The Board of Trustees' presidential search committee held anopen forum on Wednesday. It opened itself up to comments from BallState University's population.
That's about all the committee had to do, as only 50 peopleshowed up. Of that, only a handful were students.
Frank Bracken, president of the committee, said it held theforum to hear what members of the Ball State community wanted inthe next president. He said he thought the forum did that, but thecommittee heard the voice of only one student: SGA president JaysonManship.
But maybe the open forum isn't the best way to garner studentfeedback. In the spring of 2003, Parking Services held a forum thatwas also meagerly attended.
The lack of attendance at these forums reveals student apathy,but it also hints that the organizations who request commentshaven't found the best way to get them.
If the presidential search committee wants students' comments,it will have to go to them in their own environments. The committeecould create a Web site, like Parking Services did, where studentscan post comments and criticisms without having to leave theirrooms. The committee could circulate a campus-wide e-mail survey.It could ask SGA to ask Residence Hall councils to ask questionsdoor-to-door.
Students, as shown in recent years and on Wednesday, aren'tgoing to attend open forums. Maybe they don't attend because theyfeel powerless, unheard or unconsidered. Maybe they know they havelittle, if any, choice in administrative matters, or maybe theydon't care at all. Whatever the reason, the presidential searchcommittee can't use forums to get any substantial student opinion.No one will go.
The committee's intentions are good, and its desire to hear whatstudents have to say is appropriate, but after the poor showing onWednesday, it might be naive.
Unless it looks for different ways to elicit student opinion,the search committee will have to go it alone. Ball State studentsare either too smart or too indifferent. Unless the committee goesto them, they are not going to get involved.
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