required or recommended? What practice was afforded?

The "Preamble" to the NASW "Code of Ethics," revised in 1999, tells us:

Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. These activities may be in the form of direct practice, community organizing, supervision, consultation, administration, advocacy, social and political action, policy development and implementation, education, and research and evaluation. Social workers seek to enhance the capacity of people to address their own needs. Social workers also seek to promote the responsiveness of organizations, communities, and other social institutions to individuals' needs and social problems.

Where is this “social work” education? What is the name of the required course at the Binghamton University School of Social Work that prepares social work students to overcome racist housing authorities and racist judges whose dirty work is unopposed for virtually universal lack of legal representation? What is the name or course number of that course at the Binghamton University School of Social Work that prepares social work students to overcome the powerful institutional and political forces promoting and protecting the omnipresent outrages of racism and poverty? What Binghamton University faculty members are teaching that course?

Was "The Art of War" employed in Binghamton University instruction on fighting this war against endemic, pervasive, institutionalized, government created and government protected and condoned poverty and racism? Or does the Binghamton University Social Work faculty think these centuries of bitter, continuous, often bloody struggle against officially imposed, sanctioned, and protected racism and poverty is not war?

In his famous treatise, "The Art of War," the ancient Sun Tsu tells us that a first, and often indispensable tactic in war is deception. How else can the small and weak fight the powerful and mighty? How else would slaves fight their brutal white masters or Jews in Nazi Germany fight their murderous Aryan executioners short of suicidal open warfare?

Suppose Andre had done it. Should Andre Massena have disregarded this wise instruction, in this case a harmless subterfuge to avoid the delay or deterrence, which might be imposed by insecure, or overzealous security personnel? Or was a deception in this circumstance, in this situation, obviously unnecessary? Should it have been apparent to Andre Massena that no distinction would have been made by the protectors of the sanctity of Binghamton University between the distribution of this protest against institutional injustice and say, a flyer inviting students to a concert on the river or even a beer party? Is that his error?

That might be a judgment call, a matter perhaps for classroom debate on social action tactical preferences in the difficult struggle for justice, but hardly a violation of the social work ethics of such gravity as to inspire serious academic discipline. Student Massena’s “violation,” if there was one, pales when measured against the urgent social issue called to be addressed by the university and others by the distributed flyer.

By ignoring the matter of this eviction, the Binghamton University School of Social Work fails the ethical charge of the "Preamble" to the NASW "Code of Ethics," revised in 1999.

Stanley Gluck, M.S.W.
Field Instructor
Community Action Training Center
Graduate School of Social Work
Syracuse University
(1964 – 1967)