On Jan. 29, 2016, I received the shocking news that my major (German) would no longer be offered here at Concordia College. I am among a pool of over 37 other students who have either already declared, or were planning on declaring a major or minor within the 10 programs that have been cut from our school’s catalog.
While the current situation is already a difficult one for the majority of us, what I personally have found most appalling is the lack of warning and communication that we and our departments have received. Of course, I cannot speak for all of my fellow students, however I can say personally, and from the accounts of others that I have spoken with, that we are very dissatisfied with how the dean and administration have chosen to handle this situation. The amount of information that has been openly relayed to us has been sparse at best, and it seems that every time we ask, we receive more questions than answers. It is indeed a confusing time — and one that has left us feeling frustrated and alone.
I am writing this letter because I strongly believe that something must be changed. There is obviously a hole within the student-administration relations that is in desperate need of filling and patching. It is beyond disappointing to see my beloved school act with such blatant disregard to the affected students, and above all else, it is disappointing that so many of us students are feeling ignored. Many of us feel that the college has done little to nothing in terms of pulling us aside and communicating with us. We want nothing more than to have an open discussion with those who are calling the shots, and yet in return we have received nothing but shaded uncertainties and an inbox of emails telling us the same thing over and over. We get that the college will “work with us.” What we don’t understand is how exactly they plan on doing so.
If there is one positive thing I can speak of, it is the overwhelming pride I have for the community and resilience of my major’s department. The professors and students have really proven themselves, and have gone above and beyond to help one another through these dark times within our department. As a freshman, the first lesson I learned here at Concordia College was that our goal was to Be Responsibly Engaged in the World. I have seen this being beautifully demonstrated among the German department staff and students; however, today it is obvious to me that the administration is NOT responsibly engaged among the students.
McKayle Carter
Class of 2019
This article was submitted by McKayle Carter, contributing writer.
