Students Address Quality Of Life At Forum

Every Thursday from noon till one PM, Dean Mary Thomas and Doctor Sharon Herzberger are available in Mather dining hall to answer questions or talk about issues that are affecting students. Students who are not on the meal plan are welcome to participate in the discussion by leaving their name at the entrance to the dining hall.

This past Thursday, students showed up to discuss their concerns with regards to the green space and trees on campus, administrative support for student-run projects, student notification of construction projects, the alcohol policy and drug use on campus. There were about sixty students who stopped by during the course of the luncheon. Some student's concerns about these issues became heightened this week because of the notification by the administration about the possible destruction of the 165 year-old European Beech Oak tree on campus. Other students who had not expressed their views for a while decided it was time to make their concerns heard. Others used the luncheon to reiterate the concerns they had expressed to the administration for a while.

Students expressed concern about not being notified early enough about upcoming construction plans. They stated that they were not being given deadlines early enough so that they could express their concerns about certain projects. Jonathan White '00 stated that he was notified of a temporary parking lot three days before construction was to begin outside his window. He said his room vibrates during construction and that he was given no time to express his concern or have anything done. He said that this was not a conducive situation for studying. Dr. Herzberger stated "there have been some glitches [with construction] and that we are working on getting them sorted out."

Some students expressed concern with what they felt was a lack of serious student representation on many committees that make decisions concerning construction. One student said that he had contacted one of the student representatives about whether he was listened to and taken seriously. That student stated that he didn't see his role as a representative, but instead just as an observer. Both Dr. Herzberger and Dean Thomas said that students are considered serious members of the committees they work with and are allowed to do more then just observe. Dr. Herzberger also said that some students simply did not show up to the committee meetings and that was why student opinion was not always relied to committees.

Other students said that they were not being given deadlines so that they could get proposals together for positions that would help student-run projects. A member of the community service leadership team stated that he had asked Dr. Herzberger for a timeline of when to submit a proposal for an assistant director. He said that the administration was asking for a lot from the team, but not giving them enough administrative support to implement student ideas and that she had only given him an ambiguous answer. Dr. Herzberger said that she supported the community service team, but she had not even been told when proposals were due. She told the student that "there is a flow to how an administration works and you need to go with that flow."

Many student concerns focused on the alcohol policy. Dr. Herzberger said that many forums were held last year about the alcohol policy and no students showed up to express their concerns.

Students responded by saying that they did not show up last year because the majority of campus was happy with the alcohol policy last year.

Dana Reynolds-Rock '00 pointed out that " students on campus are angry, angrier then I've ever seen. They feel like they are being regulated and controlled by these policies." Dr. Herzberger asked for the students who were concerned to give specific suggestions about how to change the alcohol policy so that it still honored CT law.

Sara Merin '00 suggested giving out four tickets and then allowing students the option of buying more drinks, making the parties more like a pub. Dana Reynolds-Rock stated, "Just trust us." Dr. Herzberger started to list things that were would not allow Sara's idea to work, which prompted some students to point out that as an example of how student's ideas were being only criticized rather then given respect.

Dr. Herzberger then responded to Dana's suggestion by saying, "That [just trusting students] is pretty hard to do."

Students then relied their fears of increasing drug use on campus

. Dr. Herzberger expressed that she was looking into the matter and that she would welcome student's input about how to deal with the problem.

Students felt that the luncheon was a good opportunity to make their concerns known and hoped that other students would start to express their views to Dr. Herzberger and Dean Thomas by attending the luncheons in the weeks to come.