Did you ever see the movie Europa Europa. If not, rent it. In this movie where there is this young jewish boy (Solly) who escaped Germany during WWII and lived in a russian orphanage. While in classes one day, a co-orphan/classmate challenges the philosophies of what he is learning and insist that there is a God and that religion is real. Our main character Solly is hesistant to agree because he is in good with the schoolmaster and knows that he would be punished/embarrassed severely if he admits that he has any thoughts toward his jewish faith.
So the polish boy who started the whole problem is forced to embarrass himself, stand up in front of the class and yell out, "God bring us candies from the sky!" Of course, nothing happens and the kid is the center of ridicule and laughed at. Then the schoolmaster ask all of the other kids to yell out, "Stalin, bring us candies from the sky". Of course, a bunch of school officials are hiding in the ventilation system and dump candies all over the ground further embarrassing our young polish boy who questioned communism to begin with.
This is kind of like the dynamics at LECOM. Dr. John is Stalin and Dr. Sylvia is the schoolmaster. You are the orphans at their mercy.
I will say this, the school has progressed since I have graduated. I think they finally learned that a formal board review was appropriate and I can tell you that even after my first year they changed the curriculum for the better, not for the worse. The best way I can explain it is kind of like this. You make legitimate complaints or make good suggestions which are shot down. The next thing you know, they are doing those things. It is not a bad school and my education there was solid. But the first two years was miserable for a lot of other reason I do not want to get into.
Think of it this way, most MS start in their mid 20's. At this time in your life, things happen: family crisis, medical problems, you name it, things that can easily interfere with your performance. LECOM is not very supportive of this at all. Example, I had to beg the school to excuse me from graduation when my wife was just a few days post-partum and my son was bronze and in a NICU.
In general, the school generated a lot of parnoid behaviors. When they opened up the new addition in my second year, there were students that swore we were being watched and that there were cameras in the restrooms. Some people who were suffering academically were afraid to even go out for a beer scarred out of there mind that "Sylvia will find out". Others wouldn't even wear a LECOM shirt in public because they were frightened that if they did anything stupid while wearing it, they would get in trouble with the school. Does that all seem ridiculous? Sure, but it is true, at least back when I was there.
If you have a legitimate concern that you want to address to the dean, provost, and vice president (all the same person). You have to get buzzed into a locked down office bunker and go through two securities clearances to see her, that is, after you make an appointment. As if she is that damn important.
Oh, when I was a student there, the president and vice-president,( brother and sister, how convienant right) decided that the new entrance to the school was going to be the equivalent of a fine art museum that included marble carvings of themselves. I am not sure, but this became such a joke that I don't think it ever happened. There used to be a web link to the construction company that was going to perform this project showing their tentative work. After the link got passed around a few times between students, and a lot of jokes were made, the Nazi's blocked the web link on their server.
So, lets us go back to our example of Europa Europa. If you enjoyed the Hitler Youth school and are dedicated the the Fuhrer, then this school is for you. If not, get away from it. But if you do go there, PM me so that I can at least guide you how to get through the hell and make sure you don't make the same mistakes that I made.
