While breaking bread at a luncheon in the Castle yesterday, Student leaders told the deans of Boston University that the college’s tuition is too expensive, the Guest Policy is too restrictive and the University lacks diversity.
After digging into their salads and shooting the breeze about the weather, various student leaders and Boston University deans graciously engaged in serious discussions about some of the more pressing issues that affect students. Deans questioned students about the quality of life on campus.
Seated at a table with College of Communication Dean Brent Baker, Student Union President Zach Coseglia said other colleges, such as Northeastern University and Emerson College, do not have guest policies as restrictive as BU’s and yet report lower crime rates than BU.
Baker said crime rates and policies at other universities are irrelevant, and BU upholds its own standards of safety to service students and protect itself against lawsuits.
“We don’t adhere to the lowest common denominator, because if anybody gets sued, it’s not Northeastern or Emerson,” Baker said. “You are 18 years old you’re not technically an adult, and your parents have entrusted you to us. You’ve got one foot in adulthood and one foot in adolescence.”
Baker said the Guest Policy evolved because of former complaints and incidents on campus, and said there are members of a “silent majority” on campus who favor the policy but don’t voice their opinions.
“A policy doesn’t just happen because adults want to beat up on students,” Baker said. “We live in a democracy, and the policies we have are because 1 percent of the population did something wrong, so the majority of the population has to live with that.”
Coseglia said specific individuals who violate University policies should be held accountable, not the entire student population.
“We can have a safe environment for students to study in and live in and not have it be as restrictive as it is now,” Coseglia said.
“You are in an environment now trying to change Guest Policy post 9-11, and I’m more conservative than I was then,” Baker said.
Baker said the Union should have asked deans of other colleges how to reasonably amend the Guest Policy and package together their proposal before spearheading it to Provost Dennis Berkey and President Jon Westling.
Coseglia immediately rose from the table, mid-meal, and presented Baker with a copy of the proposal for him to view.
College of Arts and Sciences senior Onaje Crawford, the Union VP of multicultural affairs, told Dean of Admissions Kelly Walter that minority students do not enroll at Boston University because they do not see any minority students or centers on campus.
“If you are on a tour, the odds that you will see somebody black or Hispanic are slim,” Crawford said. “People looking at the environment are uncomfortable making this their home for four years. There is a sense of comfort being around people that are familiar to you. As a transition, that’s needed.”
Walter said BU has trouble convincing minority students to enroll.
“We’ve admitted 1,200 African-American students in our freshman class,” Walter said. “They don’t ultimately choose us. They are going to Harvard, Princeton, Yale. That’s a difficult battle to win.”
Crawford said of the colleges with the largest enrollment of black students, 16 are historically black schools, while 34 are not. Of the 34, Crawford said 17 have black culture centers, black dorms and a black studies major, none of which are offered at BU.
“People are looking for a niche, a place to say ‘Things I like, things that make me who I am will be appreciated on campus,'” Crawford said.
Berkey told his table the University plans on limiting the number of AP credits a student can enter with to 32.
“We have some students who come in and satisfy all the divisional requirements, so you are missing a part of the BU experience,” Berkey said.
CAS sophomore Sean Dixon told Berkey many students cannot afford tuition at BU. Dixon, the Union Senate vice chairman, suggested classes cost $1,700 rather than $2,800.
Berkey asked his table how students feel about the core curriculum and the academic workload. Berkey also wanted to know why students might leave the University.
“I think a lot of students tend to feel lost,” said CAS student Steven Weiss. “I found an apathy on campus as far as people becoming student leaders.”
All of the deans and students who attended the luncheon said it was productive.
“They gave me several ideas, such as looking at the website and web page and seeing if we can make students a more prominent point of departure on the website,” Berkey said.
Coseglia said the deans illustrated they care about student concerns by taking the time to sit down and listen to their opinions.
“I was glad that the Guest Policy was an issue that people were talking about,” Coseglia said. “I feel really prepared to go to my meeting tomorrow and speak to President Westling. I don’t doubt that the student safety and the academic environment is what is important. We just need to figure out a way to strike a balance and do what’s good for the students and what’s good for this university.”
Baker said he liked a variety of student leaders included in the luncheon rather than simply members of student government.
“It was fun to talk with Zach and debate the Guest Policy,” Baker said. “I think we need more face-to-face interchanges with students.”
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