Proud (again!) of our Clarion U students: Letter to President Whitney From Clarion junior Amanda Lash "Dear President Whitney, My name is Amanda Lash, and I am an Eagle. The eagle, as an animal, represents opportunity, freedom, and determination. Each and every one of these qualities lives and breathes in each student and faculty member on this campus; we are all opening doors for ourselves and for each other. One of your favorite sayings is, “Fly, Eagles, Fly”, and yet we are being hopelessly run into the ground; our wings are being broken. As a junior at the university, I’ve come to know several professors, and not a single one has loathed teaching in any way, shape, or form. Each one has gone above and beyond their teaching responsibilities, yet now several are being rewarded with retrenchment. Not only does that affect the faculty and their families, but that affects the students. Administration is crippling many of our futures, especially if we’re not majoring in the university’s “golden child” areas of study. Our classes are disappearing, and those that are, as of today, “safe” are so crowded the university is losing the personal touch it boasts so loudly. You’re cutting off the weaker links instead of making them stronger. What is this, corporate? University. “noun . . . [A]n institution of higher learning providing facilities for teaching and research” (Merriam-Webster). Facility. “noun . . . [S]omething that makes an action, operation, or course of conduct easier” (Merriam-Webster). By definition, faculty can fall under the term of “facilities,” keying them directly into the main definition of the word “university.” Without them, it is an institution providing…what? I don’t pay thousands of dollars for pretty landscaping. None of us do. There are a few misconceptions that Administration seems to have that I’ve picked up on over the years. Allow me to clear them up. Students are not “asses in seats.” Our professors are not “under achievers.” Our university is not a business. I am not a number. Amanda Lash -Works Cited- “Facility.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. “University.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2013. Web. 1 Sept. 2013."
Posted on: Mon, 02 Sep 2013 01:39:04 +0000