NormStephens

A welcome from Sango123

Hello, NormStephens, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions; I hope you like the place and decide to stay. We're glad to have you in our community! Here are a few good links for newcomers:

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Happy editing!

-- Sango123 (talk) 18:30, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

P.S. Feel free to leave a message on my talk page if you need help with anything or simply wish to say hello. :)

I'm glad you like contributing here so far. :) There's just one more thing to keep in mind— please type four tildes (~~~~) after your messages on talk pages. It generates a signature showing your username and a timestamp, which will look like this: NormStephens 02:05, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Regards, Sango123 15:50, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

Managing a conflict of interest

Hello, NormStephens. We welcome your contributions, but if you have an external relationship with the people, places or things you have written about on the page Norman L. Stephens Jr., you may have a conflict of interest (COI). Editors with a conflict of interest may be unduly influenced by their connection to the topic. See the conflict of interest guideline and FAQ for article subjects for more information. We ask that you:

• avoid editing or creating articles about yourself, your family, friends, colleagues, company, organization, clients, or competitors;
• propose changes on the talk pages of affected articles (you can use the Edit Request Wizard), including links or details of reliable sources that support your suggestions;
• disclose your conflict of interest when discussing affected articles (see Wikipedia:Conflict of interest § How to disclose a COI);
• avoid linking to your organization's website in other articles (see Wikipedia:Spam § External link spamming);
• do your best to comply with Wikipedia's content policies.

In addition, you are required by the Wikimedia Foundation's terms of use to disclose your employer, client, and affiliation with respect to any contribution which forms all or part of work for which you receive, or expect to receive, compensation. See Wikipedia:Paid-contribution disclosure.

Also, editing for the purpose of advertising, publicizing, or promoting anyone or anything is not permitted. Thank you. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 14:01, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for your message. I discovered that my biography contained inaccurate information about my current location and my career. I updated it but must admit I'm not experienced with the editing process. I appreciate any guidance you can provide. Norm (talk) 14:35, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Per the linked advice above, you should not be editing the article directly. Any claim needs a reliable source. If you have reliable sources supporting material, you can use the edit request template (search in wikipedia for template:Edit COI) on the article talk page. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 15:54, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

You keep reverting my biography page to a version someone posted several years ago that contains inaccurate, incomplete, and even libelous information about me. I am the most reliable source for this biography as it is my life and career that are described. Please cease and desist your reversions or I will be forced to take legal action against you. Norm (talk) 16:05, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

If you wish to edit Wikipedia, then you will need to retract that legal threats, per WP:NLT. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 16:29, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

I have no intention to take legal action against anyone. Norm (talk) 15:13, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

No, you are not the most reliable source for this biography. We source articles from reliable, independent sources, providing significant coverage of a subject. WP:PRIMARY material can be introduced, but only very limited. Since you have a WP:COI, again, you should only be making WP:EDITREQUESTs on the talk page. And since this would be a non-controversial removal, you need to discuss it, which means substantiating that it's untrue with another reliable source (not being you), that this paper is an unreliable source, or convincing others that it is inappropriate in the article.

If you need a place to freely write about yourself, that's what social media or a personal website are for. As noted, you will need to explicitly retract the legal threats or it's almost certain you will be blocked. CoffeeCrumbs (talk) 18:31, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Are you saying that an author of a newspaper article is a more reliable source of information about my career than I am?

The questionable citation is apparently from someone else's obituary. The author of that obituary, which was written more than a decade after the referenced circumstance, obviously had no knowledge of that circumstance. Whoever cited that obituary in my Wikipedia biography also lacked any knowledge of the circumstance. The reference is wrong, and Wikipedia should want it corrected. Unfortunately for me, I may be the only person in the world that cares. Norm (talk) 15:10, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

(edit conflict) (Non-administrator comment) Hey Norm, it's true that you know the most about yourself, but it's also true that the vast majority of people find it difficult to be 100% neutral and unbiased when it comes to something that's close to our hearts.

Once the block is resolved, you can suggest improvements to the article via the edit request system - specifically the conflict of interest version (click here to view) in your case.

You'll still need to find reliable sources and follow the same standards as any other editor, except an independent editor will be reviewing your edit request to ensure it meets Wikipedia's high standards of neutrality, verifiability etc.

Since this is an encyclopedia article, it will be a summary of third party sources - that's how Wikipedia has been functioning for over two decades and it's the best way to keep things neutral on such a vast, community-driven project like this.

You won't be able to control what goes on there and it won't necessarily be to your liking, but it will meet the same strict standards as any other Biography of living persons (BLP) article. Blue Sonnet (talk) 16:08, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

Are you saying that an author of a newspaper article is a more reliable source of information about my career than I am?

In many cases, especially ones that could possibly be disputed, absolutely yes. Certain information might be allowed by WP:PRIMARY sources if it's impossible to dispute, but not something like, for example, the reason you are no longer at a job. You're certainly far too educated to not be aware of the concept of self-serving statements or conflicts of interest.

And in any case, you should have discussed it and made an edit request in accordance with Wikipedia's conflict-of-interest policies, especially considering you were adding unverifiable material. And you certainly should have not been simply adding it yourself.

By making a legal threat -- and a rather weak one given the legal standards in the US for libel of even a non-public figure -- you closed off that process before it could even get going. You may very well have gotten the community to agree to at least some of the changes you were proposing.

Your next step is to file an WP:UNBLOCK request, stating that you will only propose changes in the talk page, and that you will not seek legal action in this manner in as unequivocal a manner as possible. We do not allow people to chill discussions by making threats against other editors or the WMF. The Wikipedia community cannot prevent you from exercising your legal reactions, but it can determine who is allowed to contribute to this encyclopedia. I think there's a very good chance than an WP:UNBLOCK request that does these things will result in your unblock. CoffeeCrumbs (talk) 16:08, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

The only editorial request is to remove the reference to how I left a position 26 years ago that appeared in an obituary for Dr. Jim Howard who succeeded me in that position. It is a matter of public record that I resigned from that position on 9/30/1999. The reasons and opinions regarding that decision were well documented in the local media at the time. It is not true that I was "removed". In fact I had a multi-year contract with at least two additional years on it when I resigned and the board of trustees had no cause to end that contract. In the ten years that I served that college, all of my annual evaluations were exemplary, also a matter of public record. It is true that I had philosophical differences with some of the board members, and that is also a matter of public record as well as media coverage. I do not wish to argue those old issues with anyone. Norm (talk) 17:25, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

Notice of Conflict of interest noticeboard discussion

There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Conflict of interest/Noticeboard regarding a possible conflict of interest incident with which you may be involved. Thank you. Russ Woodroofe (talk) 16:10, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

ANI notice

There is currently a discussion at Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents regarding an issue with which you may have been involved. Hemiauchenia (talk) 18:25, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

January 2026

You have been blocked indefinitely from editing for making legal threats or threatening to take legal action.

You are not allowed to edit Wikipedia while any threats to take legal action currently stand.

If you believe that there are good reasons for being unblocked, please review Wikipedia's guide to appealing blocks, then add the following text to the bottom of your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Your reason here ~~~~}}.  voorts (talk/contributions) 18:29, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Additionally, you are also blocked because we have no way of verifying that you are actually Norm Stephens at this point. If you would like to continue editing under this username, please email the volunteer response team at info-en@wikimedia.org with your full name and your account name in the body. They will then send you instructions on how to privately verify your identity. voorts (talk/contributions) 18:35, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Please note that Wikipedia editors are more than willing to work with subjects of biographies on Wikipedia. You should do so using the article talk page to make edit requests. Please see Wikipedia:Plain and simple conflict of interest guide. voorts (talk/contributions) 18:37, 17 January 2026 (UTC)

Unblock Request

This user's unblock request has been reviewed by an administrator, who accepted the request.

NormStephens (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log) • SI)

---

Request reason:

I have no intention or interest in legal action against anyone associated with Wikipedia. Any edits proposed for my biography will only be presented and discussed on the talk page and in compliance with Wikipedia polices and rules.Norm (talk) 18:00, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

Accept reason:

I'm accepting this appeal per the retraction of the legal threat and the VRT confirmation. Courtesy ping to @Voorts:. CoconutOctopus talk 20:32, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

Norm (talk) 18:00, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

• That deals with the legal threat, thank you. Have you emailed the Volunteer Response Team about your username? PhilKnight (talk) 20:48, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

  I did. Norm (talk) 20:58, 19 January 2026 (UTC)

  On Saturday, 1/17/2026, I submitted my full name and username to the email address provided. I had a response and a [Ticket#2026011710004164] Proof of Identity email from the Wikipedia Volunteer Response Team. What else do I need to do to get the block removed and to have someone delete the untrue statement the biography? Norm (talk) 16:17, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

  (Non-administrator comment) Would you be happy to follow the edit request process I outlined here? Blue Sonnet (talk) 06:41, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  I will keep an eye on the talk page. Norm, don't worry much about formatting but do be sure to provide sources, preferably secondary sources. I've have already updated the sources regarding your resignation from LLCC as I agree the other one was poor and added a couple more to support some of your background. S0091 (talk) 17:48, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  You will never know how much I appreciate you updating this for me. I spent a sizeable portion of today in the archives of the Springfield State Journal-Register refreshing my 27-year-old memories. I'm proud of my 45-year career. As with any long career there are ups and downs. The period from May to December of 1999 was definitely down, but it represents about one percent. Seeing that reference in my bio triggered some old scars. Life is a journey. As that journey continued, my life took a wonderful turn. Looking back. That one difficult experience led directly to very positive outcomes. Thank you again. Norm (talk) 20:14, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

  I added an additional reference on the talk page of the bio. Would you consider adding it for me. It was an editorial published in the Springfield State Journal-Register on 9/30/1999 after my resignation. As you might conclude, my departure was the result of a politics. The allegations mentioned in the editorial only came to light after I left the college. They are completely untrue, but I never had an opportunity to set the record straight. Fortunately, most people, including the boards that later hired me for presidencies knew exactly what was going on. Norm (talk) 20:56, 21 January 2026 (UTC)

courtesy ping to voorts - Cabayi (talk) 15:40, 21 January 2026 (UTC)