Among the mud-slinging and broken politics, my frustration with campus grows by the day. I find myself weary of this petty oligarchical approach, where the ones controlling campus lack honesty and refuse to be transparent about their methods. Through this frustration, a desperation for leadership arises, one that is larger than the student body to help us navigate this tense campus climate.
Enter our campus administration. The group of people specifically designed to “maximize each UA student’s learning experience,” but who refuse to take any proactive steps for a more inclusive campus environment. Even with the national news consistently knocking on our door, their response lacks the timely and serious manner that would indicate any dedication to improving campus. You would think at some point, our administration would grow just as tired of hearing about our unethical and outdated politics as the rest of us. However, the student body continues to wait for our administration to do their jobs.
Where is the Office of Diversity we desperately need? Where is our president standing up and saying enough is enough? Quite simply, where is our leadership?
Each of us enrolled at this university for a myriad of reasons, but one of them was to learn and use that knowledge to impact change, whatever form that may take. As long as the majority of our leaders at the administrative level stay silent and refuse to face these serious issues, the changes needed, not only on campus but in our entire state, will never come.
This university produces excellent students with a love of learning and leading. When will our administration finally start working to proactively create a diverse and inclusive environment? When will they recognize that greek organizations represent only a part of the entire student body? The need for recognition as an entire student body has become so dire that you can feel the desperation in the air.
Our story should be more than just immature power struggles. It is one of innovation both inside and outside of the classroom, one of students with a dedication to service and impacting our state as a whole and one of over 500 student organizations that reflects the varying diversity of interests and opinions on campus. The story of our passion for service and knowledge seems to always be on the back burner. Our administration should be responsible for investigating and imposing real consequences on any entity that works to destroy the hard work and progression our student body prides itself on.
If the opportunity for campus power to be monopolized did not exist, this would not be an issue. But this constant, frustrating cycle would not take form if our administration stopped standing idly by and watching us tear each other down. It is exhausting when media attention yields no action, and the student body is left to yell into the void that is this administration. The time has come for them to turn on the basement lights and hold students accountable.
Samantha Rudelich is a junior majoring in business management. Her column runs biweekly on Wednesdays.
