Early Tuesday afternoon, Patrick Senat ’08 and Aliza Simons ’09 offered the first opportunity for students to speak to incoming president Michael Roth before he takes office, videotaping student messages to Roth outside of Davenport Campus Center.
This was the first of several video recordings slated to take place, an initiative that Senat and fellow presidential search committee member Brittany Mitchell ’07 announced in an all-student e-mail.
“We will work to create opportunities for all student groups and students to get together for discussions as a larger community, and several one-on-one discussions to discuss our hopes for the University for President-elect Michael Roth,” read the e-mail. “We will record some of these sessions and present them to Michael as a video recording resource to help with his transition.”
There are several ways for students to share their thoughts with Roth. In their e-mail, Senat and Mitchell said that students can appear on the video when the recorders visit various residences or other University buildings, invite the recorders to group meetings, or submit statements to be read anonymously.
“If you’re not around [when we visit your residence], we will have times where people can come and talk at an open space,” Senat said. “Or e-mail us. Everyone’s voice can be heard.”
Topics that students brought up in front of the camera on Tuesday afternoon included activism, administrative transparency, the chalking ban, financial aid, recruiting students who need financial aid, the hiring and retaining of professors, and listening to and valuing student voices.
“The weight of the student voice should be more,” said Ana Portilla ’07, reiterating what she told Roth on video. “There should be more financial aid and recruiting of people who actually need financial aid.”
“We should admit more people of color who are not from private schools and prepare them more over the summer,” said Argenys Taveras ’08. “And I would make financial aid an easier process with less paperwork.”
Justin Denis ’08 said that more female professors and professors of color should be hired in the sciences and social sciences, and that the process of obtaining tenure should be made easier.
“[And we should purchase] toilets that save water when you flush them—environmentally conscious toilets,” he said.
Some of what students said on the video praised things that already exist on campus, rather than suggesting changes that should be implemented.
“[I told Roth] that senior houses are an important feature of campus life, and they make life for upperclassmen here at Wesleyan more unique than at other schools,” said Jack Reilly ’07.
The recordings were informal and often candid. Most of the students who appeared in the video just happened to be outside of the campus center eating lunch or enjoying the sunny weather while Senat and Simons invited them to share advice with Roth.
“We’re very happy about the results we just got,” Senat said after interviewing several students. “Pressing issues are coming forward. The love that people have for the University is coming forward as well.”
“This is going to be a really cool, creative, innovative way to get through to President Roth,” Simons echoed.
If students would like to appear on the video that will be presented to Roth, submit a statement to be read anonymously, or ask a question pertaining to this video, they may contact Senat at psenat@wesleyan.edu, Mitchell at bmitchell@wesleyan.edu, or Simons at asimons@wesleyan.edu.
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