An opinion
Communication is defined by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary as “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior.”
There has been a distinct lack of information exchange around campus, which has been noticed by students and faculty alike.
Recently Springfest happened. However, when events were occurring, where they were occurring was often unknown until right before the event actually happened. Of course some of this was because of weather, and much of that could not be helped.
Other times it could have been fixed. For example, zombie quidditch was originally scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, but with bad weather preventing other activities on Monday, the entire zombie quidditch tournament was completed on that day. This would not have been a problem except that it was not taken off the event board for Tuesday. So anyone who missed Monday and wanted to watch the finals on Tuesday would think they were still happening.
Another is example is the laundry room for the Towers and North Hall was closed for a couple of weeks and no one knew why it was closed or if or when it would reopen. It turns out that the custodian in charge of the laundry room retired, and it took a while to find someone else to cover it. It has since been reopened and is up and running again.
Thursday, April 12, Southeastern played host to a training exercise for law enforcement officers. However, the most that was heard about it was a warning to those living in the dorms that they might hear gunfire and that it would be OK. Those who do not live on campus were unaware, and since the training was in Hallie McKinney, which is also where Business Services and Health Services are located, so it is very possible that someone living off campus might need to go into that building.
Additionally the week of April 9 was Library Week, and there were events going on all week, including a poetry reading and movie screening. Despite email announcements, most people on campus were unaware of these events unless they were involved in or knew someone involved in one of the activities.
The newest organization on campus for the faculty, the American Association of University Professors, is also concerned about the lack of communication on campus.
Although most students at one point in their college career may think their professors are plotting to make their lives miserable, the truth is that the issue on this campus is that there is actually very little inter-departmental communication.
So it isn’t just the students missing out. The departments are missing out on opportunities to work together, and as much as we as students cringe at the thought of our professors actually getting together and plotting against us, it would only help us in the end.
Let’s face it; once we decide on a major, we live in that department. We might venture to a different department if we have a different minor, but for the most part, we exist in that one department.
This is not always a bad thing. We specialize, and that specialization takes up a lot of time, and it should. But with the information exchange the way it is on campus, we lose out on opportunities that may pertain to us only slightly but that might be fun, or something to add to a resume.
Information exchange is the foundation for everything. Any project, any research, any event needs information and whether that information is being gathered or released, there has to be some way to transfer that information, some way to communicate between those involved.
Communication is exceedingly important in any institution, not only between departments, but also to the student body. Without communication no one knows what is going on, where something is happening, or why something is happening.
Things cannot change without communication. How can improvements be made, or issues be fixed if those who have the idea or know about the problems do not tell those who actually have the ability to make the changes?