EDITORIAL: Firm But Caring

The permanent vice provostThe permanent vice provostfor university life shouldThe permanent vice provostfor university life shouldhave a managementThe permanent vice provostfor university life shouldhave a managementbackground and a feel forThe permanent vice provostfor university life shouldhave a managementbackground and a feel forstudent concerns.The permanent vice provostfor university life shouldhave a managementbackground and a feel forstudent concerns.___________________________ The new vice provost will inherit a challenging position that calls for streamlining inefficient departments and raising the quality of student services. To achieve these goals, the new VPUL must have a strong management background and must be extremely focused so that students' interests will be the greatest priority. The VPUL must have a mandate for quality and be willing to take risks in order to fundamentally improve student life on campus. When necessary, he or she must serve as an advocate for students and apply pressure to other arms of the University's bureaucracy. This new leader faces difficult tasks ahead, especially improving vital student services. Residential Maintenance, Residential Living and Dining Services must be the initial priorities of the new administrator's tenure. High rise elevators continue to malfunction and are covered with graffiti. The mail service in dormitories cries for improvement. And, the dining services offered on campus are still not of high quality and remain expensive. The Faculty-in-Residence Program also must be re-evaluated, especially after some students last week said they have not seen their building's faculty member all year. Student Health Services continues to be a student concern. Far too many students have complained that they are mistreated or misdiagnosed. The new vice provost must lobby for the construction of an all-encompassing, centrally located fitness center. Hutchinson Gymnasium's fitness center is overpriced and is not of the quality that students expect for their $25,000 per year. Finally, the new administrator must attempt to make all exams in the tutoring center's old exam file open, regardless of professors' permission, so that students who have worked hard in the classroom do not suffer because a professor is too lazy to develop a new exam or his exam is atypical. These are only some of the issues that the new VPUL must tackle. We urge the administration to hire someone with the strength and vision to effectively correct the shortcomings of student services, while at the same time efficiently managing large departments. This position has remained without a permanent administrator for almost two years. We are outraged that the president and provost have filled all the administrative positions without naming a permanent vice provost for university life. We find it extremely convenient that the in-house selection will not be made until students have left campus. When the administration finally makes a decision, we hope both President Judith Rodin and Provost Stanley Chodorow will consider student interests and the previously mentioned challenges, so that the new vice provost for university life will be capable of handling the heavy burdens that lie ahead.