EDITORIAL: Silent removal of bulletin boards disregards student input
As of the spring 2019 semester, the bulletin spaces in Atrium I of the Bayou Building have been stripped away and replaced with nothing besides a blank white space. This means students, who pay to attend UHCL, can no longer use this area to promote their organizations, events or communicate with the student body at large.
The lack of bulletin spaces creates a cold and unfeeling environment, as though the university lacks students who want to be there, but instead, has students who have to be there. Unlike a high school campus, where the students who roam the halls have to be there and rarely want to be, a college campus should be a place that allows the free exchange of ideas and concepts. The bulletin spaces were a way for this kind of exchange to occur.
The flyers posted around campus are more than just a communication tool. While not all of the flyers are created by students, a majority of these pieces of paper represent the time and dedication students give to enhance one’s experience at UHCL.
The main issue regarding the disappearing bulletin spaces is the disregard of student input into the decision. Students were not informed of the removal prior to the decision; these plans were enacted by staff in the Offices of the Vice President of Administration and Finance, and Marketing and Communication after a tour of the university. While Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Dan Maxwell said not informing the students was an oversight during Jan. 24 SGA meeting. As of March 2019, Maxwell said there was no official plan to return these boards.
As the university is planning to continue making renovations around campus, one of those should be the creation of a place where students feel free to promote their events and communicate with the UHCL community through multiple channels, not just GetInvolved.
Arguments against posting flyers on campus include the information being out of date and not aesthetically appealing. However, these flyers are a strong communication tool that appeals to all Hawks, including those who do not engage with social media or check their emails on a regular basis.
The introduction of the GetInvolved website (and soon to be a mobile application) does allow student organizations to post “digital flyers,” but one has to actively search for them. However, this technology is less than a semester old, so there has not been any time allowed for the transition from paper to digital.
Additionally, social media and email promotion should not become the default form for communication on campus. With curated algorithms and overflowing inboxes, the promotion of events and organizations is severely strained.
If the university continues to make these decisions without student input, UHCL is going to have a hard time filling the rooms of the upcoming on-campus residence hall. Why would a prospective student choose to attend UHCL if their voice will be drowned out?
This small change must not be the start of a chain reaction where student opinions no longer matter. Every decision, big or small, impact a Hawk’s experience at the university.
While the bulletin space removal was one of a few minor vanity projects expedited to impress the Board of Regents during the Feb. 28 meeting on campus, the question lingering is why these changes?
Fixing the elevators to be safer and functioning, making roads to be less riddled with potholes, adding exterior signage to all campus buildings and replacing the glass ceiling in the atriums to stop rainwater from pooling on the ground should take precedence over refurbishing floors, installing new statues and removing spaces for on-campus communication.
Disregarding student input or considering it as a mere afterthought is a slippery slope. Thus, to prevent this, ways for students to offer input on what should be the university’s priorities in terms of maintenance projects should be presented. One way would be utilizing the various television screens on campus – as used during the Board of Regents meeting – to showcase things such as open forums, candidate presentations and open meetings such as the weekly ones held by the Student Government Association.
Bulletin spaces and flyers around campus do not make a college campus feel like a high school — rather, the disregard for student input does. Further, projects to strengthen one’s safety should, without any doubt or protest, take priority over visual appeal.
Did you notice the lawn children statue and the rocks around the Kissing Stones are now gone? A Signal article on the removal of the statues would be awesome. 🙂
I agree 100% about the bulletin boards. Last year the bulletin boards near faculty suites began to disappear. Thus, not only does their removal limit student awareness of events, clubs, and meeting groups, it limits faculty’s ability to advertise new courses. Bulletin boards, flyers, and course advertisements are a part of every liberal arts college. While it is true that sometimes they look messy – that’s usually because the bulletin boards on our campus are not large enough to begin with, and they often do contain outdated materials. However, removing outdated flyers is not a big a deal, and should not be considered an excuse for removing the bulletin boards. Additionally, removing the local business flyers, like Dominoes, etc., would help keep them clean. Finally, while the tv monitors are convenient for advertising courses, clubs, and events, it’s not the same as reading a physical document. And forget about email – we are all inundated with enough of that. Bring back the bulletin boards – make them bigger and better. Let’s look like a college with lots going on rather than a sterile office building.
I agree with the editors that the white space looks cold. I visited the Bayou building last Thursday, March 28, 2019 for a Feminist conversation and noticed it right away. I liked it better with student clubs’ posters and creative exhibits. I think a student centered university should highlight student activity.