Author: Richie DeMaria
President Susan Prager and ASOC President Ryan Bowen (senior) both emphasized the importance of increased communication between students and administrative officials during a Thursday, November 29 General Assembly meeting centered around Prager’s pending resignation and the ensuing interim presidency. Students directed their questions to Prager, scheduled to resign at the end of this semester, and voiced their concerns about Occidental’s institutional transition at the assembly, the last of the semester.
“I believe that students are part of shared governance, and I invite you to continue your participation in our shared governance,” Prager said of students’ role in administrative affairs. “The administration depends on you to know where improvements are needed.”
With regard to her resignation, she stressed that it was not out of dissatisfaction. “[My resignation] is in no way a criticism of Occidental,” she said. “I did not think I could be as effective as I can be [in my position as President.]”
She was quick to praise the school, citing the close relationship between students and faculty as its strongest attribute. “I am genuinely impressed by Oxy at its core,” she said. “The students and faculty support one another, and at its core it is very healthy.”
She encouraged current students and faculty to continue the discussion and take advantage of the student government services at their disposal. “Talk together on how to articulate your perspectives, be specific, engage with those in Students Affairs and keep the communication going,” she said. “The mechanisms are already there. Students have representatives on all committees.”
Recalling her own experience as a Stanford trustee, she stressed the importance of communication between the two usually separate bodies. “Trustees are eager to have interactions with students,” she said. “Invite them to events on campus.”
It is imperative that both current and former students let the interim president know what they would like to see done at Occidental, Prager said. “Have a conversation amongst yourselves as to what you see as the positive elements and what you see as problem areas, so the leader understands the values that you see,” she said.
Prager cited an insufficient budget as Occidental’s biggest problem. “The biggest problem is that we are running a very high-quality institution with a budget that is not comparable to similarly qualified institutions,” she said.
She also pointed to diversity issues. “It is always challenging to make a diverse institution to work,” she said, referencing last year’s prevalent racial tensions, under-funded departments, and a humble public image as additional problems for the school.
“We need to highlight our excellence in external communities,” she said. “We are perhaps being too modest.”Prager saw no clear pattern in the string of resignations that the school has seen over the past two years. “Perhaps the pattern is being overstated,” she said. “In the modern era, a six-year presidency is a significantly long presidency.”
She also spoke on the deterioration of the WSGS major. “I’m not convinced limiting recruitment to that one department is the best strategy,” she said.
During the second half of the meeting, Bowen discussed his role as ASOC president and as the sole student advisor in the hiring process. He fielded questions regarding the interim presidency. Like Prager, he emphasized the importance of student involvement, and encouraged students to make use of their representatives.
“Without hearing student voices, we really don’t know where to go forward,” he said of the student senate. “We, as a senate, can’t function if we don’t know student concerns.”
Organization, Bowen said, is crucial. “We have a lot of passion, but what we lack is organization,” he said. “Something like this is going to take follow-up.”
Kether Hayden (senior) agreed. “It is the students’ responsibility to get involved,” she said. “When student organizations are seen as organizations that don’t have much power or input, the higher-ups see the representatives as [instrumental to] their own goals, and not representatives of the students.”
Bowen invited students to share their concerns with him at the meeting. Common concerns included the selection pool of potential interim presidents, the uses of funding, and the Board of Trustees.
“It’s important we find someone who allows ASOC the power the constitution grants it,” Max Read (senior) said about the interim president, expected to take office no later than December 14.
“To my knowledge, they’re trying to find someone who has had an engagement with Occidental,” Bowen said.
Sergio Arteaga (senior) feels the main issue lies not with the interim president, but with the role of the Board of Trustees. “The problem to me isn’t the administration, it’s the Board,” he said. “What’s the point of hiring a president who has all these goals when they have their hands tied behind their back?”
Bowen mentioned the possibility of a presidential advisory board comprised entirely of students.
The meeting concluded with a capital improvement request from Programming Board to replace a red carpet and a lost popcorn machine.
Contact Ryan Bowen at asoc@oxy.edu or the General Assembly at asocga@oxy.edu.
This article has been archived, for more requests please contact us via the support system.