Opinion-College ignores student voice

Once again, members of the TCC administration failed to give students and the community the opportunity to voice opinions on a matter that will affect the college for years to come.

In the spring, the presidents of both South and SE campuses accepted the voluntary separation package. Since then, the search for their replacements has been under way, largely out of the public and students’ eyes.

First, a group of candidates for each campus was selected during the summer. No one ever heard about them. Just recently, a third group was brought in. This time, two public forums were held for five finalists as part of the interview process. The forums were held Oct. 31 on South Campus and Nov. 1 on SE Campus and open to anyone who wanted to attend.

The candidates were also interviewed by Chancellor Erma Johnson Hadley and the interview committee.

Although they were considered public forums, the only way word was spread was through two emails to faculty, one by the interim president of South and SE campuses to their faculty and one from the chancellor to the faculty of both campuses. No methods were used to inform students or community members.

Even the old TCC steadfast, fliers on bulletin boards and doors around the campuses, was neglected.

There were no students at the South forum at all. One faculty member blamed it on the forum being on Halloween. But, more likely, students just flat didn’t know the forum existed.

TCC’s search should mean a great deal to students and the community. Each president will head a campus of more than 12,000 students, will be “responsible for all campus academic, technical, continuing education programs and campus-based student support services,” according to the job posting.

Each president is also a member of the chancellor’s executive leadership team, advising her on the direction of the entire college, and a representative of the college to the community his or her campus is located in.

And while the final decision rested solely in the chancellor’s hands, students and faculty who attended the forums were given no way to let the chancellor know who they thought was best equipped to lead their campus. Given the intelligent questions faculty and students asked the candidates, the chancellor missed out on a gold mine of solid advice.

Students are being left in the dark and patronized. College is a time for young people to grow into social responsibilities such as holding a job, and fulfilling commitments and civic involvement.

When the college assumes students don’t care about who governs their college or bypasses their right to have a say in the institution they financially support and depend on, TCC is quelling the positive values of involvement it should be instilling and undermining the intelligence of its students.