Three weeks into the new academic year, I find the normal excitement for a new start lacking. Instead, I see anxiety and some dread surrounding the future of the university. And, sadly, I share in it. 

For me, it started long before the semester did. 

For the first time ever, I spent my summer in Emporia. I was taking a summer class and stayed on at The Bulletin to make sure that newsworthy things were being covered – and there were several newsworthy things to cover. From the announcement that the Center for Early Childhood Education and Butcher Education Center are going to be demolished to Ken Hush– who wasn’t even a finalist in the presidential search – being appointed president, there were several changes that made me and others uneasy. Things seem to be changing way too quickly and not for the better. 

I’m going to be honest, I was exhausted from this year before it even started. 

Now we’re in it and the president keeps refusing interviews with The Bulletin. 400+ signatures on a petition to save CECE hasn’t seemed to make a difference yet. Student advising has been taken from liberal arts and sciences faculty and given to “professional advisers” with almost no notice (more on that to come) and faculty tenure is up in the air. I feel like the quality of our education is rapidly fading. 

But sure, now we have live music before football games because that’s what “today’s modern students” want. (Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s a great idea, but it can’t hide the many other issues that matter more.) 

However, I don’t want to just share doom and gloom. I have some hope. I, and my staff, have the opportunity to shed light on the decisions that are being made. We’re going to keep bringing you the news and we’re going to keep being the voice of the students despite the thinly veiled threats from Hush about the future of the paper on campus. We are here to listen and share your stories. We can make a difference on this campus, and so can you. 

Our pages aren’t going to be filled solely with negativity as the world and the university seem to fall apart. The Bulletin is working hard to be a student-centered paper and we’ve made some changes to do that. We are going to be more intentional about including diversity and featuring stories about the marginalized groups on campus. We’ve also started Student Spotlights, where we highlight students who are making a difference. 

We are wanting to open up conversations about what really matters to you as students, faculty and staff. My staff and I really do appreciate all of your support and we are open to story tips and suggestions. Just send an email to [email protected] and we’ll start that conversation. Not to be cliche, but we are in this together. Emporia State can be saved, and we are the ones who can do it– together. 

And administration, talk with us. Write a letter to the editor. Accept our interview requests. We can’t tell your side if you don’t share it with us. This paper is what your campus is seeing and shutting us out is just making things worse.