2008 Woodie Awards
Student dissent in a sorry state, but necessary to demand answers
Issue date: 11/17/05 Section: Opinion/Editorial
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You know Websterites are mad when they're chalking. Sadly that's about the full extent of student dissent these days.
When did we become so cooly restrained and snivelingly politically correct? What happened to brazen, unbridled emotion? Like the dinosaurs, it's become extinct. Ardor has been Prozac-ed, counseled and downsized right off of this campus, just as it has been removed from American society.
If the administration had ripped funds from student programming in the heart of the protest ridden 1960s, students would have reacted fiercely. They wouldn't have been worried about the repercussions of venting their frustrations to administrators or to the press. But current students are pussyfooting around the problem.
It's obvious the administration didn't take students at the home campus into consideration when it made budget cuts. So what leads the students calling for action to believe the administration will take them any more seriously when they are approached for answers?
The politically correct "lets sit down and compromise" kind of attitude is what leads to the little man getting stomped on in the first place. Sure, the administration will be happy to listen to students' demands and then they will act the way they planned on from the start. When budget cuts proceed, students who protested will be left thinking "at least the administration was considerate enough to give students time to vent." That's why multiple officials from the third floor of Loretto are coming to an open SGA meeting Nov. 22. They'll listen approvingly to students' protests and then sadly say there isn't really anything they can do, money is money and it's not in the bank account any longer.
Protest needed
Students who are truly enraged about the loss of their jobs, their student activities or their funding need to let Webster's top dogs know they will stand for nothing less than the return of their funding. They need to make it known that if money has to be cut, the university will have to find another avenue for sacrifice. The louder students' protests now, the more likely the administration will be to reverse their actions when bargaining time comes. Otherwise, students should expect nothing more than a sorrowful pat on the back and better luck next year.
The same scenario played out at Webster's Thailand campus last semester regarding the enforcement of an English only policy. While many students were incensed about the issue, the SGA called for mediation and meetings to sort matters out and in the end, the administration continued in the way it saw fit.
While awaiting meetings with university officials, current SGA members are too accepting of the way they are being righteously screwed. There are times when feathers need to be ruffled to garner the attention of those in charge and this is one of them.
Students at Webster, however, seem unprepared for such "devious" action. Student government members disavowed a student who took individual action and chalked "Nice car Dick" in President Richard Myers' parking space. Was the action childish? Yes. But in reality, how "grown up" is chalking anyway? Did chalking Meyers' space make the president of Webster take notice that students are upset they are bearing the brunt of budget cuts? The answer is yes.
Students have long been criticized for their apathy and it would be easy for the cynical and jaded among us to react to the news of budget cuts with a roll of the eyes and a hearty sigh. But this is an opportunity for students to get involved in a useful cause. Face it: when you enter the corporate world and try sit-ins and chalking, you're going to get your ass fired. Do it now, while you can still express yourself in an immature fashion without fear of reprisal.
Communications SNAFU
At the Nov. 22 SGA meeting administrators have the responsibility to answer student's questions about the budget cuts. Students have a responsibility to come with questions, lots of them and most importantly, to not let up until they get satisfactory responses.
If the administration fails to adequately answer to the students whom it is supposed to serve, this will be yet another in the long line of the university's botched communications efforts. Administrators showed their incredible arrogance before when they tried to push the plans for new dorms by the Webster Groves community without taking the community's input seriously. Once again they've pushed themselves into a corner with no clear escape, hazard or even last resort plan.
It's pathetic the first mention of budget cuts was made by the Dean of Students in an SGA meeting, rather than in a campus wide address by those in charge of the cuts. Not to mention the fact that since the announcements no one in the administration has been able to answer the questions asked by concerned students and faculty. Since the administration seems dead set on running this university like a business instead of a school, the least they could do is run it like a successful one.
When did we become so cooly restrained and snivelingly politically correct? What happened to brazen, unbridled emotion? Like the dinosaurs, it's become extinct. Ardor has been Prozac-ed, counseled and downsized right off of this campus, just as it has been removed from American society.
If the administration had ripped funds from student programming in the heart of the protest ridden 1960s, students would have reacted fiercely. They wouldn't have been worried about the repercussions of venting their frustrations to administrators or to the press. But current students are pussyfooting around the problem.
It's obvious the administration didn't take students at the home campus into consideration when it made budget cuts. So what leads the students calling for action to believe the administration will take them any more seriously when they are approached for answers?
The politically correct "lets sit down and compromise" kind of attitude is what leads to the little man getting stomped on in the first place. Sure, the administration will be happy to listen to students' demands and then they will act the way they planned on from the start. When budget cuts proceed, students who protested will be left thinking "at least the administration was considerate enough to give students time to vent." That's why multiple officials from the third floor of Loretto are coming to an open SGA meeting Nov. 22. They'll listen approvingly to students' protests and then sadly say there isn't really anything they can do, money is money and it's not in the bank account any longer.
Protest needed
Students who are truly enraged about the loss of their jobs, their student activities or their funding need to let Webster's top dogs know they will stand for nothing less than the return of their funding. They need to make it known that if money has to be cut, the university will have to find another avenue for sacrifice. The louder students' protests now, the more likely the administration will be to reverse their actions when bargaining time comes. Otherwise, students should expect nothing more than a sorrowful pat on the back and better luck next year.
The same scenario played out at Webster's Thailand campus last semester regarding the enforcement of an English only policy. While many students were incensed about the issue, the SGA called for mediation and meetings to sort matters out and in the end, the administration continued in the way it saw fit.
While awaiting meetings with university officials, current SGA members are too accepting of the way they are being righteously screwed. There are times when feathers need to be ruffled to garner the attention of those in charge and this is one of them.
Students at Webster, however, seem unprepared for such "devious" action. Student government members disavowed a student who took individual action and chalked "Nice car Dick" in President Richard Myers' parking space. Was the action childish? Yes. But in reality, how "grown up" is chalking anyway? Did chalking Meyers' space make the president of Webster take notice that students are upset they are bearing the brunt of budget cuts? The answer is yes.
Students have long been criticized for their apathy and it would be easy for the cynical and jaded among us to react to the news of budget cuts with a roll of the eyes and a hearty sigh. But this is an opportunity for students to get involved in a useful cause. Face it: when you enter the corporate world and try sit-ins and chalking, you're going to get your ass fired. Do it now, while you can still express yourself in an immature fashion without fear of reprisal.
Communications SNAFU
At the Nov. 22 SGA meeting administrators have the responsibility to answer student's questions about the budget cuts. Students have a responsibility to come with questions, lots of them and most importantly, to not let up until they get satisfactory responses.
If the administration fails to adequately answer to the students whom it is supposed to serve, this will be yet another in the long line of the university's botched communications efforts. Administrators showed their incredible arrogance before when they tried to push the plans for new dorms by the Webster Groves community without taking the community's input seriously. Once again they've pushed themselves into a corner with no clear escape, hazard or even last resort plan.
It's pathetic the first mention of budget cuts was made by the Dean of Students in an SGA meeting, rather than in a campus wide address by those in charge of the cuts. Not to mention the fact that since the announcements no one in the administration has been able to answer the questions asked by concerned students and faculty. Since the administration seems dead set on running this university like a business instead of a school, the least they could do is run it like a successful one.