Monday, April 9, all students were invited to attend an open forum held by the Presidential Search Committee. This was held in the campus center cinema from 8:45 to 9:30 p.m. Unfortunately, only three students attended. We at **The Lawrentian** are extremely saddened by such a poor turnout.
This open forum was held in a central location, at a reasonable time, and was advertised by a mass email. There can be no blame put on the Presidential Search Committee for the low attendance.
Students who didn’t attend missed out on a rare and wonderful opportunity. The committee was prepared to explain the presidential search process, asking students for input on what characteristics and background experiences they would prefer in our next president.
Students could have contributed their thoughts about what kind of president they would like to have, and the search committee and our trustees would have taken their voices into consideration.
Students often complain about the Lawrence administration, characterizing the members as being out of touch with the student body — yet when the presidential search committee reaches out to the students in a genuine effort to connect, hardly anyone takes notice.
The extremely low attendance of this open forum reflects poorly on the student body as a whole.
It is important that students express their opinions when given the opportunity. We would encourage Lawrentians to think broadly about how administration affects our Lawrence careers and the role that the next president of Lawrence will play on our education.
Even now that it is too late to attend the Presidential Search Committee forum, if you have any concerns or ideas about the presidential search process, please contact either of the two student representatives on the committee, Jake Woodford or Chiao-Yu Tuan.