Editorial: The Right Priorities
It's in times of trouble that the College truly has the opportunity to show its commitment to the students and prove they're getting a return on their investments. In truth, the school doesn't always come through. The parking situation isn't getting any better and anyone who was here two years ago will remember the slow cleanups after both Hurricane Floyd and the snowstorm that shut the College down for three days. Hopefully, the way in which the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Residence Life handled the arrangements for moving the entire population of Barrett Hall to The Governor's Inn while asbestos is removed from the dorm is a sign of things to come.
The removal of asbestos was a bad situation, one that was entirely impossible to prevent, seeing as the hazardous material had been sealed in plaster, unknown to College officials, since 1928. The acquiring of rooms at a local hotel and fitting the rooms for student use could have been another bad situation, had the College not put student need over cost.
Both Director of Residence Life Deb Boykin and Vice President of Student Affairs Sam Sadler said that their first goal when arranging contracts for lodging, travel and security was to accommodate the displaced freshmen and give them a true William and Mary experience.
It appears that concerns about how much it was costing did not enter the picture. The College could have tried to save money on transportation by simply adding a stop at Governor's Inn to the Green Machine's route, yet they chose to give the students their own shuttle system. While the College could have just given students modem access in the hotels and told them to use campus computer labs, they invested College money in providing the freshmen with Ethernet access.
Spending on this scale could even seem irresponsible ($286,400 for the hotel alone, more for security and other expenses, such as the wiring of the rooms), considering the College's tight budget. However, it's a relief to see the administration shell out funds for students. Sometimes it seems as if students are last on the school's list of priorities, due to decisions such as the aforementioned parking problems and the lack of raises for professors.
Were the Barrett residents fairly compensated for their displacement? The answer simply has to be "yes." Information Technology not only hard-wired the rooms for Ethernet access, they rigged it so that the students can be reached through their campus telephone extension, which they'll keep when they move back to campus.
They have security from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with additional patrols from Colonial Williamsburg stopping by. Rooms at the hotel were converted into a study lounge and a social lounge. And, so that they'll have a place to relax or study on campus, the College replaced the Atrium with a lounge specifically for Barrett students. The College seems to have covered every aspect of compensating for the loss of Barrett's central location on campus.
What's to criticize? The fact that the College needed to house students off-campus so they could remove a dangerous element from Barrett? The fact that they put student need over possible budget concerns? The administration is happy with the current situation. The orientation staff is happy about it. The Resident Assistants are happy with it. And, most importantly, the majority of Barrett residents are happy with it. This was a good call from word one, and the College deserves congratulations for making the best of a bad situation.
Editorial Board
Rob Margetta, Editor
Lisa St. Martin, Managing Editor
Dan Miller, Associate Editor
Sara Brady, News Editor
Belle Penaranda, Variety Editor
Kelley Kaufman, Opinions Editor
Kimberly Eavenson, Opinions Editor
William Clemens, Reviews Editor
Laura Terry, Sports Editor
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