It is safe to say this academic year is critical for Central Michigan University.

The search for a new university president is under way, as are the searches for several other administrators. The CMU tailgating policy is causing controversy among students and university leaders. The planned medical school continues to make progress, setting a budget not to exceed $24 million.

There are a plethora of other topics and issues worth discussing as well. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Students, and even faculty and staff, need to get involved and make their voices heard.

Starting today, Central Michigan Life is giving you that forum. And all you have to do is get on your computer.

At 8:30 p.m. today on cm-life.com, we will host Student Government Association President Jason Nichol and Vice President Brittany Mouzourakis on live chat to discuss campus issues with anybody on or off campus willing to join us for about one hour.

It will be the first of several live chat discussions we hope to host on our Web site with students leaders and CMU administrators this semester. One goal is to give you the opportunity to talk with them about campus issues that concern you.

It is understandable if many students cannot attend Academic Senate or SGA meetings because of homework and other responsibilities, but almost every student has easy access to a computer. This way, you don’t have to leave your residence hall or apartment.

Want to talk tailgating policy, presidential search or even parking on campus? Just log on. Let’s talk about it.

No college campus is perfect. But having forums of discussion such as these that address issues at CMU could go a long way toward making it better. The administration’s job is to make sure students are happy and treated fairly.

I highly encourage you to join us tonight and in future discussions. Our goal is to keep you communicating.

E-mail the author: Brian Manzullo