Students who are majoring or minoring in women's studies do not know if they will be able to finish their area of study because of a lack of communication from the university. This is the fourth notable time since the beginning of the year the university has failed to communicate, leaving people in the dark.
In January, more than a foot of snow fell overnight. Some students with early morning classes had already arrived at class, after being forced to trek through the mounds of snow just to find out at 8:50 a.m. that classes were cancelled and the campus was being closed.
In March, during the athletic department's monthly coaches meeting, a lawyer came in and had the coaches fill out an extensive questionnaire about their teams for gender equity. The questionnaire asked for specific examples and evidence to back up proof of gender inequity. The coaches were not told in advance of the questionnaire and therefore could not come prepared with any evidence.
In May, a bomb threat around the Lafollette area forced the evacuation of Relay for Life participants walking on Lafollette Field. Students living in Lafollette Complex were locked down, but were not told why they were not allowed to leave their rooms. They had to seek information on what was happening from outside sources.
And now, at least 80 women's studies students seeking majors or minors are left wondering what their remaining semesters at Ball State will hold. This doesn't even consider the nearly 400 students who were enrolled in women's studies classes last semester. With classes cut, faculty changed and resources removed, many of these students don't know if they will be able to graduate when they had hoped, or if they will even be able to receive the degree they had been working for.
It is understood that the program is going through a change and many people don't like change. Given, what the university is stating it is trying to do makes it sound like they have good intentions, but the problem with this is the way the university is handling the situation. Just like the university left the students in Lafollette in the dark about why they were not allowed to leave the building or even their room, they are once again doing that to the women's studies students. The day after the bomb threat a campuswide e-mail was sent to students explaining why the students in Lafollette were not evacuated. Where is the e-mail to women's studies students explaining to them what is going to happen to their program and how it will effect their futures? Will they be able to graduate with a major or minor in the program? Have they wasted time and thousands of dollars taking these classes that are now less useful towards a degree and no better than mere electives? These are basic questions that the university not only should answer for these students, but owes to these students who pay good money to attend Ball State.
If you are going to leave these students in the dark about what you're doing, why not at least throw them a flashlight or a lantern? At this point, most of them would probably even settle for a match.
As a university that touts itself as a place where education is redefined and is striving to be progressive, what is forward thinking about not letting students know what is happening with their futures?
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