crossTALK: Students Shouldn't Be Involved In Picking President
Jessie Heath:
Board of Trustees. Administrative Staff. Maybe Professors. All of these people should be involved in picking the next president of Methodist University. But students? No. Not students
What qualifies students to pick the next President of Methodist University? Nothing. Sure, we are affected by the president’s decisions, but we have to have faith that the President will consider how the students on and off campus will be affected by every decision he makes for our school. We also have to trust the Board of Trustees to choose someone who can further our school and our education. That is part of their job, just as part of our job is to learn what we can while at college.
Students are not qualified enough to choose the next President of MU. We are qualified to learn. We are qualified to make minimum wage. Some of us might even be qualified to operate heavy machinery. But how many of us know what to look for in a president of a university? Are we going to look for someone who will give us what we want, or are we going to look for someone who can lead our school?
Deny it if you want, but most of us would be unable to keep our own personal desires out of the selection process. If it were up to students, who says the next President wouldn’t be some ex-hippie, under qualified, deadbeat with a name like Bob Lama? What if Bob Lama seemed great at first glance, but then tore down all the buildings on campus and decided that it was best to learn from the wind and the sounds of nature, rather than out of textbooks? Sure, the wind and nature can be useful if you’re studying science. However, if you’re studying law, I doubt the wind has much to say.
If students were involved in picking the next president of Methodist University, personal preference and personal agendas would be a big problem. That being said, it would be impossible for a president to be picked unanimously, without any discord between students. There is no way to please the entire population of Methodist University in choosing the next president; somebody is always going to be angry. We need to trust those who are qualified to pick the next president to do their job to the best of their abilities, taking into account the desires and needs of students while balancing them with the needs of the university.
Every organization has to have a governing body, made of people who are on a far more level playing field than students are on with Board members. They are the chiefs and we are in the Indians; its time to follow and let them lead.
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