2008 Woodie Awards
Editorials for Nov. 30
ByIssue date: 11/30/07 Section: Opinion
Originally published: 11/21/07 at 10:29 AM CSTLast update: 11/29/07 at 8:56 PM CST
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Spurred leadership among clubs a great step
They pushed for change and were shot down by student life, but club presidents such as William Brent Chandler of the Gay and Lesbian Association are not giving up.
It's one thing to be stonewalled into submission, but the true test of leadership is the will to fight for beliefs - to fight for your troops.
To take the matter a few rungs higher in the ladder of authority at this college as some club presidents have.
The office of student life had set requirements for students to be involved in clubs and organizations: There had to be 10 members, with six credit hours each and a minimum GPA of 2.0, 2.5 for officers.
This obviously didn't work for everybody. This college has a wide variety of students; some with full-time schedules, and some who take only one class. Students at this college work and have families.
They also pay into the student activity fee, which makes club and student life activities possible.
Many more students attend community colleges because they want to advance in their job or switch careers.
Those students should not be punished by not being allowed to participate in a student organization.
The Ranger commends the club presidents who met with President Robert Zeigler and Emma Mendiola, interim dean of student affairs, about the situation.
As a result, the requirements are now at a reasonable standard.
Not only did the club presidents fight for the members in their clubs, but they stood up for future students who want to be involved in campus activities.
Customer service for students needs work
Customer service. We're all about the students. Support the classroom mission first.
You hear similar slogans repeatedly throughout the district.
Unfortunately, they often seem like so much lip service.
For example, take the case of trying to pay a tuition bill. Currently, students can register about two months in advance of the spring semester, but they can't get a bill or pay the bill until three weeks after registration begins.
It seems unreasonable for anyone to turn down money when offered.
So what reason does the bursar's office at this college have for making students wait to pay their tuition?
It is understandable for students on financial aid and loans because they have to wait for their money anyway.
But what about the rest of the student body?
The district keeps trumpeting slogans like "student success" and "opportunities for advancement," yet students are constantly required to jump through hoops when dealing with inexplicable demands.
This college should put to good use the money spent on Baldrige consultants to streamline the system that takes our money for "student success" in the first place.
District should move on from SACall listserv
Every bureaucracy has its obstacles to overcome. No matter how streamlined it is, every organization has its problems.
This college is no different.
What keeps large organizations afloat in a sea of bureaucracy is communication, no matter how it is channeled or conveyed.
In the case of this college, a huge instrument for faculty communication is the SACall listserv, an electronic mailing list that includes the majority of employees here.
Unfortunately, the Mass Mailing Committee, courtesy of the district, is looking to limit the listserv to curb the number of complaints from faculty around the district about the number of messages received.
Is that enough to establish a committee to possibly cut off a vital part of communication for this college? Unanimous support was shown for it at the last College Academic Council meeting.
Ironically, a major complaint, as reported by The Ranger in the Nov. 16 issue, is the lack of "user input when the district makes decisions dealing with the Internet."
A lack of communication.
Maybe the use of listserv, say like the SACall at this college, could be an appropriate venue for the district to gain the college's input on issues that thoroughly affect students.
The district should adhere to the adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" because the more the faculty communicates, the more students benefit.
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