Over 100 students piled into the Student Center Auditorium on October 7 for Student Senate Speak Up. 

Squeezed into every seat, spilling out into stair and standing along the walls, students were eager to have their voices heard and questions answered about issues circulating around the Ashland University campus.

Student Senate Speak Up is an opportunity in which students can ask questions, give constructive criticism, as well as positive feedback to AU administrators, face to face.

Most of the questions asked by students dealt with the recent announcement of faculty cuts.  Student showed concerns about how these cuts would impact their education and the financial stability of the university. 

“I do not hesitate to declare this Speak Up a success,” says Student Senate Vice President Brent Rossman, “students were asking all the right questions.”

While the topic of cuts is a sensitive subject, students like Rossman eagerly asked questions regarding specific details in the faculty-cutting process. 

“I was a bit unsatisfied with the answer I received to my question regarding the faculty cuts,” says Rossman. 

“I wanted to know what the immediate reason for the cuts was, and whether all other options were explored before resorting to cutting faculty.”

While some of the responses were not as completely satisfying to students as hoped for, senators like James Coyne says that “they were good in that they can start a discussion of what can be done to make this university better.” 

Towards the end of the session, Interim Provost Dr. Douglas Fiore said that he enjoys opportunities like Speak Up because it created better efforts of communication between students and administration. 

However some students question whether Speak Up was successful in building the bridge of communication. College of Nursing Representative Rick Alatriste says he is hopeful about the growing transparency between students and administrators.  

“Opposed to how some other students feel, I am satisfied and further encouraged by the Administrations continued efforts to have a more student inclusive decision making process,” Alatriste says.

Rossman agrees that a strong, positive step has been made towards increasing communication and transparency between students and administrators, but calls it an ongoing process. 

Academic Affairs representative Steven Forbush says that the communication between students and administrators is only as good as the effort put in. 

“I think that students need to ensure that they follow up with any issues that they have,” says Forbush. 

“Students need to write to administrators and schedule meetings with them to make sure our voice is heard.”

Seen as a push in a positive direction, students are hopeful that the success of Student Senate Speak Up will diminish the secrecy and separation that often connotes AU’s administration.

“The administration has been very secretive at least since I have been a student here,” says Rossman. 

“I am personally grateful that Dr. Crothers and Dr. Fiore have been so forthright and frank in their communications with students, and believe they have done more for administrative transparency than anyone else in my four years here.”