Background
A lack of transparency and breakdown of communication has been a serious issue on Grinnell’s campus and there are a number of areas of concern. This academic year, communication reached an all time low. An open forum was held by SGA in the fall to reopen dialogue between students, staff, and administrators. Most of the concerns presented at this forum have gone unnattended to. Additionally, many of the major issues with the current state of communications at this college were not addressed at the forum, namely student-trustee communication. Major changes in current comunication and transparency practices must occur, specifically:
- There is a significant lack of regular communication between the administration and the student body as a whole. Students have become the last group to learn of major changes at this institution, often after important decisions have already been made.
- There is little information about the content and direction of Trustee subcommittee meetings. Students are not included in these discussion, nor do they have access to meeting agendas or minutes. This prevents important campus-wide discussions about major changes (i.e. new buildings, hiring practice changes, budgeting, etc) and demonstrates a lack of transparency in decision-making.
- Students are not trusted with sensitive information due to the assumption that they do not have the best interest of the college at heart. SGA Treasurers, for example, are not allowed to share budgetary information with fellow students, despite the pertinence of this information for a large number of students and student activities. This lack of trust undermines student involvement on campus and inhibits open dialogue about important issues such as investing practices or funding priorities.
- Students are not included in important budgetary decisions. Currently, major funding cuts are being made without campus-wide knowledge or student input. This again undermines student power and reaffirms the assumption that students are not capable of participating in mature, thoughtful discussions about the long-term success of the college.
Our Official Demands
We demand that students be guaranteed increased representation on (1) all Trustee commitees, (2) the Executive Council of the Faculty, and (3) the Budget Steering Committee. These positions must be filled by at-large elections of the student body. These committees must approve student representation by May 1st, 2009. Student representatives will be allowed to publish the agenda and minutes of these meetings, and must be seated by the October 2009 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
