Editorial: Students must be informed about administrative changes

It’s not rare for a president of a university to resign his position, but why is it that students are always the last to know about changes that occur on campus?

Students, faculty and staff make or break a university, and although the faculty and staff are the foundation of a university, without the students there would be no institution. Students have a right to know what occurs around campus. Students deserve to know first hand when an administration officially resigns, so why is there this continuous issue surrounding lack of communication?

President Bruce Murphy resigned Sept. 14 and notified faculty about his resignation via email. It’s as if a presidential change would have no effect on the student body because Murphy did not notify Nicholls students about his resignation. Not a single email was sent out to students.

It’s frustrating that administration constantly neglects students when disclosing important information. They need to be considerate of the student body. Students want to know about everything that occurs on campus because it’ll affect them one way or another. The secrecy must end.

Sadly, it’s not the first time students are not informed about changes occurring on campus.

Back in the spring of 2016, students heard rumors of a temporary campus closure to combat budget cuts. Murphy denied the rumors, but closure was still one of the potential responses for budget cuts.

Fast forward to the spring of 2017, students weren’t considered or notified about the removal of the yearbook fee. Eight months later, students are still unaware of how the Student Success and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) programs would benefit them.

More recently, the process to nominate homecoming court nominees changed and only a few student organizations were notified. Many of the organizations were unaware of the new process and were unable to submit nominations.

Now, it’s time for administration to stop repeating the same mistakes. The University of Louisiana System is conducting a presidential search for a new Nicholls President and it’d be appreciated if Nicholls administration informed the student body every step of the way.

Whoever the new president may be, that person will be the new face of Nicholls. This person will oversee all off- and on-campus activities and initiatives. This person will face tough decisions, but they should also consider the Nicholls community when making these decisions.

The transition between Murphy and the newly elected president should be straightforward, but what will happen to current policies and pending proposals? More changes may be occurring at Nicholls, so students should be made aware of such changes.

It’s not all up to administration. Students at any colleges or universities must demand to be acknowledged when important information is released. How else will the administration know that students care about what happens on campus?