My Life, and Strange Departure, from ASA College
(Part 1 of 3)
I need to begin this piece with a general question. In fact, it is also a rhetorical question, in the sense that I already know the answer before I ask it. Indeed, if you asked 100 people the following question, you would already know their answer before posing the question: What criterion would you use to judge a person? Would you go by the individual you know, both personally and professionally, all day every day, for five full years? Or would you go by something you read on the internet?
Of course, it is both passé and cliché in the age of the internet to dismissively state, “You can’t trust what you read on the internet.” But beyond the cliché, there is a common sense and moral argument to do the obvious. How in the world can you judge a person that you have known all day every day, for five years, by anything other than your personal and professional interaction with that person? Indeed, there is probably no one who wouldn’t scoff at the rhetorical question before answering.
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So who would judge a person by what they read on the internet instead of going by the person they know, all day every day, for five years? Why, the administration of ASA College, that’s who. And specifically Shanthi Konkoth, the Provost of ASA, who I will subsequently expose as a hypocrite, a political coward, and an ignoramus. Indeed, I will expose Shanthi by using her own words. Stay tuned!
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I worked as an adjunct professor at ASA College for exactly five years (15 straight semesters) from June 2015 to June 2020. Although technically the job of an adjunct is part-time, I treated it as a full-time job. I averaged eight sections per semester, and also had as many as ten sections when I took over classes for other teachers. I taught English Composition I and II, Speech and Communications, College Reading, College Writing, and Ethics. In addition, I taught test prep classes and had tutoring duty for a period of time. One semester, I was paid for 38 hours a week, essentially full-time.
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Professor Frank Bella in the Writing Center at ASA College, Brooklyn campus.
At ASA, I had an excellent reputation. One might even call it stellar. And this stellar reputation is not the perception of my own egotistical pretentiousness. It is what I was told by my bosses. It is what my bosses believed. It is also what I was told by students, and what other teachers told me that students said about me. In fact, my reputation at ASA consists of items that can be tangibly quantified by statements and documentation, which I will detail shortly.
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But before I get to that, I will get to the point as to why I am writing this article: my contract at ASA was not renewed at the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester, in a story containing some of the most bizarre sequences imaginable.
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I was never told that I was not renewed; my direct supervisor and chairman of the Arts and Sciences department, “Frank” Lizhi Zhu, in behavior that can only be described as unprofessional and cowardly, would not respond to my repeated emails, texts, and phone messages; and I never actually heard from ASA in any official way, shape or form – not by letter, email, text, phone call, or smoke signal. Because of the coronavirus, we were all working from home, so I could not directly confront Lizhi Zhu or anyone else at ASA about this.
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(Also, for the purposes of this article, I shall henceforth refer to “Frank” Lizhi Zhu as simply Lizhi Zhu so as to not confuse the two Franks. Frank is my real name. “Frank” is Lizhi Zhu’s nickname).
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One day in late May 2020, my classes for the following semester (Summer 2020) simply disappeared from the ASA faculty computer portal and I was never told why. I was never told anything. This happened with two weeks still remaining in the Spring semester. Forthwith, I shall tell this bizarre story, of my life – and strange demise – at ASA College.
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But first, it is important to consider my reputation and accomplishments at ASA:
Shanthi Konkoth,
ASA Provost: coward, hypocrite, ignoramus.
*I was an award winner.
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*I was known as a teacher who was never late and almost never absent for work. I did not abuse sick time. I went to work every day. In fact, I was usually hours early for work, working on papers and preparing for classes in the school’s Writing Center or the Arts and Sciences office.
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*I had the highest employee evaluations.
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*I was known as a workhorse – not only teaching many classes, but taking over for teachers who left in the middle of a semester.
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*In Fall 2018, the day before classes were to begin, Lizhi Zhu asked me to begin teaching Ethics classes. I had never taught Ethics before, but he needed someone reliable who was experienced in the Humanities and he depended on me. I subsequently taught Ethics for two years and it was a smashing success.
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*On one occasion, I was actually told that a class was taken from another teacher and given to me because I was simply considered the more valuable teacher.
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*Lizhi Zhu regularly praised my professionalism, not only to me but to other teachers and administrators, as I was told he had done at one school luncheon.
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*I dressed impeccably, always in a jacket and tie, which Lizhi Zhu often commented on in order to praise my professionalism. (I told students I dressed this way because I believed it was appropriate for the job of a college professor, and out of respect for my students. I wanted them to know that I took the job very seriously).
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*Although some students complained about their grades in my class (which poor students will do with all teachers) I was more often praised by students as an excellent teacher. Many students over the years switched their schedules around just to take me as their teacher.
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*When the ASA administration was extremely nervous about a meeting with New York State education officials, they included me in their small group of teachers at these meetings because they wanted teachers who could present well and make a good impression.
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*When the school buildings were closed because of the coronavirus and we were all teaching remotely from home, I still traveled by subway to the Manhattan campus because it was easier to teach from the office where all my materials were. Security only let me in the building after they put me on the phone with ASA President Jose Valencia. I explained to Jose that I had a lot of work to do and could better do the job from the office. Jose seemed impressed that I was so dedicated and, of course, gave permission for me to enter the building.
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*I regularly purchased materials out of my own pocket for the benefit of students. For example, I purchased dvd’s, books, and even games like Password and Hollywood Squares for my Speech class. These were great activities to encourage even the quiet students to engage and keep talking.
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*I largely re-invented the Speech and Communications class. In addition to the public speaking aspect, I introduced a theoretical aspect to the instruction. I taught the history of internet, radio, television, and motion pictures. I was able to do this because of my background – a Bachelors Degree in Communications from St. John’s University, and a Masters Degree in Communications from Fordham University. These two degrees were in addition to my Masters in Education from St. John’s.
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*As it happened, I shared a professional acquaintance with the aforementioned Provost of ASA, Shanthi Konkoth, as we were both St. John’s people. Shanthi, who hired me in 2015, knew Dr. Gene Geisert, who has since died. Dr. Geisert was the Dean of the School of Education when I was there. Anyway, both Shanthi Konkoth and Lizhi Zhu were ecstatic about the theoretical aspect to the Speech class that I had added. Shanthi especially wanted me to talk about that with the New York State education officials.
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*I told Shanthi Konkoth that I was also an award winner at St. John’s University.
"Frank" Lizhi Zhu, ASA Chairman of Arts and Sciences: unprofessional and cowardly.
Frank Bella receives Educational Leadership Award from the Directors of the program at St. John's University.
But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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"Most Popular Professor"
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Students voted me “Most Popular Professor” in my department, the Department of Arts and Sciences. I would add that ASA College is a school whose student population is overwhelmingly non-white and immigrant. English is not the first language of most ASA students. Yet, they voted me most popular, confirming my belief that most students appreciate a demanding teacher who pushes them to excel. Winning the award was especially gratifying because of my reputation as a tough and demanding teacher. I was presented the award at the school’s graduation ceremony at Madison Square Garden, the “world’s most famous arena,” by my immediate supervisor, Lizhi Zhu. Watch the short video below of me accepting the award.
You can see in the video the love that comes out of me for my students, whom I referred to as “the most important people in my life.”
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But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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Highest Employee Evaluations
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At ASA, I had the highest employee evaluations. I rated excellent or very good in every evaluation I had over five years. (See but two examples below).
My "Faculty Classroom Observation Report" was completed by Michael Thomas Cain. If you open the PDF or zoom in, you will see I was rated "Excellent" 18 times and "Good" four times. In NO CATEGORY was I rated below "Excellent" or "Good."
My "Faculty Performance Appraisal" is the yearly appraisal given to employees. It was completed by my supervisor, "Frank" Lizhi Zhu. This was completed literally a few months before my contract was not renewed. Out of 17 categories, Lizhi Zhu rated me "Excellent" 11 times and "Good" six times. In NO CATEGORY was I rated below "Excellent" or "Good."
But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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Injured Student: ASA calls me "Kindhearted"
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One night in 2017, about 9:30pm, after one of my classes in Brooklyn had ended, I went to the subway to go home and saw that one of my students, a girl named Jiaxin Chen, had fallen down, hit her head, and was nearly unconscious. A crowd had gathered around her. As you can imagine, I was very distressed and called an ambulance. I stayed with Jiaxin the whole time, waiting for the ambulance and taking the ride with her to the hospital. I called her cousin and told her what happened; the cousin called Jiaxin’s mother. The next day, during a break from my classes, I went to the hospital to visit Jiaxin, where I met her mother and aunt. When I left her, I kissed her on the forehead (uh oh, did I break a rule? Nah, her mother was there!)
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Very late the night of the incident, I sent the following email, addressed to Lizhi Zhu and Michael Thomas Cain, the English department administrator:
From: Frank Bella <fbella@asa.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, March 22, 2017 10:38 PM
To: Lizhi Zhu <lzhu@asa.edu>
Cc: Michael Cain <mcain@asa.edu>
Subject: Jiaxin Chen
Dear [Lizhi Zhu] and Michael,
I am writing this email late Wednesday night. I just left my student Jiaxin Chen after spending a half hour in an ambulance with her.
Tonight, after the dismissal of my late class, I went to the subway to go home and saw that my student, Jiaxin Chen, was lying on the ground at the bottom of the stairs going down to the subway. A crowd was gathered around her, including several other students from that same class (Comp II, 7:30-9). A witness said that Jiaxin had fallen down the stairs and hit her head very hard on the concrete. Jiaxin was barely conscious. I gave my information to the Transit employee and identified myself as Jiaxin's teacher. The ambulance eventually arrived and Jiaxin's head was stabilized and she was placed on a stretcher. I stayed in the ambulance with her and gave the medics her name, which is the only information I had. Eventually, I was able to get Jiaxin to give me the code to her cell phone. Having gotten the code, the medic called the first number. The person who answered was Jiaxin's cousin. The medic and I both spoke to the cousin and told her what had happened. The cousin was told that Jiaxin was being taken to Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn. The cousin and presumably other family members were instructed to go there to the emergency room.
I am writing this report so that the necessary people at ASA can be informed as to what happened. It is my intention to visit Jiaxin tomorrow at the hospital if she is still there.
For your information, Jiaxin was my student in Speech class last semester and now in Comp II.
Thank you.
Frank Bella
The next day I sent this follow-up email:
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From: "Frank Bella" <fbella@asa.edu>
To: "Lizhi Zhu" <lzhu@asa.edu>
Cc: "Michael Cain" <mcain@asa.edu>
Date: 03/23/17 03:22 PM
Subject: Re[2]: Jiaxin Chen
Dear [Lizhi Zhu],
I visited Jiaxin at the hospital today and the doctor told me she has a small fracture in her skull, which they saw in the CAT scan. She may also have a concussion. The doctor describes this as good news under the circumstances, as the fracture will heal on its own.
Jiaxin has a bad headache, but was more responsive than last night. She didn't remember what happened but recalled me standing over her last night. Her mother and aunt were there and they knew I was the teacher, although Jiaxin had to translate my communication with them.
The doctor said she should be released soon.
Frank Bella
In response, Lizhi Zhu wrote me the following email:​
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From: "Lizhi Zhu" <lzhu@asa.edu>
To: "Frank Bella" <fbella@asa.edu>
Cc: "Michael Cain" <mcain@asa.edu>
Date: 03/23/17 09:50 AM
Subject: Re: Jiaxin Chen
Hi Frank,
Thank you so much. I indeed appreciate your help for the student. I'll forward your email to relevant departments/offices and let them know how helpful and kindhearted our faculty members are.
Best,
[Lizhi Zhu]
Later that day, Lizhi Zhu sent this email to a bunch of officials and administrators at ASA:​
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From: Lizhi Zhu <lzhu@asa.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2017 10:20 AM
To: Marcus Browne <mbrowne@asa.edu>; Tatyana Kryzhanovskaya <tkryzhanovskaya@asa.edu>; 'Edward A. Kufuor' <ekufuor@asa.edu>; Viktoria Kostyukov <vkostyukov@asa.edu>; Dr. Shanthi Konkoth <skonkoth@asa.edu>; Alex Shchegol <ashchegol@asa.edu>; Ksenia Kasimova <kseniakasimova@asa.edu>
Cc: Frank Bella <fbella@asa.edu>
Subject: Fw: Jiaxin Chen
Dear all,
I'm forwarding to you an email from Prof. Frank Bella, who reported to me an accident that happened to one of his students, who was seriously injured, on a subway station after school last night, and how he stayed there helping the student and assisting the transit and paramedic people until she was sent to the hospital. I just found out that the student is a Business major.
This is just another example, illustrating how helpful and kindhearted our faculty members are towards their students, both in and outside the classroom. This again shows that ASA College is indeed a family.
Best,
[Lizhi Zhu]
So, in response to this incident, Lizhi Zhu calls me “kindhearted” and says my actions show that “ASA College is indeed a family.”
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But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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Singing to My Students
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In March 2020, on the day the school announced it was closing the campus buildings because of the coronavirus, it became very emotional during my final class. Students and I realized we would probably not see each other in person that semester. At the class’s conclusion at 9:30 that night, I sang them a song. I cannot sing well, even if my life depended on it, but I didn’t care. It was out of love for my students. Incredibly, one of the girls recorded it and sent it to me. Watch:
But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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My Film, "The Changing of the Guard"
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I am also a filmmaker, specializing in tales of morality in the form of Twilight Zone remakes. One of the films, which students read as part of my lesson on plays in English literature, was a remake of the teleplay, “The Changing of the Guard.” This play was very popular with students. It is about an English professor (played first by the great actor Donald Pleasance, and then by me in the remake). The professor is forced to retire because of his advanced age and is so distraught at losing his career that he goes to commit suicide. His deceased students come back to him as ghosts and save his life. It is a beautiful story about a teacher’s love for his students and the impact that teachers have on students.
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Here is the youtube link to the film:
I received many wonderful reactions to the film from students over the years. Here is an example, an email from a student in my English Composition II class:
From: Evelyn Rosario <evelynrosario@asa.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2017 4:30 PM
To: Frank Bella <fbella@asa.edu>
Subject: Short film adapted by you
I really enjoyed the movie, it was really great. I even cried because is a little something I went through with my professor. She passed away of cancer and I didn't get to tell her how much she impacted my life and my decision of coming back to school. I know the story is not originally yours but your adaptation was great. Thanks for the short story and the film is something I will always remember.
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Thanks
Evelyn Rosario
But of course, none of that matters. All that matters is politics, political correctness, and what you read on the internet.
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END OF PART 1.
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