Both sides of the gun
By: Andy Stewart
Issue date: 2/13/09 Section: Opinions
Last fall, a line was drawn over the controversy surrounding the Communication Studies department. On one side stood the administration and communication professors, who conjointly established a rigid set of guidelines in an attempt to cope with the overwhelming number of communication studies majors at Furman. Opposite them, however, were those very majors, who felt slighted by their university when these guidelines were established without consideration of the student body.
The administration defended its decisions by asserting that this was the most fair and balanced way to solve this particularly complex issue, especially since they didn't have financial means of increasing the department's size. Still, students blamed the administration for not providing adequate support for one of the most popular majors on campus. As the controversy mounted, The Paladin backed the cries of the communication studies majors, scolding the university's decision-making process for neglecting the opinions of its students and supporting the student-led petition to overwrite the new policies.
We're glad to see that Dean Beckford and the rest of the administration are actively seeking more adequate solutions to the problem, and we appreciate their efforts to involve students in the search. Essentially, we thank the department for doing what it does best - for communicating with students, and for facilitating dialogue towards a potential solution. As we've seen, there is no quick-fix for the problem, but the administration will avoid a lot of backlash now that it's actually talking to students about the issue. All that's left to do is to pray for economic bailout so that we can finally afford some more professors.
The administration defended its decisions by asserting that this was the most fair and balanced way to solve this particularly complex issue, especially since they didn't have financial means of increasing the department's size. Still, students blamed the administration for not providing adequate support for one of the most popular majors on campus. As the controversy mounted, The Paladin backed the cries of the communication studies majors, scolding the university's decision-making process for neglecting the opinions of its students and supporting the student-led petition to overwrite the new policies.
We're glad to see that Dean Beckford and the rest of the administration are actively seeking more adequate solutions to the problem, and we appreciate their efforts to involve students in the search. Essentially, we thank the department for doing what it does best - for communicating with students, and for facilitating dialogue towards a potential solution. As we've seen, there is no quick-fix for the problem, but the administration will avoid a lot of backlash now that it's actually talking to students about the issue. All that's left to do is to pray for economic bailout so that we can finally afford some more professors.