RUSA irked by stadium voting haste
Christopher Echeverria / Correspondent
Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Page One
The Rutgers University Student Assembly has released a statement to the Board of Governors expressing disappointment with the timeline given for voting on the Rutgers Stadium expansion.
The statement was released Tuesday, just hours prior to the monumental vote on the new project. It described the process as extremely rushed and ignored the voices and opinions of the student body.
The forum, held Jan. 24, occurred five days before the board voted to commence the construction on the stadium. Members of the assembly have argued this was not enough time to openly discuss the issues surrounding the new plan.
"It's frustrating, and it's just not right," said RUSA chair Jim Kline, a Rutgers College senior. "We should have been given ample time to make an official opinion on behalf of the student body because as the representatives of the student body in New Brunswick, our chief responsibility is to make sure that the voice of the student body is not lost. In this case, we were not able to generate the opinion because of this incredibly rushed process."
The body has pointed to previous projects as examples of better communication between the administration and the student body. The creation of the School of Arts and Sciences and the redesign of the College Avenue campus provided longer periods of time for debate. To the surprise of members of the assembly, a similar timeline was not instilled for this decision even though it is the single-largest capital project in the University's history.
"We've seen how they can take the time out to listen to what students have to say," said Engineering Governing Council Rep. Rohit Sodhia, a School of Engineering senior. "We also see, with this, minimal attention to student opinion was taken."
Board members disagree.
The Rev. M. William Howard, a board chair who was unaware of the statement released by RUSA, said students had many opportunities to express concern about the expansion. The board, he said, allows students speaking time to answer any questions they may have concerning issues the board discusses.
The statement was released Tuesday, just hours prior to the monumental vote on the new project. It described the process as extremely rushed and ignored the voices and opinions of the student body.
The forum, held Jan. 24, occurred five days before the board voted to commence the construction on the stadium. Members of the assembly have argued this was not enough time to openly discuss the issues surrounding the new plan.
"It's frustrating, and it's just not right," said RUSA chair Jim Kline, a Rutgers College senior. "We should have been given ample time to make an official opinion on behalf of the student body because as the representatives of the student body in New Brunswick, our chief responsibility is to make sure that the voice of the student body is not lost. In this case, we were not able to generate the opinion because of this incredibly rushed process."
The body has pointed to previous projects as examples of better communication between the administration and the student body. The creation of the School of Arts and Sciences and the redesign of the College Avenue campus provided longer periods of time for debate. To the surprise of members of the assembly, a similar timeline was not instilled for this decision even though it is the single-largest capital project in the University's history.
"We've seen how they can take the time out to listen to what students have to say," said Engineering Governing Council Rep. Rohit Sodhia, a School of Engineering senior. "We also see, with this, minimal attention to student opinion was taken."
Board members disagree.
The Rev. M. William Howard, a board chair who was unaware of the statement released by RUSA, said students had many opportunities to express concern about the expansion. The board, he said, allows students speaking time to answer any questions they may have concerning issues the board discusses.