Northwest Christian College remains divided by controversy over the recent dismissal of a dean, a firing that some students and former faculty believe was triggered by her efforts to hold the college accountable for alleged mistreatment of minority students.
Betsy Clewett, associate dean of education and school counseling, was fired in December, shortly after sending a letter of reproach to the administration. The letter discussed an incident in which the college’s basketball coach allegedly shoved one of the team’s black players. Outraged at Clewett’s dismissal, the remaining three professors of education resigned in protest, including Cloe Veney, the only black faculty member in the history of the college’s 107-year existence.
Clewett contends she was fired because of her vocal support of minority rights. She claims there is a constant atmosphere of racial inequality at the college and cited numerous instances where
minority students were treated unfairly because of the color of their skin. Clewett said black students on campus have greater difficulty receiving financial aid checks, getting apartment applications turned in and receiving diplomas after graduation. She added that the mistreatment of black basketball players at NCC has been the most alarming pattern of racism she has observed.
NCC denies all charges.

Four black basketball players who attended NCC, Kiambu Fisher, Tyus Tillman, Delvin Glymph and Eric Webb, have stepped forward to support Clewett and said many people at the Christian college have unfair prejudices against them because of their skin color.
The four men said black players on the basketball team are treated more harshly than white players. They added that they’ve had other difficulties off the court related to race, such as having to turn in multiple applications to keep their apartments and being yelled at for joking around during a game of dominoes, while white students escaped criticism when they acted rambunctious.
In addition, Glymph and Fisher said they have had to fight endlessly to get their diplomas. Fisher graduated in June and repeatedly went in to request his diploma during the summer, but it was not given to him until mid-November. Glymph also was supposed to have graduated in June, but has yet to receive his diploma despite completing all required credits and even taking extra courses demanded by administrators. NCC could not be reached for comment during the weekend to confirm this information.
Clewett and her supporters say that incidents of racial discrimination are commonplace at the college, and the administration is insensitive to the plight of its minority students.
“I did not understand this, the real roots in racism, until I lived and worked in NCC,” Clewett said. “It permeates every aspect of the institution.”
However, not all black students believe an atmosphere of racial bias exists at NCC.
James Van Hook, a black former student at the college, said his educational experience at NCC was a positive one. As a basketball player, Van Hook said he never felt mistreated because of his race. He said coach Dave Lipp always treated him fairly and only came down on him when he really was at fault. Van Hook added that whenever he had problems, the administration and faculty of NCC never hesitated to step in.
“The teachers took care of me — in fact, they made sure I was okay,” Van Hook said. “I always felt that I could ask for help on something if I needed it.”
The only people Van Hook felt alienated from were Clewett and her staff in the education department. Van Hook said the former dean and the resigned education professors ignored him because he didn’t share a common background with them of coming from a big city. Clewett and her colleagues extended their hand to the other black students, Van Hook said, but not to him.
“Because I wasn’t in the L.A.type of clique or whatever, they didn’t have anything to say to me,” Van Hook said.
NCC President Jim Womack said the campus is a welcoming, intellectual environment for all students. He added that whenever an incident occurred where a minority student felt discriminated against, the administration worked to resolve the situation.
“The issues were dealt with and I understood it was to everyone’s mutual satisfaction,” Womack said.
Womack said Clewett’s dismissal had no connection to the letter she sent or to her efforts to defend the rights of minority students. Womack would not divulge the details that led to Clewett’s dismissal, but said the decision was made before she sent the letter criticizing the administration for the treatment of black students on campus.
“As far as I’m concerned, the memo is totally irrelevant,” Womack said.
Clewett and the three education professors who resigned have been replaced with part-time faculty from the department, and classes started as scheduled last week. However, Womack said the recent controversy brought up by former faculty and students is interfering with current educational efforts going on at the college.
“Students don’t like their college labeled as racist. It’s not true. It’s disturbing to them,” he said.
The controversy at NCC remains heated, and it does not appear as if things will cool off soon. Webb is planning to file criminal charges against Lipp for shoving him after a basketball game in December, and Clewett and her former staff have hired attorneys and plan to take legal action. They said they will meet with their lawyers later this week to decide the best way to proceed.