A Student Voice

President of the Undergraduate Council (UC) Matthew L. Sundquist ’09 has been appointed to serve on the committee to review and recommend reforms to the Administrative Board, a committee that was established by Dean of the College David R. Pilbeam in January. With this appointment, Sundquist takes on what is ostensibly the most important student administrative role in recent memory. We hope that Sundquist, as our top elected student representative, makes full use of his influence to recommend changes to the committee, with a particular eye toward the interests of the student population.

Sundquist has a record of advocating for students in Ad Board reform—it was a major platform of his bid for the UC presidency last fall—so we hope that this continues once he begins his work with administrators, whose views are likely quite different than this. As the sole voice of student perspective, he bears a particularly heavy obligation to lobby extensively on behalf of the student population.

Most notably, we hope that Sundquist will wield his influence in the area of the Ad Board’s readiness to resolve far too many student issues with a mandatory year of leave. This policy is ridiculous. It constitutes a one-size-fits-all solution to a wide range of problems, from academic transgressions to sexual and behavioral misconduct. A diversity of issues suggests for a diversity of needs—who is to say that a student facing the Ad Board for plagiarism requires the same attention as a student facing the Ad Board for drug abuse? Beyond its blatant disregard for student growth and rehabilitation, this policy further demonstrates how out of touch with student interests the Ad Board is. Unfortunately, the sole avenue for feedback—the required letter of reflection that the Ad Board evaluates prior to reinstating a student’s registration—sheds little light. Quite predictably, students pleading to return to school have little incentive to be honest or forthright about the pitfalls of time off. Hopefully, the student perspective that Sundquist’s appointment brings shall be the first step in resolving this over-reliance on mandatory leave as punishment, as well as other Ad Board shortcomings.

Of course, Sundquist cannot change the Ad Board alone, and while we are confident in his abilities as a representative of student voice, we encourage the student body at large to take note of this issue and speak out. It is imperative that students engage in the process of Ad Board reform by actively using the tools being established for this use—open letters and emails, town hall meetings, and proactive discussion with other students and faculty—to collectively voice their sentiments.

The road to Ad Board reform is long, but if Sundquist can effectively influence positive reforms, then his legacy will loom far beyond the frequently trivial day-to-day concerns of the UC and profoundly impact student well-being for years to come.