There have been a variety of strange occurrences concerning Washburn personnel lately, and the common theme is poor communication. The director of admissions, Kirk Haskins, is gone; whether he was fired or resigned is unclear. The strategic planning committee has seen its share of problems, as Kim Morse was asked to resign from her faculty-elected chair in a supposedly blatant and offensive e-mail. And Mike Gunter, ISS director, has been trying to fix e-mail problems with a ‘vote of no confidence’ looming over his head. So why are there so many issues?

It seems the answers are vague and often ill-conceived. The common element is, again, poor communication. This has been a notable problem for some time now. The WTE faced student opposition because of poor communication among the advocates. They could have sold it better. And this is only one example.

When the Chartwells contract was renewed last semester, there was student outrage. It seemed that students had finally found something to be active about, albeit food. But the anger was misguided. It turned out that students had not taken the time to fully understand the specifics of the contract, which was severable at any time. WSGA had the opportunity to provide input into the decision, but poor communication resulted in a stagnation of results. And as a side note, I would like to say that if you are not pleased with Chartwells, don’t eat there. You have more important things on your plate to worry about.

So students are guilty as well. It seems many are apathetic towards all of this administrational dithering. The Review searches for answers among administrators, who continually refuse to comment, and, in the end, the staff puts long hours into what most students at Washburn barely give a second look. It is a commonly appreciated fact that the average Washburn student does not have a voice.

Strategic planning is in motion, and the committees are looking for student input. This is an opportunity for us to open the lines of communication and end this pathetic trend, which goes for faculty and students.

Washburn is a great school. There is truly an offered value that distinguishes the Washburn student from that of other universities. I only ask, however, that we not take too many sips from our half-full glass.