As excitement builds as the end of the semester nears, it is hard to believe that less than a month ago, there was so much negative attention focused on the university; with the president placed under the microscope.

It was on March 23, when students banded together to voice their growing concerns by way of a modest-sized protest on the UWAC lawn; soon after faculty produced a vote of no confidence in President Tessa Pollack. The last time students organized a protest was two years ago when mass layoffs were being carried out, and with this came the birth of the Myspace Lake group, O.L.L.United Students.

Armed with signs and determined attitudes, the protestors voiced their concerns regarding tuition increases, President Pollack’s lack of interaction with students, and the university’s latest Hispanic marketing campaign.

Students expected President Pollack to personally acknowledge or even address their immense dissatisfactions with the university and the direction in which it’s being taken. Unfortunately little occurred that afternoon.

It wasn’t until shortly after the protest that the president formally addressed the major concerns in a very cautious manner, via e-mail addressed to then-Student Government Association president, Doug Mercado, and continued to communicate in this manner with other inquiries made on the part of The Lake Front.

This left students feeling unsatisfied in that possibly they were not being taken seriously and their protest was all for nothing. But the students weren’t the only ones feeling disappointed, President Pollack too felt this way in regard to the inaccurate facts that were being circulated during the time when the protest took place. From misconceptions of the “Maximum Aptitude, Cultural Attitude” campaign being successful to the president’s last name embarrassingly misspelled on protestors’ signs, misinformation could be considered a major theme between the two sides.

With this being said, the university should never be divided. Students, faculty and the president should be on the same side with consideration of the institution’s best interest at hand. These three branches should work closely together in providing and ensuring a successful level of higher education.
But to ensure a strong and successful presidency, Pollack will have to consider better communication with the students. The fact that most undergraduates on campus have little to no clue who the president is, speaks for the impression of her persona.

Though the spring semester only holds a handful of weeks left and is slowly coming to an end, students work diligently toward the summer break. No breaks for President Pollack, though, for this will only be the start of the hard work ahead in developing a healthy relationship with Lake students.