"I will demonstrate social and personal responsibility." Sound familiar? It's one of the Penn State principles. Remember those? Probably not. And it seems Penn State's administration doesn't either.
For weeks now, many of us have been personally affected by our university's unreliable version of WebMail. Even after a lot of the discussion has died down, WebMail continues to be fickle at best. Yale University and The University of Rochester, after having similar problems with their Web-based e-mail system, took the necessary steps to listen to students' requests and make necessary improvements.
Yet Penn State's Information Technology Services department, knowing that about 75 percent of the student body (and still growing) uses WebMail, has failed to make immediate upgrades to help prevent overloaded servers and stalled connections. The university has not yet offered a solution to correct the issue. By not addressing issues, our university's administration promotes ITS' lack of initiative instead of listening to a reasonable demand from students.
Our tuition continues to increase every year, yet ITS feels the need to give students the most technologically savvy equipment. Over the past three years, computers have been upgraded every year along with the information technology fee.
When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter if we're using a flat screen monitor over an old, fat monitor. Our paper will get done either way. So why does ITS need to upgrade hundreds of computers every year?
The lack of accountability on certain issues stems from the Penn State administration going far beyond providing services to students. Our administration continues to not disclose Penn State employee salaries.
Some would believe that salaries aren't made public because Penn State can offer the same job to employees for less pay than other universities. If we assume Penn State employee salaries are less than other universities, Penn State may struggle to stay competitive and some of the best professors in their field may be enticed to move to a better paying job. Not releasing employee salaries, however, encourages those faithful to Penn State to be recognized for their dedication to serve us and not just work for the highest bidder.
So what exactly is our administration trying to hide by not disclosing this financial information? Are they simply trying to ensure that we do not attract many top professors to teach the students here? A secret involving tuition dollars is only going to make students more curious.
While many of us find Penn State to be an enjoyable, fun-filled experience, receiving a semester bill in the mail is about as satisfying as finding coal in your stocking. Not all students are eligible for financial aid, but every Penn State student is eligible for a tuition raise every year, regardless if a scholarship or mom and dad fit the bill. Caught up in the thrill of leaving home and the colorful brochures of Penn State students making hundreds of friends overnight, few of us failed to account the overwhelming fact that the university was distracting us from the cost.
As a person paying out-of-state tuition, I know Penn State loves to slip in an increase of a couple thousand dollars to my tuition bill each fall. Media outlets across the country make it well-known that tuition costs across the nation are rising dramatically, yet we are so numb to signing away massive chunks of our college fund each semester.
As students, there is only so much we can do to make the best of our few years here, raise the standards for future Penn Staters, and show our allegiance to Dear Old State. Accountability and responsibility from our staff is the least we can expect in return.
It's only natural for our own administration to stress the positive aspects of our university and focus on our brilliant research and discoveries. But it's about time for Penn State to step up and listen to the students that truly define this university.
