Outside influence from Dean could mean great things

By choosing Maria Cruz-Saco as the new Dean of the College, the current Administration has made a decision we can hopefully see as a clear statement in favor of bringing in new opinions and voices from outside the University. Though both Cruz-Saco and her opponent for the position, Billy Weitzer, were qualified, Cruz-Saco’s experience collaborating with a multicultural dean—a major demand of several student groups—and working outside of Wesleyan could make her presence here a welcome change.

Cruz-Saco already seems quite familiar with the basics of Wesleyan—she is, after all, using administrative pet word “dialogue” comfortably—but we hope that she doesn’t get too entrenched in the status quo. What the Wesleyan Administration needs now, more than transparency or expanded student input, is a fresh perspective. The lines in the sand between administrators and students have never been redrawn, just dug deeper. Not all schools have this problem; possibly outside tactics that have been proven more successful elsewhere could teach us, finally, how to talk to each other.

We don’t want to suggest Cruz-Saco as the solution to problems that are as much a part of Wesleyan as Foss Hill, but we are hopeful. The reshaping of the office of Dean of the College that is currently taking place could end up streamlining functions there, potentially making the Dean less of a lightning rod for controversy and mass protests and more of a an approachable person to effectively communicate with. If Cruz-Saco is serious about her stated desire to speak more with students, and if her track record at Conn College for addressing student of color issues can continue at Wesleyan, a new model for Dean of the College could potentially be formed. Next time the students are looking for someone to lock in their office, we hope that the Dean won’t be a target, but an ally.

Along similar lines, the retirement of Vice President for Finance and Administration Marcia Bromberg opens the University to another opportunity to bring in a fresh voice. It is not enough, of course, to simply replace the old with the new, but by consciously looking for people with new opinions and the energy to carry them out, change can come. Maybe this time, it can be change that everyone agrees on.