Last Wednesday, Vice President for Student Life Eddie Ade Knowles hosted a forum aiming to inform students of the Institute’s standing amidst the economic crisis facing the United States, as well as to correct any misconceptions that students had formulated based on outside media coverage. The McNeil Room was full for the event, and many students walked away feeling better informed of the situation.
Although the 80 layoffs that affected the Institute occurred on December 16—right at the beginning of winter break—students heard no official word from Institute leaders about the situation until long after the fact, relying instead on highly biased sources, such as blogs on the Albany Times Union website, for information.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that RPI students have felt out of the loop on Institute decisions. The sophomore housing requirement and the halting of the “Virtual Jihadi” exhibit last year were both met with the same surprise from students. The layoffs in particular have been met with such outcry because the timing of the decision brought many to the conclusion that things were meant to just “blow over” during break.
The Poly is grateful for the effort now being made by the administration to inform students and faculty of the Institute’s financial situation and the attempt to bridge the communication gap that occurred with the layoffs. We hope, however, that this gesture does not end when this issue does, but instead continues with future decisions made by the administration. The changes in compensation for Resident Directors and Assistants, for example, have revealed transparency so far on the part of Institute leadership, making students aware as early as possible that there will be changes made due to budget cuts.
We hope that, despite the rift this issue has caused within the Rensselaer community, it will serve as an example of the broken communication within the Institute and will lead to more openness between students, faculty, and administration in the future.
