Cheyenne Lazarus – photo by Kristen Griffith
By Cheyenne Lazarus (Whetstone Staff Writer)
I felt frustrated when I heard the news that student fees had been taken away and funneled into general tuition.
If nothing was done, it would have taken effect this fall.
That was trouble for me, since I will be the next president of the Student Activities Board. Students already complain about not having enough activities on campus. This past year I have been working with the rest of the board to change that.
I was afraid this new policy would have prevented me from leading and running the organization the way I want to.
Since SGA, the Student Media Board, and other organizations, as well as individual students, faculty and alumni spoke out about the policy, President Johnston agreed that the funds needed to be listed separately under tuition so student organizations would remain independent and we could manage our own organizations and budgets.
Students should have their independence, especially since we pay a lot of money to get an education here. We should have a voice in speaking out about the things we disagree with, and the failed student fee policy is one of them.
I knew I had a responsibility to speak out since I’m a student leader and I was proud that I wrote a statement on behalf of SAB to protest the new policy.
I didn’t mind this added pressure because I wanted to speak out for the people who cannot be heard.
I chose Wesley partly because of the campus atmosphere and how I felt when touring the college. I fell in love with the way I thought the faculty and administration stuck up for the students. I was sadly proven wrong about the administration.
Although this policy has been reversed and our independence has been guaranteed, I don’t think the students will be so quick to trust the administration as they once did.
The CFO and administration thought they could pull something over on us, but we discovered the problem, organized, and won the fight.
