Dear Stony Brook University Administration,
I write to you not only as a student but as a voice for our student body.
First and foremost, we would like to make it clear that we understand that not every single one of our demands can be met. A wise man once said, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." While we all know how diverse our student body is and with diversity comes opposing requests, the way you respond often is made in a manner that follows the lead of this ideology. A way to please all of the students on the campus would obviously be chosen over one that only pleases a handful of select students. We understand this and thank you for this outlook that you have on decision making. However, our issue in your process is not found here. We would like to address something that is often forgotten as an integral aspect of every and any business and community: Communication.
In our years on campus, we have heard countless stories from literally every and any demographic that makes up Stony Brook University (and that's a lot of different types of people). Whether they danced their free time away, or they were busy studying for their MCAT's that they would take three years from now, everyone said the same thing, "I didn't know." Their stories and issues that they forewarned were all different and each had relation to the things they were passionate about. But these issues always led back to the same place, that they didn't know and weren't told about something which ended up causing the problem.
Miscommunication and a lack of communication are how we would describe Stony Brook University Administration. Whether dealing with Campus Residencies, the Colleges in particular, or with a generic employee of any branch of Administration, we've found the same issue in all of them. Information is often not conveyed well enough, or at all, and thus results in problems that irritate both you and us. We know that we ask for a lot and we know that we can't always get our way, but the least we really can be asking for is that we are treated as adults and respected in the same manner we respect you. This starts with opening lines of communication between the administration and the student body.
We know that there will probably never be a day where 100% of the student body is aware of everything they need, however, we ask that there is a stronger effort on your half in conveying information to us. Having open lines of communication and being very aware of the accuracy of this information is an excellent start for all of us. We ultimately have a right to know what decisions are being made and how these decisions will be impacting us. A school that leaves us in the dark will end up being a school that goes dark after losing its student body.
After all, one SUNY is no better than any of the rest. We're sure that we could find a comparing program at any of the other universities in New York State that would provide an even better administrative experience. We chose Stony Brook for a reason, don't make us change our minds.
With the greatest respect,
The Stony Brook University Student Body.
