Department responds to professor's illness
Maria Schmitt
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: News
Diagnosed with breast cancer in late December, Assistant Professor of Spanish Olga Muñiz is taking medical leave until further notice.
She began series of surgeries last Friday, Muñiz said in an e-mail to The Collegian.
Muñiz's husband, Associate Professor of Spanish Kevin Teegarden, said the surgeries will probably be followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
Teegarden said the abruptness of the discovery made it hard to figure out how to fill the vacancy in her classes.
"She didn't know she was going to have to have a medical leave until almost Christmas," he said.
Spanish professors Carmen Wyatt-Hayes, Kevin Teegarden and Amanda Stechschulte took on additional classes to fill in for Muñiz. In addition, the college hired Josephine Lopez Hill from Jackson Community College to teach Spanish 101.
Muñiz cancelled her Italian language honors seminar.
Spanish Department Chairman Sandra Puvogel worked with students and other professors to reassign the classes Muñiz was to teach.
Sophomore Megan Molinaro would have taken Muñiz's Spanish 101 class this semester. The class has been rescheduled for 8 a.m. Molinaro decided to drop the class and take it next fall instead.
Molinaro said she was informed via e-mail that her class with Muñiz was cancelled the Monday before classes started.
"[The Registrar's Office] gave us a couple different options," Molinaro said. "They were helpful."
Due to the class changes, Molinaro's could not complete her class registration Tuesday. As of last Friday, she was still not fully registered because her advisor was out of town and unable to sign her changed schedule.
Despite this, Molinaro is attending all her classes.
"I am deeply sorry about the inconvenience that my health issues have caused any of the students," Muñiz said via e-mail. "I hope to be back to teach in the fall 2008."
She began series of surgeries last Friday, Muñiz said in an e-mail to The Collegian.
Muñiz's husband, Associate Professor of Spanish Kevin Teegarden, said the surgeries will probably be followed by radiation and chemotherapy.
Teegarden said the abruptness of the discovery made it hard to figure out how to fill the vacancy in her classes.
"She didn't know she was going to have to have a medical leave until almost Christmas," he said.
Spanish professors Carmen Wyatt-Hayes, Kevin Teegarden and Amanda Stechschulte took on additional classes to fill in for Muñiz. In addition, the college hired Josephine Lopez Hill from Jackson Community College to teach Spanish 101.
Muñiz cancelled her Italian language honors seminar.
Spanish Department Chairman Sandra Puvogel worked with students and other professors to reassign the classes Muñiz was to teach.
Sophomore Megan Molinaro would have taken Muñiz's Spanish 101 class this semester. The class has been rescheduled for 8 a.m. Molinaro decided to drop the class and take it next fall instead.
Molinaro said she was informed via e-mail that her class with Muñiz was cancelled the Monday before classes started.
"[The Registrar's Office] gave us a couple different options," Molinaro said. "They were helpful."
Due to the class changes, Molinaro's could not complete her class registration Tuesday. As of last Friday, she was still not fully registered because her advisor was out of town and unable to sign her changed schedule.
Despite this, Molinaro is attending all her classes.
"I am deeply sorry about the inconvenience that my health issues have caused any of the students," Muñiz said via e-mail. "I hope to be back to teach in the fall 2008."
Be the first to comment on this story