A Letter from Emma Alford in Support of Dr. Bill Hays Recent events on campus have sparked in me a great deal of frustration and dispiritedness directed at the university I love so dearly. I have learned from a number of individuals, both on and off campus, that Dr. William Hays has been removed from his position as chair of the Division of Languages and Literature. This news has come to me as a total shock. I know that Dr. Hays and the division are experiencing a similar amount of consternation also. In my most blunt and honest opinion, a terrible decision has been made, without the smallest amount of concern for the students and faculty who it will actually impact. I came to Delta State as a very unhappy journalism transfer student from Ole Miss. I was so displeased with the lack of attention paid to students on an individual basis there and I was exhausted by the apathy toward education my fellow students exhibited. Upon starting my first semester of classes at Delta State, all the resentment I’d built up at Ole Miss dissipated, largely because of the family I found in Kethley Hall. This new family was made up of people like Dr. Hays, who were willing to work one-on-one with students in whatever capacity they needed. I graduated from Delta State as a very happy student in May 2012 as Magna Cum Laude with a 4.0 and a year of journalism experience as editor-in-chief of The Delta Statement under my belt. Had it not been for the constant motivation and encouragement I received from Dr. Hays and other professors in our department, I do not believe I could have finished school with such high marks. I won’t even get into the headaches I had over transferring credits and subbing classes to get my graduation requirements fulfilled, needless to say, it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of Dr. Hays (who was not even my advisor, I might add). There was never a time his door wasn’t open when I needed him. I never sent him an email without receiving a response within hours. No question ever went unanswered. I am not alone in these feelings. I personally can’t name a student I knew during my time at DSU that didn’t have admiration for all of the work Dr. Hays does for those who ask him for help. Anytime I have needed him he was there for me, so now it is my turn to repay the favor. When I graduated, President John Hilpert was retiring. It is no secret that he and much of his administrative staff were widely disliked because of their lack of transparency and their disregard for the core of a university: the students and faculty. With the change, I believed greener pastures lay ahead for DSU. I wanted an administration that championed student needs, a diverse curriculum, and an excellent faculty. I felt so optimistic about the future of my university. However, the removal of Dr. Hays from his chair position begs a different future. At the very least, I believe that we all, especially Dr. Hays, deserve an explanation. He has always operated with the utmost level of transparency, so it may be time for the administration to take some cues from him. If the administration can’t supply us with a reason for his removal, then the environment on campus hasn’t changed at all since I left. There are still questions begging to be answered and there is a still an administration that works behind closed doors. Working with The Delta Statement, I became used to my questions going unanswered when it came to administrative matters. However, now I’m no longer a student, or the newspaper editor, and this isn’t about tuition increases or dean searches—it’s personal, because it pertains to a person whom I truly care for and respect. You will be hard-pressed to find a better man for the job or one who enjoys it as much as Dr. Hays did. I am calling for the reinstatement of Dr. Hays as division chair immediately. If you can’t make that happen, then mark me down as “dissatisfied alumni.” I really do believe the administration has made a very serious mistake, so I hope you will not take my words of support for Dr. Hays lightly. Hope to hear from you soon. Best, Emma Alford
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 20:14:17 +0000