Wouldn’t it be nice if students were asked to sit in on the actual creation of policies here at RPI and not just notified when policy changes were made and then asked for input? Wouldn’t it be nice if the Student Life Performance Plan, given to and discussed with students—albeit after it was made—actually contained all the information that was going to be sent to the president for approval?
Sadly, the Institute, in creating policies to improve our lives, rarely uses students in the actual policy creation process. We are typically only given a short period to ask questions after the already complete draft is shown to us, and even those questions often result in no changes.
When students question why policies have been made, like the one mentioned in last week’s Poly regarding the sophomore on-campus housing requirement, we are often given the answer, “We feel it is in the students’ best interest that we create this policy.” When we ask who they surveyed to find out what our best interest was, they get confused: “Wait, this was supposed to be a democratic process? You’re the one paying nearly $50,000 a year to go here and you expect us to listen to your opinion on how we could make your life better? Oh right, sorry, we forgot to ask you; but we made this new policy change anyhow. Live with it. We think it’s best, and we know what’s best for you, suck it up.”
This is not fair, we deserve a say in the process and we must demand this. If they want to make our lives better, they should ask us before they create anything. I am sick and tired of people deciding what direction this school is going in without consulting me. You should care too. Did anyone ask you how you felt about Experimental Media Performing Arts Center or East Campus Athletic Village? Who decided it was in our best interest to spend millions of dollars on the creation of buildings a minority of students will get to use?
Not me.
