A large group of students visited President Jeremy Brown during his President's Hour at 3 p.m. in Reeder Hall last Friday, Nov. 13. Brown faced a greater turnout compared to previous sessions. The students' more pressing topics and concerns included professional grievances and university budget.
"I rarely give out promises," Brown told the attending students, "because when I do, I make sure I deliver on them." Brown responded in this manner to a group of students filing grievances against a professor on campus.
This group came to the President's Hour after filing formal complaints and following the chain of command for such matters, a method for which Brown commended them.
"You're following the right path," Brown said. "I promise I will look into it." No further details can be given on the matter, as certain parties asked to remain anonymous and further investigations are required.
Other students inquired as to recent rumors of a decrease in Edinboro University's budget and to any reasons thereof.
"Given the current state
of our economy, we're not doing very well," said Brown. "We do, however, have a large increase in students and in that area we are doing well. It's almost the perfect storm in a sense."
Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing Amy Neil also commented on the positive track to higher enrollment and its progressive impact. Brown continued by citing his hope for another $2 million in stimulus money, but reminding students there are no guarantees.
Brown also mentioned another potential $2 million loss in the next two years, illustrating Edinboro's difficult transition period, having higher revenue from record-level admissions, but having to meet fiscally the academic and various other needs of that greater amount of students.
"The state appropriates about 27 percent of our budget, where it used to be 60 percent in the past," said Brown. "It's difficult to depend on two main sources while trying to remain affordable.
According to an article released last month, U.S. News & World Report ranked Edinboro University nationally as one of the North's top "great schools" with "great prices."
Other topics brought up at the meeting included rumors of a construction project that would entail a fence around campus.
"No, there isn't going to be a fence. Do you have any idea how much that would cost?" Brown dismissed the rumor jokingly, but added he would someday like to see a definitive, impressive entrance to Edinboro's campus that would exhibit quality and pride while leaving visitors with positive, lasting impressions.
"Excellence is portrayed throughout the campus itself, even with simple things like well-cut grass that we don't think about, but make us feel good," said Brown.
Students eventually mentioned the recent accident that claimed three student lives, wondering if the university could employ any preventative measures. Brown and Neil acknowledged that communicating such matters is "the hardest part of the job," but felt that students appreciated official news and counseling opportunities over word of mouth.
On a positive note, several students commended what they described as overall academic prowess and qualified standards of professors on campus, although they identified generally the occasional extreme cases of those "too strict" or "too lax."
Discrepancies aside, Brown recognized the students' request for more consistency and further adjustments, however slight, to continue improving the university's academic setting.
"We have to make difficult decisions but educational quality must be preserved above all else," Brown summarized. "Never declare victory or else you will stop and everyone else will pass you."
The President's Hour is a monthly event open to all students with questions, concerns or topics of discussion for the president. Brown will hold his next open meeting on Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. in the President's Conference Room of Reeder Hall.
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