Far too often, the administration discusses lofty goals and projects, only to put them on hold after the initial support has diminished. Examples include previous student complaints about meal plans and the divestment from fossil fuels campaign. These were both times when the administration did not maintain focus and simply let an idea fade from public memory. However, with the opening of the Rape Crisis Center (RCC) this semester, the administration has broken the status quo and seen a project through.
Utilizing a joint effort between a group of professionally-trained staff and dedicated students, the RCC is one of the first examples of the administration wholeheartedly listening to student voices and providing them with the necessary resources for their college experience. What needed to get done got done, and the RCC was approved by the administration over the summer and is set to opened in the very near future. The Brandeis Hoot has called on the administration to meet students halfway on important issues in the past, and we applaud them for finally making substantive steps forward.
Student involvement in the creation of the RCC cannot go unnoticed, and the effort put forth by student activists clearly helped keep the administration moving forward in completing this project. There are a multitude of different activists around campus, and though sometimes their voices can be quelled by an administration unwilling to listen, the opening of the RCC proves that progress can be made, and this school can be molded into a place where students feel like their voices are heard and desires are met.
The administration, however, cannot remain content with simply opening the RCC and responding to campus needs in a timely manner just this once. The administration needs to recognize that they hold the most power on campus to enact change, and they should feel responsible when that change doesn’t occur. They cannot sit on their hands when students are passionately expressing their concerns about this school and offer empty promises. Hopefully the opening of the RCC pushes the administration to complete more projects and listen to student concerns with more attention.
