The Leaders Council is sponsoring a petition in response to the administration’s decision to move the Dean of Students Office from the Troy Building to Academy Hall.
The petition was circulated early last month and signed by different student organizations, including most of the greek fraternities.
"We were not involved in the decision making but we should have been," said Bruce Elliot, president of the Leaders Council.
The decision was made earlier this semester by the administration to relocate the offices of the dean of students and first-year experience from the fourth floor of the Troy Building to Academy Hall "in conjunction with revitalization of the south campus," said President Jackson.
Interim Dean of Students Mark Smith said the petition was "a nice gesture" and that the move will be difficult at first, but that students will eventually get used to it. "The president will not ignore what the students have to say, but she will have taken into consideration other factors," he said.
The Leaders Council argues that the move will reduce student involvement and interaction with the administration.
"The Troy Building is a central part for the student life, it will be very inconvenient for students to go to Academy Hall," said Elliot.
However, Jackson said that the move will create a "corridor of student services along 15th Street that includes the Union, Health Services, Public Safety, and the Mueller Center."
Ruben Guerrero, president of Phi Iota Alpha, said that most of the students who were presented with the petition agreed that the administration had to take the students’ feedback seriously.
"We want our voice to be heard. The decision was not made in the right way," he added.
More than 1,500 signatures will be on the petition which will be given to the president with a letter from the Leaders Council, according to Elliot.
"The Leaders Council has also requested a meeting with the president’s office to discuss the situation and alternative solutions," said Arikpo Onda, Senate Student Life Committee chair.
"We are not convinced that it will be better to move the institute advancement offices to the Troy Building. We don’t see the big difference that will make," said Elliot.
The office of the vice president for institute advancement will occupy the vacated space in the Troy Building.
"This may seem like a small issue, but it is important to many students here at Rensselaer," said Onda.
