Time is valuable to everyone, even more so to those on a college campus.

Whether it is getting to class on time or leaving home late and not being able to find a parking spot, time is a big factor in college life.

With so many different schedules on campus, having specific times that meet the needs of everyone is difficult. Nicholls is a commuter school, which makes it that much more difficult for all available resources to come together at one time. Nicholls also has a large amount of students who live on campus. Students without vehicles tend to rely solely on the resources that the University provides.

The availability of resources on campus becomes limited on weekends, after 4 p.m. on weekdays and sometimes even earlier. Conflicting schedules may cause some students to feel that University resources are not available when they need them most.

Some faculty and staff members neglect the concerns of students by not returning emails and voicemails in a timely manner. An unanswered email or voicemail discourages students to continue seeking guidance from those who are meant to provide it.

We understand that faculty and staff have their own deadlines and commitments separate from the students, but we hope that faculty and staff can make themselves available during posted office hours at least.

When students run into problems and there is no experienced staff to help in a time-sensitive situation, there is a problem at hand. For example, a student had a boot placed on his car last weekend but did not realize it until the next afternoon. When the student went to leave for the weekend, he noticed the boot and attempted to contact the proper officials, but there was no one available to remove it. This student was without a car for the entire weekend.

It was the student’s fault that he received a boot, but what if the problem had been more serious? What if the car had been vandalized, and no one was available to help? This is an example of the importance of posting schedules and sticking to them.

Communication is a two-way street. Students must understand that faculty and staff have other commitments, and their sole purpose is not to wait around for students to speak up. Faculty and staff are not going to sit in their offices and wait by their phones and computers for students to contact them. Students need to study faculty and staff schedules and learn when the best times to contact individual members are.

However, faculty and staff also need to realize that students have busy schedules too. Sometimes allowances need to be made for students who have proven that they are too busy to communicate during posted hours.

Finally, everyone should stick to their schedules. If there’s a change and it was not a sudden emergency, don’t just disappear. Faculty and staff will not take a student’s excuse after the fact. But faculty and staff, that goes for you too. Many students will camp outside your offices or leave dozens of messages through email or phone if you disappear without a word.