Didn't Somebody Forget Something?

So now it begins -- the political maneuvering. With the loss of recognition by the U.S. Department of Education (please see related article beginning on the front page), the Straight Chiropractic Academic Standards Association (SCASA) and the other "super-straight" organizations are scrambling.

SCASA has very few choices. The SCASA colleges may continue to graduate students that may only be licensed in the four to five states that do not require USDE recognition. Or, they may go running to the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) in hopes of getting the three colleges up to CCE standards and accredited in nine months.

Bear in mind that the SCASA colleges have refused CCE's offers of unity in the past: in 1988, just before they received USDE recognition, and in early 1991. One has to wonder why the "philosophical differences" that kept SCASA colleges from joining the CCE last year can be so easily compromised now.

The two organizations that have so staunchly supported SCASA will also have to consider their own futures. The Federation of Straight Chiropractic Organizations (FSCO) will be forced to either retreat from their extreme philosophical position or disappear into oblivion. The World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA) has done a better job of hedging its bets. While staunchly supporting SCASA, the WCA has made the right unity "noises" in an attempt to avoid the appearance of being another super-straight organization. We can expect these noises to increase, now that SCASA has lost its recognition. WCA must attract CCE graduates to survive.

In addition, the fabled "Wyndham Guidelines" for super-straight practitioners have lost the cornerstone of their reason for existence. If the Department of Education can't find a reason to continue recognizing this aspect of chiropractic, why should there be guidelines exclusively for a stagnating segment? Even the term "SCASA straight" is no longer a viable term.

All of these organizations have been politically motivated in their actions. Their future has always been in their own hands. They have lived by the political sword; they will die by it.

But let's not forget the most important group: the SCASA students.

These students have invested their money and their lives into chiropractic. They have studied hard to become chiropractors and now face a hurdle that may be too great for them.

Consider the plight of most students at a SCASA college. If they enrolled prior to the November 13, 1990 USDE Advisory Committee meeting, they had no reason to believe that they would be graduating from a college accredited by an organization not recognized by the USDE. Fortunately, most of the students that enrolled prior to that time will be able to graduate by the June 4, 1993 deadline provided for by the Department of Education (please see Lamar Alexander's decision on page 5).

But what of the many students who enrolled after the Advisory Committee met November 13, 1990 and voted 10-1 against the re-recognition of SCASA? (Please see December 5, 1990 issue.) Wouldn't the state of a school's accreditation be of great concern to a student just coming into a SCASA college, particularly after November 13, 1990?

What will happen to the unfortunate souls that are now caught in a situation they had no control over?

Did they know what they were getting themselves into? Were they informed of the risks of attending a college that might cause them not to be accepted for licensure in the states in which they hoped to practice? Did they receive full disclosure on these important matters, or subtle assurances? At least one person intimately involved in one of the SCASA colleges suggested that the SCASA students were NOT made aware of the nature of SCASA re-recognition difficulties.

Now begins still another game of "Russian Roulette." If you were a student, would you continue to go to classes, hoping that the CCE and SCASA can come to agreement after years of failure to do so? Or would you transfer, realizing that there are many classes you will now have to take to meet CCE standards that you hadn't anticipated?

Does it really matter?

If you stay in the SCASA college, will you not be required to meet the CCE standards should your school gain CCE accreditation? What if the CCE and SCASA still can't agree?

While the U.S. Department of Education has effectively mandated chiropractic academic unity, it will not be without its price. That price should NOT include the livlihood of the students. SCASA is encouraged to fully and continually disclose all information to its students so they can make informed choices. The CCE colleges are encouraged to accommodate all SCASA students wishing to transfer without sacrificing their standards.

The SCASA colleges and CCE have much to talk about. But the SCASA college students should be everyone's first priority.

DMP Jr., BS, HCD(hc)