School year resolutions

College of Dupage has been through hell and high water the past few years, but things seem to be looking up. In order to truly move forward though, there needs to be action. We at the Courier believe these are the first steps.

We’ve written many times about what we expect from Ann Rondeau, the new president here at COD, and through the past few months we’ve already seen these changes start to take shape. That being said, it’s time for the rest of the administration to catch up. One of the very first things we ever asked Rondeau for was transparency, and she’s been quick to give us just that. Administration, however, seems to still be in a mentality reminiscent of our former President Robert Breuder’s era. They’ve yet to share their collective goals for COD in the coming years, and have instead hid behind Rondeau’s goals claiming them as their own. While it is important that they seem united, and we at the Courier truly hope they are, we’d like to see more people expressing the messages they claim to believe.

A perfect example of this is their lack of effort to make the COD student body aware of our goal to win the Aspen Award of Community College Excellence. The Aspen Award is the highest honor a Community College can receive, and it would be a huge deal for COD if we were to win. The college has been striving towards this achievement for years, yet most students around campus have no idea it exists. It’s the job of the administration to inform us and get us involved and excited in the possibility of winning such an esteemed award.

A united front has never been the strong suit of certain members of the administration, i.e. the Board of Trustees. They continue to remain divided and stubborn, never hearing each other out in meetings, and rarely coming to a consensus on anything. This does no good for our school. We at the Courier have expressed time and time again what we expect from the board, and much like frustrated parents, we’re just waiting to see if they ever listen.

However, not all of our school’s problems are the fault of the administration. There are things  the faculty and student body can do to better everyone’s COD experience as a whole.

Some of these things are very simple fixes. Firstly, faculty, help us students out. This can be as simple as posting your syllabus to Blackboard before school starts. While you may think that none of us check it, trust us at the Courier when we say  we do. It’s helpful as a student if you are able to plan your semester ahead of time, and most importantly, know if you are going to need to drop a class while there are still other classes available.

Furthermore, stop putting textbooks, notebooks, and supplemental “required” books on the syllabus if you aren’t 100 percent certain you are going to use it in the course. Many people chose community college as a more affordable option compared to a four-year, and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you have to rake out $1,500 a semester on books you end up never using.

That being said, students also have some major responsibility in making a school run smoothly. We need to stop being lazy and ignorant, and actually make an effort to join the school community. Get involved with a club or get a job on campus. Go to a back-to-school event or an on-campus sports game. Stop complaining about how bored you are. Do something about it. You want to remember your college experience as a good time with friends and fun, and not getting involved will only hurt yourself in the long run.

We students also need to look out for one another! Take advantage of an opportunity to help out your fellow students at the food pantry opening up here on campus. They are always looking for volunteers, and it’s a great way to get to know people around campus, not to mention do good for your community.

Don’t feel like taking the time out of your life to go do something in person? Well there are ways to help out from the comfort of your own home. It’s no secret we students depend on each other for advice, whether it’s about professors, supplies, or the best lunch spot. So why not help out your peers, and yourself, by using sites like ratemyprofessor.com. While it’s super helpful to go on the site and take a look at what people say about your professors, you need to have people go on and rate them in order for that to be possible! Be one of those students, and help out your fellow peers.

It’s also important to complete the surveys on classes administration sends out to you at the end of the semester. They use the information gathered there to help in the decision to renew contracts of professors, so if you really loved a class they will listen. Don’t think just because it’s optional it doesn’t matter.

It’s no secret that we at the Courier expect a lot from this school. It’s because we believe in it and want to hold it accountable for what we believe it can achieve. We’ll be waiting for you all to prove us right.