Written by Blake Mathews
The big news broke in a chapel announcement Friday, Feb. 12: Bryan Clifton was resigning as Student Association President, withdrawing as a student and leaving Harding. Now, as students and faculty both grapple with Clifton’s exit and the reasons behind it, Clifton and the new SA are looking to the future.
In Clifton’s chapel speech, he explained the reason for his departure by saying that he “broke a rule of the university” and was now “dealing with the consequences.” A week earlier, Feb. 5, the consequences first caught up to Clifton, who was in Washington, D.C., at the time for the 2010 National Prayer Breakfast.
In an interview on Monday, Clifton told the Bison that he woke up that morning to find text messages and missed calls on his phone. They were from “one or two … very concerned friends” who had tried throughout the night to warn Clifton: he was likely under investigation by the deans.
Clifton said his first response was “shock.”
“Everybody has their kind of secret sin, something that they don’t want brought out into the light,” he said. “And whenever it is, whenever it’s forced out there, it’s kind of a mix of embarrassment, probably a little anger as well, but a lot of nervousness … not knowing, especially since I was a couple hundred miles away.”
Clifton’s friends broke the news to him, but Dean of Students Dr. David Collins explained that, as per the university policy on investigations of improper conduct, students are rarely called in to meet with the deans unless the evidence against them is substantial. Also, no matter how much evidence is found, Collins said the university would never discipline a student without first talking to him or her.
“There would never be a decision made without visiting with the student about the situation,” he said.
No official communication between Clifton and the deans occurred over the next few days, according to Clifton. Due to snowstorms in the Washington, D.C. area, Clifton’s flight was delayed, and he did not return to Searcy until Tuesday night. However, on Monday morning, Clifton contacted Collins through Google Chat and told him they would need to meet as soon as possible.
The next day, Wednesday Feb. 10, Clifton said he met with the deans. The exact details of his meeting, or that of any specific student, are protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and could not be legally released by the university for publication. However, the student handbook outlines the official procedure: the accused student meets with the Office of the Vice President/Dean of Students, is given a written record of the charges against him or her, informed of the penalty and given the option to appeal the decision.
Clifton appealed the decision and presented his case to a committee of faculty and a student. In arguing his case, Clifton said he did not deny any of the charges against him, even though he faced suspension. His appeal was “basically an appeal to grace.”
“Whether or not I’m a student here, I’ve got to deal with this situation,” Clifton said in summarizing his appeal. “I’d rather be here with my friends and my support group.”
He also emphasized the fact that he only needed three more credit hours to graduate from Harding in May. But, Clifton said, after 10 minutes of deliberation the committee decided to reject his appeal.
To avoid suspension, which would have barred Clifton from attending the university for a certain period of time, he chose to withdraw himself as a student, which would allow him to return to classes as soon as intercession. When asked if all students were given the option to withdraw rather than be suspended, Collins said that his standard procedure is “to consider circumstances of that specific student and the infraction itself and to try to determine what the best response is with all things considered.”
“We try to weigh in every bit of information that we have and all of the factors that are in play,” he said. “When we do come to a decision we try to do that in the best interest of the student in light of our policies and our expectations as a university.”
Clifton announced his withdrawal that Friday, but the days leading up to his announcement were an “emotional roller coaster.” At first, he said, he felt the weight of his loss, but soon felt a “sense of relief” when he realized “everything is out there in the open. Everything is confessed.”
“You can never get a phone call from somebody saying ‘Hey, I heard this aboutyou and either, one, ‘I was disappointed in you,’ or, two, ‘I want to talk to you about it because I want to know what’s happening,'” Clifton said. “I can’t get that phone call.”
Support for Clifton had been trickling in before and immediately after his appeal, but after his final chapel the floodgates were thrown open, he said. On Friday alone, Clifton estimated that he received 150 Facebook friend requests, 200 Facebook messages, 300 text messages, 70 hugs and a gift basket.
In speaking with faculty and administrators, Clifton said they seemed “torn” about forcing him to leave Harding. University President David Burks was a personal friend of Clifton, having known him for years as a part of his home Bible study. As he introduced Clifton for the last time during Friday’s chapel, Burks appeared profoundly, emotionally affected.
“I would hope I would feel that way about any student,” Burks said. “The truth of the matter is you do feel a stronger emotional attachment to someone you know.”
Clifton said he did not think badly of any of the deans or administrators, even going as far to say that, had he been in their position, he would have followed the student handbook as well. However, he said he disagreed with certain policies in the handbook and hoped that his case would lead to reforms.
“I think it needs to be reassessed, and I think it will be reassessed,” Clifton said, though he would not officially state which parts of the handbook he disagreed with.
With the announcement of Clifton’s withdrawal, SA vice president Jordan Stanley officially assumed the role of SA President. He had known in advance what would happen that Friday, but Stanley said the transition was still “tough.”
“Bryan left some big shoes to fill, and I don’t now if I’ll be able to fill those shoes. I don’t know if anyone really will,” he said.
A majority of the systems, personal networks and projects started by Clifton will be continued under Stanley, including this year’s theme of “empowering students.” Still, he said, there will be differences, such as more public forums where students can pitch ideas and concerns directly to the SA. Stanley said he believes the SA should “serve as a mirror for concerns and student interests,” even if those interests involve university policy or the handling of a situation like Clifton’s.
“If that’s voiced to us, that’s something we’ll have to look at,” Stanley said.
As one of the faculty sponsors for the SA, Dr. Jim Miller has been watching the transition of power, though he admitted he has been more concerned about Clifton than the organization he left behind. Miller knows Clifton personally and spoke highly of the legacy he will leave behind, but noted that the SA is already getting used to functioning without him.
“The SA knows that it has a role to fulfill – that each of those elected individuals were chosen by the student body to represent them and to serve them – so they’re going to continue that job,” Miller said.
Accordingly, although he said he never imagined he would be taking over for Clifton, Stanley said that he has a personal goal to “make this transition as smooth as possible.”
Since officially withdrawing and handing the reins of the SA to Stanley, Clifton has been spending his time writing down his thoughts and recording his voice. He said he will combine his recorded memories with stories of quake survivors in Haiti to make a book about living and rebuilding after a life-altering disaster. The tentative title of the book is “Rebuilding the Rubble.”
“It’s going to be parallel with what’s happening with me in this situation and then also with the Haiti earthquake, the people down in Haiti … how do you rebuild when literally everything is gone?” Clifton said.
To get original research and observations, Clifton said he is planning to spend up to two months living in Haiti and helping with the relief efforts there. When asked if he would be continuing his work with the SA’s Tents and Tarps project, he replied, “Hopefully it’ll be Hands and Feet, in Haiti.”
Beyond Haiti, Clifton said he plans to return to Searcy in order to finish his last three credit hours. Since he avoided suspension, there is no period of time that must pass before he can return to campus. Clifton said he managed to arrange an independent study for his last three hours, which he will begin preparing for in April and turn in during intercession, allowing him to graduate in July.
Should he graduate in July, Clifton said he will not walk across the stage. When asked if that decision was his own personal choice, he responded “half and half.”
Clifton’s departure comes at arguably the height of his success as SA president. His administration was responsible for the success of the Tents and Tarps project and the fundraising efforts for toddler Christine Clemons, but it also brought an ice rink to the front lawn and threw a surprise half-birthday party for Burks.
Of all his accomplishments, Clifton said he was proudest of initiating a “culture change” among the student body and proving that “whenever students actually want to do something, they can.”
Miller said he had worked with other SA presidents before, but Clifton “really stands out in [his] mind.”
“I have no doubt that Bryan is going to go on and be a great success as a Christian leader, as a business leader,” Miller said. “I have no doubt about those things because I know Bryan’s character, and I know that he’s going to be just fine.”
