This letter is being written with a shaky hand and a pained heart. Ever since Ronald Reagan’s half-hearted governing of California, the public education system has been quite a joke.
Tuition costs have risen, professors have been conditioned to streamline classes and see their students as numbers, and administrations have worried about nothing but dollars.
It is rare to find a professor/counselor anymore that accepts everyone just how they are, and actually acts like they come to school each day to make a difference and not just for the paycheck.
Don Turney is that “diamond in the rough.” I took Psych 1A, for the second time, in spring of 2000. I had a mind full of issues, and honestly didn’t think I would make it through the semester.
What made this semester different was Don.
He cared about all of us, and the class soon felt like a family. I still stop and chat with acquaintances I made in that class.
The summer that followed was very difficult as I found myself wrapped up in a job that could have landed me in legal issues.
I wanted a way out, and was hoping I could use that chance to come back to school full time.
Don made that happen. I have been a full-time student ever since, and am now close to finishing my degree in psychology, after which I will continue studies to become a pediatric neuropsychologist.
I’ve seen a few other counselors at BC in the past, but they seemed very cold and distant.
If you find any student who has had Don Turney as a counselor or professor, you will find a student who knows someone at BC who cares. It would be a mistake to lose him.
Marc L. Miller
BC student
Counselor cares about all of his students
When I stepped into my Tuesday night Psychology 1A class, I was tired from working hard all day at my job, but willing to give the class a try. Then, my teach came in. Who was that teacher? None other than Don Turney. He started out the class by talking about himself and asking us some questions about our life. I was not really looking forward to answering them, but he made us feel comfortable. The class was just awesome! Over that semester, I learned so much about the mind, myself and what I wanted to do with my life.
He announced to us that he would be giving up his job at the Panama-Buena Vista School District, where he had worked for many years, to start teaching more classes here and that he would become a counselor in the EOP&S office. I was very excited to hear this. Up until this point, going to see a counselor at BC had been a joke. I had not found one counselor at the school that really cared about me. So I went to Turney. He cared about what I was doing, how I was doing, where I wanted to go with my life, and what I need to do to finish at BC
I personally think that losing Don Turney would be a big mistake. He is not only an awesome teach. He is an awesome counselor. He is a caring person. As was stated in the article in The Rip, Turney said, “But if I thought that if me not being here would help the school, I would leave.”
If Don Turney leaves the school it would be a loss to the school. It will be one sad day on the campus and I really hope that day never comes! I would urge any other student who feels the same way to write in and let the school know how you feel.
Michelle Ericksen
BC student