Freshmen are not given the tools they need to succeed at CMU


As a resident assistant in a residence hall, I am baffled at the lack of effort the school puts into the academic success of its incoming freshmen.

We have programs for incoming freshmen like “No Zebras”, “Through the Eyes of Joe”, and a police presentation but, over and over again, I talk to freshmen who don’t know how to check their grades online, read a bulletin, register for classes, or know their options for classes like credit/ no credit, and the withdrawal deadlines.

Aren’t classes the meat and potatoes of a college career?

Instead, we are worried about the diversity programs that, at best, are secondary to a college career.

CMU is, as of now, a second-tier university in the state of Michigan.

How are we ever going to break into the next echelon of public universities when our freshmen aren’t getting the tools they need to accomplish the most basic of tasks like registering for classes?

Instead, we have a bureaucratic structure that cares more about building their resumes then the students that pay their salaries.

How is it possible for students’ parents to be notified when a student has an alcohol violation, or makes the dean’s list, but not when they are academically dismissed?

How is it a student that paid $7,500 for a semester receives only an e-mail to notify them that they are not welcome back?

No wonder our retention numbers are declining.

This “non-profit” university operates more like a big business every day and, with every revenue-maximizing decision, we lose track of what is supposed to be the focus of this institution — the students.

As a resident assistant, I know that the most fragile of the students are the new freshmen, and it’s no wonder why.

I know that I would be stressed if I were forced to attend an orientation where I am treated like a number, where an adviser looks only at my class schedule and doesn’t take the time to look me in the eye.

I think it’s time that we demand a better faculty, and a better administration to support us.

A university is not about the money, it’s not about retention, and it’s not about a promotion — it’s about the students.

Joe Marr Tecumseh junior

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