Where is Student Involvement and Leadership?

By Kathryn Henry

The office of Student Involvement and Leadership is physically located on the second floor of the Campus Center, but Student Involvement and Leadership, in reality, exists in the student leaders and the staff who support them.

My name is Kathryn Henry, and I am not going to hide behind an anonymous article. I am asking you all to see what is happening at WNE, and I have always been a lead-by-example person. 

On this campus, I got my leadership start with my class council, as a coordinator for The Stageless Players, part of the Emerging Leaders program, and with WNEK. I have an extremely long list of involvement and acknowledgment, including: Resident Advisor, OGL in 2021, recipient of Excellence in Media award for my contributions to WNEK and GBTV, recipient of the Grand Skookum Award for my involvement on and off campus, and many, many other roles throughout my time here. If you have met me in person, I hope you know that I am writing this because I am passionate about the activities I am a part of and want to uplift and support all of the students here. Everything I have done here is to build up the campus community and foster the leadership of those around me.

In the past 12 months, every single professional staff member in the Student Involvement and Leadership office has resigned and moved on to better opportunities. They are finding other jobs with higher pay and more respect. Western New England University has a high staff turnover in aspects of this campus that directly impact the student experience. 

Many staff members have been working well beyond their job description and overextending themselves. They do this job because they care about the students, but that only goes so far. 

Based on previous conversations I have had, the administration does not grasp the severity of this situation. The lack of qualified professional support has impacted the ability of student leaders not only to program and support each other but their overall mental health. These students have sought out mental health support through Health Services as they process these changes. As a result of the revolving door of staff, the students are left to try and solve these problems on their own while being unequipped to take on this additional role.

Student leaders have tried to push back, but the stress for many is too much. Student Nick Tartsinis states, “As student leaders, we have been told that we cannot fix everything. We should only focus on the things that we can fix and lean on those we trust to help us when we are struggling. While true, in practice, this does not play out as intended. Due to the intense workload professional staff members have, supporting the students who need it, and their own lives outside of work, becomes a very challenging task. Ultimately, as we see more and more professional staff members leave the university, for good reason, student leaders are left in limbo. With constant turnover and uncertainty, student leaders try to pick up the pieces as needed, while balancing their academics and their lives as a whole.” 

The student leaders have had meetings with the administration, but it has been shown repeatedly that student concerns are falling on deaf ears. There have been constant excuses that disrespect the work put in by the student leaders, the importance of programming, and student-to-student support.

I was lucky enough to enter WNE before this exodus began. I worked with Alyssa Caliguri, Ryan Mahan, Claire Wright, and Melissa Lambert closely. Caliguri was a bright spot on this campus who was passionate and encouraged the first-year students like no one else. She was the freshman council advisor for all the current seniors and set us up for success. 

Student Emily Wambach said, “Alyssa Caliguri was a strong force whose tradition and passion for this University rooted deep within the Peer Advising program and even deeper in the students she impacted. Alyssa was the first person at this University who saw the potential in me as a student leader and pushed me to be great. Not only did Alyssa push me to grow, but she ensured that I was challenged and gave me a safe space to become the student leader I was meant to be. “

Wright and Lambert acted as constants in the office. They were always there to help with large-scale questions and support smaller clubs.

Student Alison Croteau said, “I have been Editor in Chief of the Cupola Yearbook for two and a half years now, and it has been a very important part of my college experience. When I first became the editor, the previous editor left me high and dry, not teaching me anything. Thank goodness our faculty advisor, Claire Wright, was there to guide me and teach me how to be a leader and make a successful yearbook. She met with me every single week, and not only was she essential to helping the yearbook club to succeed, she made a point to check in with me personally and make sure I was doing okay. I don’t want incoming freshmen to be left high and dry like me, especially when there is no one in student involvement to help. I don’t want future students to miss out on the help and support Claire gave me.”

Lambert had the answer to every question, and her knowledge was immeasurable. Student Kyle Nelson said, “I have been extremely involved within the Office of Student Involvement since I started as a student here. It all started with Freshman Council. Up until now, the complete constant for me has been Melissa Lambert. When I found out she was leaving, it broke my heart, as I’m sure it did with many other students. Melissa, time and time again, proved to me that she wholeheartedly cares about the students. No one person will ever be able to comprehend how much Melissa has done for this school and still does on a day-to-day basis. No one will be able to replace her, no matter how hard it will be tried. I don’t think the administration realizes the domino effect that is happening, and I hope action is done before we lose more caring people like Melissa Lambert.”

Ryan Mahan was my mentor. He encouraged and challenged me to grow and learn more than anyone else. I entered this university as a shy student who never made too much noise, and now I am a fierce advocate for the impact of leadership on personal growth and community bonds because of them.

Student Anne Seibel said, “I joined WNEK as a freshman on the E-Board because it was a way I could exercise my creative freedom within a degree that is more mathematical and formula-based. I’ve been the President since the end of my freshman year and that would not have been possible without the support of Student Involvement; specifically Ryan Mahan. I would never have had the opportunity to grow in such a way without the support of dedicated professional staff members. I am afraid that young students who come after me- students who are passionate and wholeheartedly ready to be involved- will not have the same chance. We are students, and for students to exist, we need teachers. Student Involvement were those teachers.”

The people who inspired students across this campus are now gone. The Student Involvement Office, which used to be a bright spot of energy and connections, currently has closed doors and a lack of consistent support.

The impact is palpable: Events have low turnouts. The first-year students lack a class council, the starting point for some of the highest leaders on this campus. Student leaders are burnt out and unsupported. We are tired of fighting for an administration that clearly is not fighting for us.

Student Emma McCorkindale said, “It is unfair to the freshmen and underclassmen coming to Western New England. I have been President of GBTV for over two years now, and it is my Senior

Year. I had support coming into this role from our advisor. How can someone jump into a leadership role without the support from the staff here? I am very concerned about the student-run clubs crumbling to the ground because we do not have support. I care about this club as well as others on campus, and we need support.”

The student leaders have not given up yet, but we are running on empty. Unless the hiring process for the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership is expedited, we have no hope. Student Ryan Hoover said, “We are experiencing a lot of staffing changes that make it difficult for programs to happen, especially the programs that students have come to know, love and appreciate. With the current state of Student Involvement and Leadership, and other areas within the division of Student Affairs, I believe that upper administration is leading us down a path of self-destruction, and the WNE that we all know and love will not remain and I cannot leave this university in this state or a state that is far worse than what we are already in.” 

The seniors this year can help pull the activities together, but next year the juniors will be lacking stable support that can help them in the way trained staff could. The students are willing to go above and beyond, but we cannot hire for that office or purchase items for events.

This edition of the Westerner serves to shine a light on the impact that the Student Involvement office has had on the student experience. To the administration: the student leaders were encouraged by the best of the best to advocate for themselves and others, and we will not stop.