Theatre department should put students first

Dear Editor,

I have a few questions for GC&SU to consider. Why would a department eliminate a faculty member that the entire department loves? Why would a department dismiss a faculty member that brings students into the department because students want to receive her training?

A faculty member who keeps students in the department and through dedication puts her students head and shoulders above their competition in the professional world. Why eliminate a professor at a liberal arts school who pushes all her students to grow, expand, and breathe life? Why would a department not even tell its students that one of its three full time professors had been dismissed for no apparent reason? Why would a department then secretly organize a committee to find a replacement for the said professor? How can an institution that used to be based on Reason, Respect, and Responsibility allow this to go on? How can a department be run with no real concern for their students’ opinions?

Our mentor and guiding hand is being taken from us and being replaced by someone else’s choice. The heart of our department is being cut out. It is a department that has always worked closely together to create art.

Now we work as replaceable objects. Beyond that, why change the proven selection process? We used to tell prospective students to come here so they could receive the same high level of training we were receiving. We were proud to call this department home, now what do we tell them? Come here and have other people run your academic life like a dictatorial regime complete with secret committees and under the table dealing?

I’m glad it’s my last year, but what of those who come next? This has been going on too long. How can you promote openness and dialogue while you move behind our backs? You are trying to shape our lives– not for our benefit, but for your own agenda and seemingly your own social standing.

By going behind our backs, you are telling us you don’t trust us and what you have created is a department where the students no longer trust the leadership. How can we constantly criticize the President for his lack of honesty and abundant secrecy while in our own lives we do exactly the same thing? Is it really any different?

We trust our professors, our performance and technical instructors. They have broken their backs to bleed and sweat with us but our department leadership has turned its back on our voices.

Thanks a lot.

Sincerely,
John Hurley
Senior
Theatre Major

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 3 2006. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry