The Ithacan

Accuracy • Independence • Integrity

The people of Ithaca College deserve a role in selecting our leaders. We demand that the search for our next presidential candidate be an open one.

The SLT has repeatedly stated they took feedback on the strategic plan, but the real decision hinged on a reduction to 5,000 students.

The administration’s commitment to disaster capitalism has permanently divided our community. Our wounds are deep; they will not be easily healed. 

It would be strategic for us to work on healing these traumas and learning how to offer each other compassion, even within stark disagreement.

A robust commitment to collaborative shared governance is needed now to move the college through this dark time and ensure that the college thrives.

It’s been obvious that over the last four months, the administration has not been open to discourse with the campus community.

The Ithaca College Open the Books Coalition discussed how to stop the elimination of faculty positions in a Dec. 7 panel. 

Clearly, this is something no one wants to see happen. Shared governance can be achieved. The college is just making it more difficult.

Criticisms remain about the power the Ithaca College Board of Trustees and the President’s Council still have in the most recent Shared Governance draft.

Faculty Council voted in favor of tabling the recently published updated shared governance draft until Shirley Collado begins her term as president.

Renaming these “bills” to resolutions would establish the idea that legislation is meant to be a recommendation to the college.

Faculty Council Chairman Tom Swensen said he thinks the new draft is relatively similar to the previous one.