An Introduction

Dear Reader,

I presume you are likely faculty or staff. Our student reader numbers are low, and we all know who is a regular newspaper reader. As such, I feel it is important to share the student experience. I have often found in my conversations with faculty and staff that neither party knows what students have to deal with on a daily basis. 

This column aims to tackle the positives (the best water fountains on campus) and the negatives (the lack of air conditioning in all but two dorms, the financial abuse created and sustained that focuses on students, parking tickets, stolen mail, and more!) of student life. These are all things that affect the majority of the student body, and despite being indisputable facts are often overlooked.

Why should I be the one to tell you about these things? As a department ambassador, Spectrum writer, past president of a club, past editor at the Spectrum and NDSU Museum and Collections Fellow, I often find myself talking to staff and faculty casually about the student experience. I have never met a faculty or staff member who previously knew that there were only 2 dorms that had air conditioning. I have never met a faculty or staff member who was aware of the predatory parking passes that students are required to buy and have at all times. I have also never met another student who was aware of what NDSU Transform aims to accomplish. This isn’t ok! We are all a part of the NDSU community and in order to better serve and protect each other it is necessary to understand the hardships we ALL face. 

For the future of this column, I aim to share previous interviews I have held with administrators and would love to host interviews with interested faculty, staff and students who would like to discuss the myriad of tribulations that you face. 

Best,

EKF