** sory for the format of the last blog, it's just that this thing is giving me trouble....****

What is wrong with us?

Somehow the subject of the university has been brought up once again. This time, some students took over the theatre of the University. So, I’m following the trend that has been most popular these past few weeks, writing and deciphering what is wrong. I what motivated me to write is that I yet to see one coherent and objective, let alone intelligent, opinion about this whole situation. All the things that I’ve heard and seen are from employees, professors, and people who think they know about the university.
Recent events have put into scrutiny the real role, purpose, and function of the university. Today is the theatre in the Rio Piedras’ campus. Yesterday was that the students closed the university, the day before that was that the students did whatever, and so on. Nobody, in my opinion, has sat and thought of a logical explanation for these events. They all appeal to the situations that the university is going through, which do not help find that logical explanation, if there is any.
I have dedicated three years of my university to the student government body; two of those were as a student representative at the “Junta Universitaria”, entity whose authority is only inferior to the “Junta de Síndicos”. I also coordinated the student government in the UPR system. I can tell you that there’s a logical explanation that has been there for years.
Let me begin with the representation. It is no unknown fact that we are in an obvious disadvantage when it comes to representation in the different forums in the university. In your usual academic senate you will find at least 10-15 faculty senators for almost a hundred faculty members. Then, you will find 7-8 student senators for a population that can go up to 20 thousand students. Of course, our ideas, proposals, and arguments will be drowned by the other senators.
Second situation, the administration thinks that our status as students makes us inferior to them when it comes to rational, critical thinking and decision making. Just as they, we want what’s better for the university; not so much for us, but for the ones that will come after us. If we want to participate in a committee, most of the time we just have to get there and sit. Otherwise, no student participation is ensured.
Then this question comes to mind: on whose territory is the university on? Students or professors? I heard a nice opinion about students from a senator. In a recent session he said: “Who do they think they are? They think and act like they own the university”. We do not act nor think we are the owners of the university, because we are the owners of the university. It has come to a point where professors are afraid of taking a stand and it’s up to the students to point what is wrong. Yes, the university is for preserving the knowledge of a culture, but if you don’t have students willing to learn it, it’ll become extinct.
According to my experience, I find some professors very selfish and individualistic. Some go to certain forums just to represent themselves, not the people that elected them. And they get paid for this stuff. Students are in the government just for personal satisfaction, we do this because we want to see change and improvement in the university.
This brings me to the lack of compromise. The chair of the Middle States Association, association that’s responsible for accrediting institutions of higher education, noticed this situation. She said that professors should buy a can of paint and take a day to paint the student building with students, that after all “they are the reason of the university”. I wish you could see the faces of some there… I was the only student that saw them.
Also students do not want to get involved in the student government. Lately, I’ve been noticing a change. Student’s organizations are more involved in different areas of the government. They know that there’s a lot to be done. While many think that we are “aves de paso”, that we’re here 4 or 5 yes and then gone; we are doing something to make those 4 or 5 years worth.
I can point out many more problems, but there’s one that stands out more: that is lack of communication and understanding. Either party, students nor administration, wants to be flexible. While this situation keeps on happening, we will have the same incidents of last week, or worse.
Hint Hint to the ones on the top of the food chain: students are capable of helping, we are capable of providing fresh ideas to resolve many of the problems that the university are having, we can put our knowledge to the service of the institution that molded us, and we can help to promote change. As part of the academic community we deserve equal representation in all forums and committees in the university. If there’s 20 professors for a 150 faculty in an Academic Senate, then, why not 15-17 students for 3600? The university needs a change of vision. Times are changing, so are we. University is not only the professors, but also students and employees that make up one big learning community. We need each other in order to exist and survive.