We are asking you for your help in convincing the University of Florida to give Dean a chance to earn his degree and go on to live a normal life!!??

Dean moved to Gainesville, Florida with one goal on mind and that was to earn his degree and certification to teach.  He started at Sante Fe Community College (SFCC) to re-acclimate himself with school.  He took classes as many times as necessary to pass, often as many as three times for even remedial classes, until he passed.  After meeting with school officials the Director of Disability Services (DS) recommended he go in for testing.  The school set up the tests and a problem was found that showed assistance was necessary for him to earn his degree.  As soon as the results came back to SFCC they did everything in their power to suspend him from school.  The counselors at DS refused to assist him in the classes he was taking, when the teacher wrote a letter requesting he be allowed to drop his class until DS started to assist him, DS simply filed the letter away.  Since the teacher never received a response back he had no choice but to fail Dean for the class, giving the school the opportunity to kick him out.  When the schools counselors recommended Dean go back to teachers he failed in their classes at least a half dozen teachers signed a “Late Withdrawal” signed showing support to have their class dropped from Dean’s transcripts.  When the “Late Withdrawals” were presented for approval they were denied.  Two things happened when Dean asked Larry Tyree (then SFCC’s president, now working for the University of Florida) why they were denied; First, he told Dean that “only a Teacher could change a grade” and Second, because of Dean’s refusal to accept that the request was denied because it was in fact the teachers that signed them he was issued a Trespass Warning denying him access to try and salvage his quest for a degree!!

            At the same time Dean presented the test results to SFCC he also went to UF’s DSs and asked them for help when he was admitted, not wishing to make the same mistake he made with SFCC.  They accepted him as a client immediately and have told him that they will do anything needed to assist him with classes as soon as he’s admitted.  All those years at SFCC gave him a GPA of 1.67.  What we are asking UF for is to allow him to take a few classes with the assistance of DS to show it was the missing link needed for him to successfully complete the requirements for his degree.

            If he isn’t able to pass these classes with the assistance of DS he was vowed to leave UF alone and never attempt to gain entrance again.  He’s just asking for the chance he should have had years ago with SFCC, to use the tools available to ALL STUDENTS to finish school and move on with his life.  To give the school “a History of Working With Disability Services Would Prove You Could Make It”: as UF’s Dean of Students (Eugene L. Zdziarski, “Dean Gene”) put it when meeting with Dean.

            Please show you support Dean’s efforts by telling Dr. Machen you agree that he should be given the chance to finish school, simply sign the petition.