Editorial
Where were you?
Editorial Board
Issue date: 3/14/08 Section: Ed-Op
In a previous editorial, we praised the efforts of Dean of Students David Ruth for organizing a town hall meeting with University administrators to speak with students. Face time with students is a great way to improve the visibility of the administration and allow students to get to know the people running Drexel. Ruth held up his end of the deal and delivered an event with the management from a host of University departments.
Some of the administrators present were Executive Vice President Tobey Oxholm, Provost Stephen Director, Senior Associate Vice President for Public Safety Domenic Ceccanecchio, Associate Vice President of IRT Jan Biros and many others. These busy individuals took the time to engage students - but we failed each other and sent the wrong message to the administration.
Several Triangle staffers attended and we all came to the same non-scientific conclusion: administrators outnumbered students at the event.
This sends the worst possible to message to Drexel's leadership. From that abysmal turnout, it shows students don't care. The Triangle hopes that people simply didn't know about the event, but we must send a cautionary tale to all students - you get the University you deserve.
The only way to improve your University experience is to get involved. Others won't make it better for you. If students don't take the chance to address administrators when given the opportunity, they will think nothing is wrong and Drexel is perfect. Complaining about Drexel on Facebook groups doesn't make change - it is about showing up and being heard. Administrators can't fix problems they don't know about.
Previously, students complained about Papadakis cancelling his town hall meetings, and said that it showed a lack of care on the administration's side. However, we must ask how an administration is supposed to care about its student body if those students do not seem to care in the first place.
Even if students did not have specific problems to be addressed, there is value in meeting and getting to know the administrators that run Drexel's academics and student life. By networking with these individuals, administrators get the opportunity to learn about students and vice versa.
To be fair, there was limited marketing on the part of the University; however, there are more town halls coming up and we urge all students to attend to at least see who runs the University.
The next time you complain to someone that the campus is ugly, that things in your dorm are not working properly, or that you hate the food at the dining hall, carry your message over to one of these town hall meetings.
The administrators are, for once, putting themselves on the line for students. Don't be afraid to face them and give them a piece of your mind. Not attending town hall meetings where things can actually be resolved is not only a waste of the administrators' time, but it's also a waste of your breath as you complain about Drexel day after day.
Some of the administrators present were Executive Vice President Tobey Oxholm, Provost Stephen Director, Senior Associate Vice President for Public Safety Domenic Ceccanecchio, Associate Vice President of IRT Jan Biros and many others. These busy individuals took the time to engage students - but we failed each other and sent the wrong message to the administration.
Several Triangle staffers attended and we all came to the same non-scientific conclusion: administrators outnumbered students at the event.
This sends the worst possible to message to Drexel's leadership. From that abysmal turnout, it shows students don't care. The Triangle hopes that people simply didn't know about the event, but we must send a cautionary tale to all students - you get the University you deserve.
The only way to improve your University experience is to get involved. Others won't make it better for you. If students don't take the chance to address administrators when given the opportunity, they will think nothing is wrong and Drexel is perfect. Complaining about Drexel on Facebook groups doesn't make change - it is about showing up and being heard. Administrators can't fix problems they don't know about.
Previously, students complained about Papadakis cancelling his town hall meetings, and said that it showed a lack of care on the administration's side. However, we must ask how an administration is supposed to care about its student body if those students do not seem to care in the first place.
Even if students did not have specific problems to be addressed, there is value in meeting and getting to know the administrators that run Drexel's academics and student life. By networking with these individuals, administrators get the opportunity to learn about students and vice versa.
To be fair, there was limited marketing on the part of the University; however, there are more town halls coming up and we urge all students to attend to at least see who runs the University.
The next time you complain to someone that the campus is ugly, that things in your dorm are not working properly, or that you hate the food at the dining hall, carry your message over to one of these town hall meetings.
The administrators are, for once, putting themselves on the line for students. Don't be afraid to face them and give them a piece of your mind. Not attending town hall meetings where things can actually be resolved is not only a waste of the administrators' time, but it's also a waste of your breath as you complain about Drexel day after day.
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