I would like to preface this letter with a disclosure. I do not aim to speak for all WNE students, and I do not want to make any student feel as though they must agree with my statements. I aim to voice my concerns and frustration with the treatment and lack of attention that this university has shown its students in the past year. This is my voice, and while I have written this letter with input from peers, these thoughts and the final draft of this letter are my own.
We are all abundantly aware of how COVID-19 has taken a toll on each individual that is a part of this campus. I do not need to recount the year of stress and pain that this pandemic has brought. No one has escaped 2020 unscathed and I want to emphasize that I do not believe the members of the administration have been exempt from the stress and anxiety that this pandemic has caused.
It seems like this administration is more concerned with bringing in more money and more students to campus, but somehow the thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of current students are still dismissed.
I believe that the school’s administration at one point did deserve a little grace and to be given a little slack; no one had experienced a pandemic like this, and everyone was learning. But the past few months have shown students the administration’s true colors. From the beginning, students were in the dark. Not once was the student body consulted about how we felt or how we thought things should be handled. We have been sent countless Zoom links and emails that have reminded the students of COVID-19 restrictions and university policies. We have been shown statistics that do not reflect campus safety, and we have been given apologies and excuses. We have been told that we are heard and that the decision-makers are doing everything they can. Our concerns have been met with “We hear you” and “We sympathize with you”, but the administration chooses time and time again to ignore our wishes, our questions, our anxieties, to make decisions before the those in charge even hear what we have to say. Administrators claim to hear us but do not listen. Emails are drafted and decisions are made on behalf of the student population before allowing us to express our own worries and concerns. We have been lectured about being safe but have been offered no advice or help. This administration instills a feeling of fear of punishment rather than one of support and understanding. It feels as though there is a list of responses that administrators cycle through without taking a moment to reflect on what the students are saying or how certain decisions affect the student body.
In the past year, it has become apparent that it is not the students that our administration is worried about. The focus is on bringing in new students rather than caring for the scholars that are already a part of this campus. Community figures preach that we are a family- that WNE is a campus everyone should feel welcome on but continue to neglect the people they claim to care for. The campus is closed to visitors, yet the Admissions office continues to schedule tours for prospective students to see our campus. So much time appears to be dedicated to finding solutions that allow the campus to attract new students while the students on campus are told to act more responsibly. It seems like this administration is more concerned with bringing in more money and more students to campus, but somehow the thoughts, feelings, and knowledge of current students are still dismissed. The constant changing of COVID-19 policies and safety regulations leave each student confused and anxious. There have been cancellations of DIII sports’ entire seasons but continue to allow intramural sports to take place. We reach Level Orange COVID-19 statistics and change the policy that was supposed to send us home. The mixed signals and contradictions that get sent out to the university community are unacceptable. Students are aware that our administration is not to blame for the pandemic and the stress that it has induced for so many. Assumptions that we are not adult or intelligent enough to be involved in decisions and kept in the loop go against everything we have been taught at this institution. It is the lack of accountability and clarity regarding important information and decisions being made that allow this administration to continually placate the entire student body but make no changes to make us feel heard or valued.
Governor Baker has announced that on-ground commencement traditions and ceremonies may take place. Why has the administration chosen, yet again, to ignore us? As dedicated seniors, the graduating class deserves the opportunity to graduate with a real ceremony. The lack of attention comes across as lazy and careless. Schools across the Northeast – big and small – are preparing for in-person commencements. UMass Amherst, UCONN, Suffolk University, Springfield College, and many more have made the effort and put time and dedication to their students to come up with a way to give their graduating classes the recognition that they deserve. Several community members have reached out via email, phone, and zoom calls, trying to alert administrators of the frustration and sorrow that they are causing, just to be ignored. The Office of Student Affairs and the Admissions Office seems eager to deflect the blame onto anyone and everyone else, but it is time to step up. Students are tired of being told that we are heard when administrative actions of this campus have shown us otherwise.
There have been moments where students ask to be spoken to with “transparency” but that word has lost all meaning. Each question a student has is met with a half-baked answer. Feelings are being attacked and threatened in the name of “doing the right thing”, but the WNE administration continues to contradict itself time and time again. Instead of threatening to take away the things that make being a college student memorable, I urge those in charge to look within themselves and find real solutions. Stop trying to pacify us. They have an obligation to each and every student that walks onto this campus to hear us, work with us, and come up with ways that honor the dedication we have poured into this university. This is the opportunity for them to show us that they care. They can show us that they are listening, that they do understand.
As an active member on campus, I am told that I have a voice, yet this administration has silenced every single member of our community. In the town halls that students had to essentially beg for, questions were ignored and skipped over. When the administration did answer a question, it was vague and confusing. Their answers held no substance as they listed numbers that don’t reflect the safety on campus and told us our feelings were “valid”. I have been a member of the Class Council of 2021 since my sophomore year and taken on the Executive Board position of secretary for the past two years. My extracurricular activities as a council member, Lead for the TEDxWesternNewEnglandUniversity event, and as a co-chair on the planning committee for senior events, have shown me just how difficult programming during a pandemic can be. These events are difficult, but not impossible to plan. They require an open mind and a willingness to try. The administration does not seem to possess that desire. Seniors have been threatened with the cancellation of senior events, commencement, and all of the things that we have waited and worked so hard for. The reality of the situation is that seniors want to be here and we have been as responsible as we can be. Students are accused of not wanting to be on campus, but those who enforce the rules rarely hold the people that do not follow restrictions and university policies accountable. Why is the Class of 2021 being threatened with losing milestones like graduation, senior formal, and senior week that reward us for all of the hard work we have done over the past 4+ years?
This letter is not an attack, it is a call out. The students of WNE have hit a level of frustration that cannot be tolerated any longer. I want to be proud to call myself a Golden Bear. I want to frame my diploma with gratitude for this institution. But if any of us are to be proud alumni of this university, the graduating class needs to be acknowledged and recognized and the people we look to for answers need to drastically improve accountability and trust. I challenge you, the Administration of Western New England University, to do better.
Sincerely,
Emma Colegrove
