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Yesterday, President Joseph Aoun gave his annual State of the University address to the student body. and the rest of the Northeastern community In his speech, Aoun mentioned the importance of the student voice and how important it is for the administration to listen to what we want. He also mentioned that our rate of expansion won’t slow down anytime soon. This is great news for students and faculty alike, but the administration needs to make sure they keep true to their promises and students’ basic needs aren’t lost as we grow.
“Our hearts are bursting with pride, we have a record amount of applicants,” Louis J. Kruger, chair of the Faculty Senate’s Agenda Committee said. “Our co-ops span the globe and our research has won accolades.”
It’s all good news for students – 90 percent of graduates are finding employment, and we’re investing more into research and sustainability. Not to mention, our financial aid has increased at double the rate the tuition has. These are all things Aoun addressed yesterday. However, there are still basic students needs not being addressed.
“Our model is competitive,” Aoun said. “Students are getting jobs. Students are going to graduate schools, studying for their master’s.”
All of this is true. But if we can accomplish all that, why are students being forced to sit on the floor in classrooms that don’t have enough desks? Construction should have been done by now. Why does it seem like our faculty exists in a revolving door instead of building a legacy and relationships with their students? We’ve lost four deans in the last year. Why is it so difficult to figure out who to ask to get an answer to a simple question? The NU shuffle continues.
At one point during the address, a student told Aoun she had been trying, to no avail, to change her major. Instead, she was getting the NU Shuffle. Aoun told her to talk to Bruce Ronkin, vice provost for undergraduate education, and it would be resolved by the end of the day. That’s great, but what about the hundreds of other students having the same problem?
Students are the heart of this university. We are the ones who go to countries all over the world to work on co-op, develop relationships and influence international opinion of what it means to be a Husky. Members of the student body are the ones who organize and run the groups and activities that keep the campus alive. Alumni, who are former students, are the ones helping us to keep our post-graduation job numbers up. We are the ones paying Northeastern and making all this prestige possible.
As Huskies, we have pride in our university, and we should. Northeastern is a great institution, and we should continue to expand in the way that Aoun discussed yesterday. But in order to grow into the kind of respected place the administration wants, its important to keep the students happy with the basics. We shouldn’t have to be transferred to three different people in Student Financial Services to find out why our bill is wrong. Students shouldn’t have trouble finding a place to sit in their classrooms, and we should be able to develop relationships with faculty instead of always watching them leave.
For a university with a presence in so many different countries and such a talented student base at home, it shouldn’t be so difficult to address the simple things students are clamoring for.
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Editorial: NEU needs to remember basic student needs
October 13, 2011
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