Members of the Washington College community, take note: this Saturday, lunch is the most important meal of the day.
For the first time anyone can remember, the Executive Committee and Senate of the Washington College Student Government Association have been invited to sit down to a meal with the members of this school's Board of Visitors and Governors. This luncheon is a wonderful opportunity to increase communication between these two groups -- both of which are so crucial in shaping life here at this college.
While it might seem a little bizarre to be getting so worked up over just one meal, it's hard to overstate the significance of this step towards improving communication between these important groups at the college. If this event goes well, it will almost certainly lead to similar engagements in the future and increased contact and collaboration. A fundamental lack of communication and understanding between groups on campus has played a major role in almost all of the major controversies on campus over the past several semesters. The more the board and the SGA are encouraged to interact, the more they can learn about each other's goals and perspectives, and the more they can work together to address the issues facing Washington College.
This idea of communication isn't exactly new. The SGA's platforms for the past two years have included articles to encourage better communication and cooperation between the board, the faculty, the administration, and the students of Washington College. Numerous editorials and opinion articles in The Elm have also expressed the need for greater communication. The coordination of this luncheon -- which has involved cooperation from board members, the administration, and the SGA -- is a wonderful step towards that same goal.
Though both students and board members care deeply about the school, personal contact between the two groups is relatively infrequent. Such limited contact, combined with some significant differences in opinions and priorities, can lead to misconceptions. Some students may write off board members as rich business people who are out of touch with what goes on at this college on a daily basis. Similarly, it's possible that some board members might be frustrated with student "rabble-rousers" who only seem interested in complaining and making trouble.
This meeting is a wonderful opportunity to start breaking through some of those misconceptions. The more they interact, students will see how much board members are concerned about what goes on at this school. At the same time, board members will have a chance to get a better sense of students' positions on important issues. Dean Joachim Scholz put it quite well: "Both groups will quickly find out how much they have in common and how much they are united in their commitment to Washington College and its continuing improvement."
Obviously, this one meeting won't solve all of the college's problems.
In fact, it's unlikely that the students and board members will spend the entire luncheon discussing business, anyway: the luncheon itself will probably facilitate social interaction as much or more than it facilitates discussion of serious issues. However, even casual conversation will contribute toward greater dialogue between students and board members. Any positive interaction between students and board members is a step in the right direction -- a step towards increased communication.Even if nothing else, this luncheon is important on a symbolic level.
It's an event where the board and the student body's elected officials can sit down together at a meal, interacting face-to-face and on the same level. It's a meeting of two groups which both care a great deal about the school but which come from rather different perspectives.Better communication is a key step towards solving virtually all of the college's problems, and this luncheon is a tremendously positive step. The more that students and board members can think of each other as concerned individuals, rather than faceless entities, the more they will be able to work together for the good of the college.
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