Grad class makes complaints easier

The students wrote two white papers to help revamp the commission.

The group of students focused on two things. The complaint process and how it starts. Purdue English Professor David Blakesley charged his class with developing a real world situation using research and writing to make a difference

After a conversation with the Tippecanoe County Human Relations Commission, a group of Purdue Graduate Students learned only two complaints have been filed with the commission since its inception in 2001. One dealt with a resident told to leave a bus because of his race. The other dealt with a local Laundromat and its disability access. Both were investigated and dismissed. Blakesley said the report found that the low number of complaints may indicate a lack of awareness about the commission.

"Turns out that it's somewhat difficult to find out what to do if there is a case of discrimination," said Blakesley.

Another point highlighted in the report was the commission is not using modern technology to its advantage. Blakesley said a simple Google search of Tippecanoe County and discrimination only showed a list of the current members. He said in a world where more people rely on the Internet the commission should too.

"This is the kind of information that people need easy access to because discrimination is a serious issue and we need to make sure that it doesn't happen and when it does that we can address it," said Blakesley.

To fix the problems, the report said the commission should provide more physical and electronic copies of complaints throughout the county. Tippecanoe County Human Relations Commission Chairman Mike Piggott said members agree on the need for easier access but want to ensure security.

"I don't want to open up a situation where someone might be falsely accused and have to pay a price for that when that may not necessarily be the case," said Piggott.

The students also recommended the commission look at how Human Relations Commissions work in other cities.