We at Open The Books have many complicated feelings about President Collado stepping down. We are aware that the problems at Ithaca College did not come nor leave with President Collado, however, many feel like our school and community have been treated as mere collateral damage on a quest for profit. Now we are left to suffer the consequences while she gets to further her career and avert any kind of responsibility for the harm done. Evidently, our coalition and its supporters use and understand the word “community” in a vastly different way than those in power at this institution do. Community is not a buzzword or platitude to us — a commitment to the community must be demonstrated through action.

However, we also see this as a potential opportunity for the administration and the Board of Trustees to truly begin considering the input of the entire Ithaca College community in their decisions including students, alumni, faculty and staff. We hope that the college will seize this opportunity to embody a few of the principles that are constantly touted as central to this institution: shared governance, transparency, inclusivity and collaboration. The people of Ithaca College deserve a role in selecting our leaders and to be part of an academic environment that truly serves everyone, not just the higher-ups. Therefore, we are demanding that the search for our next presidential candidate be an open one. No more closed doors and no more smoke screens — we want genuine decision-making power and transparency.