On Friday some of my friends from The Poly and I met with President Jackson for two hours. We talked, asked questions, and got some answers. However, it was not until later that night while I was trying to jot down my thoughts that I understood something very important. We don’t understand our own president! Why? Because the few of us who understand her rarely communicate that to other students. Administrators praise her too much sometimes, but it is the fair talk of a fellow student that is needed.
President Jackson’s image in the minds of students needs a lot of improvement. It is not because she has destroyed it; any public relations person would tell her that. The fact is there never was an image for her to begin with. Students simply did not and still do not know her. She is a woman, the president, “graduate policy,” an African-American, “graduate tuition,” and she is “parking.” Every time a student brings up her name there is a 90 percent chance that it will be associated with one of the above terms.
She walks around campus and she attends functions and dinners, and yet the general consensus is that we don’t see enough of her on campus. Is that negative? Yes, it is. Yet, if you were to think about what she is doing instead, you will understand that from many priorities she choses the important one. Most of the time when she is not around, it is a guarantee that she is somewhere doing something that will either garner funds, or strengthen our name. Now would you rather have her join you for dinner one day or would you rather she makes your degree more valuable when you apply for a job?
I mostly hear upperclassmen speaking negatively about President Jackson. I have no problem with criticism, but when it comes to personal slander and name calling it is disturbing. And when students who don’t know her hear the names and the cynical labels, they can’t help but lose some of the respect that is inherent in her position.
Another thing, while you are on a job interview do yourself a favor and don’t rant on about how miserable your life is because of “the President.” I only say this because I have heard two recruiters complaining about it and they called it either “guilt displacement” or “lack of respect,” and they definitely had no sympathy but were too polite to show it.
I don’t claim to understand her all the time, but one thing I could say after being here for almost four years is that President Jackson is “just” a president. I am sure some years from now it will become clear that she made some not-so-wise decisions. Nonetheless, I think that her goals, vision, and initiatives will make her and Stephen Van Rensselaer about equal. He founded RPI, but she revived it.
