Spring Break
Editorial
Town hall meetings postponed
Editorial Board
Issue date: 1/18/08 Section: Ed-Op
It was recently announced that all of President Papadakis' town hall meetings - the students' best way to communicate with the administration - have been postponed until spring term.
Adding these four meetings to the three meetings that were canceled at the end of fall term due to Taki's run-in with an elephant in Nepal (see "Papadakis cancels town hall meetings," The Triangle, Jan. 11), that leaves us wondering: Drexel administrators, where are you?
As the best face-to-face way for regular students to talk to administrators, town hall meetings should serve two functions; first, to update students on the immediate and long term changes to Drexel and to gain feedback on such changes, and second, to hear suggestions and complaints that otherwise fall on deaf ears. For those reasons, these events are crucial to those that want to be heard.
Even if Papadakis says, "E-mail me," that doesn't mean everyone will, and e-mail isn't always the best way to address a problem. If every problem could be solved via e-mail, there would be no need to have these town hall meetings.
Visibility is one of the administrations' biggest weaknesses. To most students, the administration is a faceless, "Drexel Official Mail" e-mail in our inboxes that may or may not get read. Drexel students are often thought to be apathetic types bonded together by their hate of red tape, bureaucracy and what is perceived to be an administration that is generally disinterested in students' needs and only cares about the bottom line. However true or untrue these perceptions are, many students just don't know where to go when they have a problem - whether it be academic, financial or running a student organization.
Visibility requires more than just bland e-mail communications. By hosting town halls or just going down into the dining hall now and then, students get a chance to get to know their administration and actually feel like they are there to help them. Then, the next time they run into an issue or have an idea to make an improvement, instead of just complaining about it, they know where to go to make sure their voice is heard.
Adding these four meetings to the three meetings that were canceled at the end of fall term due to Taki's run-in with an elephant in Nepal (see "Papadakis cancels town hall meetings," The Triangle, Jan. 11), that leaves us wondering: Drexel administrators, where are you?
As the best face-to-face way for regular students to talk to administrators, town hall meetings should serve two functions; first, to update students on the immediate and long term changes to Drexel and to gain feedback on such changes, and second, to hear suggestions and complaints that otherwise fall on deaf ears. For those reasons, these events are crucial to those that want to be heard.
Even if Papadakis says, "E-mail me," that doesn't mean everyone will, and e-mail isn't always the best way to address a problem. If every problem could be solved via e-mail, there would be no need to have these town hall meetings.
Visibility is one of the administrations' biggest weaknesses. To most students, the administration is a faceless, "Drexel Official Mail" e-mail in our inboxes that may or may not get read. Drexel students are often thought to be apathetic types bonded together by their hate of red tape, bureaucracy and what is perceived to be an administration that is generally disinterested in students' needs and only cares about the bottom line. However true or untrue these perceptions are, many students just don't know where to go when they have a problem - whether it be academic, financial or running a student organization.
Visibility requires more than just bland e-mail communications. By hosting town halls or just going down into the dining hall now and then, students get a chance to get to know their administration and actually feel like they are there to help them. Then, the next time they run into an issue or have an idea to make an improvement, instead of just complaining about it, they know where to go to make sure their voice is heard.
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