It’s been a long semester. Twenty-three issues, four months, roughly 250 Wespeaks. A renovated Summerfields, the Activism 102 conference, 12 hockey suspensions, six assaults, one death. Whether we realize it or not, these are some of the most important years to be a student here. After sitting around the editorial board 23 times, it has become obvious that while the future of this place is unclear, the present is rapidly changing.
Within the past year, the three oldest and most established fraternities on campus were cut off from program housing. They will all lose their houses to the University unless they undergo drastic changes to their missions and mentality. This has happened at other schools; the striking thing about this Administration is the underhanded and scurrilous methods they have employed to choke them out of funds. The Administration’s policy extends far beyond the Greek system; X-House and other identity based houses that have “exclusionary” admissions practices should be quite nervous waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The Code of Non-Academic Conduct was quietly changed with minimal student input. The force and authority of SJB has been seriously damaged by the changes enacted, as students now have less of an impact on a vital component of campus life. Similarly, Head Resident positions have been reduced.
Whether the Administration is consciously trying to “mainstream” Wesleyan or not, they have made a number of decisions this semester that resulted in justifiable student uproar. As dining and housing options quickly diminished, students responded in typical Wesleyan style, that is, with protests. The renewed ban on chalking didn’t stop it from happening. Wespeaks flowed in steadily, reaching a new level of anger and aggression.
As if shrinking the number of students who can receive off-campus housing status and closing the Campus Center dining on the weekends wasn’t insulting enough, the Admissions Office decided to raise tuition for next year. Perhaps it didn’t occur to the University that students don’t want to pay more when they are getting less. Don’t even mention the removal of introductory language classes.
As students, it is more important than ever to watch what the Administration does with a guarded eye. With the student body changing every four years, we have to fight for what we have in the present to remain in the future.
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