Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, I intend to defend the following statements and to dispute them in this paper. In the name of our University, Roll Tide.

1. For students to understand where the University is headed, the administration must have a clear vision.

2. This vision that I speak of is not one filled with numbers and building designs, which are synonymous with campus overcrowding. Instead, this vision must include how those numbers and building designs operate within the UA community as a whole.

3. Once this vision has been decided, it must be explained, not commanded, so that students can respect, appreciate and support it.

4. This vision must also be actively communicated.

5. By doing so, the SGA can follow it, the Crimson White can report accordingly and students can believe in it.

6. The administration cannot assume it operates in a public relations fantasy world in which it can break the most important rule in the profession: never say “no comment.”

7. When you refuse to tell your side of the story, we are forced to create your side of the story.

8. We do not expect all of the answers and only answers that we agree with. We do expect responses, however.

9. Students could be the administration’s greatest supporters if engaged correctly. But, rather than enlist students, the administration has mostly defended itself from students.

10. If the administration worked half as hard to recruit enrolled students to its campus vision as it does high school students to enroll, this column and others like it would be few and far between.

11. The administration needs to decide if it wants to treat students as kids or as adults. Will you help us progress this University or babysit us while we try ourselves?

12. We understand the importance of appeasing rich, donating alumni and the trustees. We do not understand why they have as much sway as they do, especially when one phone call from one can break administrative promises to students.

13. When you treat people like rulers, they will act like rulers.

14.  Football cannot always be relied on to distract students from campus shortcomings. As former University of Chicago President Robert Maynard Hutchins once said, “Football has the same relation to education that bullfighting has to agriculture.”

15. Though Coach Nick Saban may be the face of the University to most, he does not have to be the face of the University for students. Coach Saban has a vision for his football team, not this campus.

16. Speaking of football, get rid of block seating. Administrators support its removal behind closed doors and have the power to do so. Let us respect you.

17. Students only stay at the University for around four years; administrators can stay for much longer. Students can work towards solving short-term campus issues but need the administration to work on long-term issues.

18. Saying that we share the same troubles as every other university is not a viable defense. It only proves that we are not the best we can be and that other universities are underperforming too.

19. Accepting criticism isn’t accepting defeat. Refusing suggestions isn’t being ignorant. Denying the existence of a problem, however, is irresponsible.

20. We would rather see a failed action than a failure to act.

21. The key to trust is communication, and you do not need a PR team for communication.

22. As a university that prides itself on tradition, we cannot confuse the status quo for tradition.

Wesley Vaughn is a senior majoring in public relations and political science. He will not have a column next week.