After 10 days on the job, Interim Dean of the College Peter Patton has stepped up to his new position with a sense of grace and confidence that could only be demonstrated by someone highly attuned to the issues that affect student life at Wesleyan. He has already met with students informally at a reception and has presented his plans to the WSA.
Most importantly, Patton has not been hesitant to speak directly about the issues and problems that he plans to address within his term. Instead of beating around the bush to avoid making specific commitments, as many students have come to expect from administrators, he has laid out a clear strategy, presenting the revision of the honor code, the shaping of the strategic plan and the hiring of a new international student advisor as three of his initial subjects to tackle. These are undoubtedly three of the most important issues concerning the current state of the student experience, and we applaud Patton’s willingness to openly acknowledge past mistakes in these areas, as well as his attempts to rectify them.
To this list we ask that he add the consideration of student of color and LGBTQQ concerns, both of which were strong focuses of former Dean Freddye Hill. Her dedication to ensuring representation for these communities will be missed if an equally committed dean does not take her place. This is not to say that Hill was always sufficiently attentive to student opinions when making decisions that affected these groups; Patton has the opportunity to significantly improve communication between students of color and LGBTQQ communities and the administration.
The fact that Patton’s experience spans both the administrative and academic realms seems to have given him an increased perceptiveness when it comes to understanding both student needs and administrative concerns. We look forward to seeing how many of his goals are achieved before he hands his position over to a permanent successor.
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