11/1/02

An Open Letter to the Chiropractic Profession and the Public 
in Response to Dr. Sid E. Williams & his Supporters.

The faculty of Life University have watched with great concern as 
Dr. Williams, members of the Board, the administration and their 
supporters continue to deny responsibility for the College of 
Chiropractic's failure to meet minimum standards for chiropractic 
education.  Dr. Williams' and the DECE type groups and individuals 
attempt to portray the actions of the Council on Chiropractic 
Education as being an attempt to limit or deny the teaching of 
fundamental chiropractic tenets. They use rhetoric and 
misinformation in an attempt to convince the profession and the 
public that the actions of the CCE are part of some grand conspiracy 
to "turn chiropractic into medicine." Nothing could be farther from 
the truth.

The policies and standards of the CCE clearly encourage and require 
that students be taught the fundamental principles of chiropractic's 
founders including the concepts and their applications related to 
subluxation, wellness and vitalism.  It was the institution, under the 
leadership of Williams, his servant administration and an absent 
Board of Trustees, that failed to comply even with those standards 
related to what they now espouse as fundamental values and 
philosophical principles anchored within chiropractic. 

Contrary to Williams' contentions, it is not the CCE that is 
demanding a singular approach to chiropractic education, but in fact 
it was Williams himself that sought to control the content of Life's 
curriculum, restrict academic freedom and stifle the development 
and maturation of new ideas. Ideas rooted in the fundamental values 
and philosophy of chiropractic that once developed and matured 
could have served to advance the profession influenced the frontiers 
of health care.   

The very flexibility and tolerance that Williams maintains was 
absent in the accrediting bodies' actions is in fact the mirror image 
of the inflexibility and intolerance that he demonstrated towards 
the students, faculty and constituents of Life University.  The shame 
lies with him and those under his command who strove to eliminate 
people and ideas with which they did not agree. Over a period of 
several years his regime deliberately sought to create an 
adversarial relationship with accrediting agencies based on ego 
instead of a relationship rooted in partnership. It was Williams' and 
his regime's cavalier manner, uncompromising stance and casting 
aside of the priority concerns of the students, faculty and alumni 
that resulted in our current hardship. Much of this attitude and 
behavior continues through his supporters that remain on the Board, 
in the administration and amongst the faculty and interferes with 
the changes needing to be made.

Williams' declarations of doom resulting from the chiropractic 
profession's acceptance of the responsibilities of a primary care 
provider echo from a hollow hole. The collective will of the 
profession is advancing in a united effort to provide health care to 
suffering millions without the burden of unequal treatment in the 
marketplace and without restrictions placed on patient's freedom of 
choice.   This is the enemy, not some contrived conspiracy created in 
an effort to save face and build a defense for ineptitude.    

Within Dr. Williams argument lay the traces of contradiction as he 
and his supporters led the charge to include chiropractors as portal 
of entry providers so they could be treated as equals when it came 
to insurance reimbursement.  It is convenient, but not practical, for 
Dr. Williams and his supporters to want the status of portal of entry 
provider when signing an insurance form but not the responsibility 
that goes along with it. 

Those aspiring to be a chiropractor and enjoy that privilege owe it 
to the public to qualify at the highest level. This is the basis for the 
loss of Life's accreditation - failure to meet even minimum 
standards. However, Life did not fail to meet the standards because 
we could not meet them - Life failed to meet the standards because 
we were not allowed to meet them. Not allowed by Williams, his 
Board and his regime. 

This is no secret as even the CCE noted in their denial letter that "an 
important consideration has been failure on the part of the LUCC 
administration and board of trustees to establish and maintain an 
environment appropriate for education and employment." The CCE 
additionally noted that there was "pervasive failure at the highest 
levels of LUCC leadership."      

The issues and subsequent actions by the CCE have to do with quality 
of education.  Dr. Williams and his supporters at Life University 
were by any measure paid enormous sums to provide such an 
education.  In a program that was supposed to provide everything the 
student of chiropractic needed to make it in the outside world, Life 
University came up short. In the process of creating a self-fulfilling 
dynasty, Sid Williams has truncated Life's credibility by paying lip 
service to the requirements of the accrediting bodies and 
ostracizing people who tried to make a difference. We are concerned 
that that regime is not over and that supporters of Dr. Williams' 
ideology continue to control decisions that effect the viability of 
the institution. 

We as faculty are tired of the ivory tower policies. We are tired of 
watching our school and countless individuals suffer due to selfish 
interests. We admonish those still in a position to do something 
about this predicament to take Dr. Williams' example as what NOT to 
do. It's time to change. It's time to move beyond Sid Williams. The 
past is just that and we feel a call to arms in the name of what is 
right.  

The argument is not about philosophy of chiropractic, but about the 
level of quality of chiropractic care the public deserves.  We 
maintain the public deserves the highest quality of care possible.  
Therefore, we ask Dr. Williams and his supporters to stop turning 
their lack of professional integrity into a philosophical debate - a 
facade that has placed the lives of many in a precarious struggle. 

It was Dr. Williams, his administration and the Board of Trustees at 
Life University who repeatedly failed to act when the Council on 
Chiropractic Education cited specific weaknesses in the educational 
processes at Life. Weaknesses that he and the Board did not allow 
the faculty to correct. It is time for the like-minded students, 
faculty and constituents of Life that remain here to stand up. It may 
be our last chance. We have the ability and talent to create a vibrant 
institution, we need only be allowed to do what needs to be done. We 
care deeply about this institution and this profession and pray that 
we will all do the right thing.

Concerned Faculty of Life University

(this letter was not questioned as to authenticity. It is being placed 
as an opinion worth a review by all those concerned. Dr. M)