Classroom Voices, Apr. 30
April 30, 2011
Positive changes at Chicago State
In recent years, Chicago State University students have been offended by constant bashing by the Chicago Tribune.
The April 21 editorial "Still flunking the basics," about the 41 audit findings incorrectly attributed to the current administration, run by President Wayne Watson, many of the errors caused by past regimes.
In most cases when there is a new university president, there is money to hire an outside company to audit, monitor and assess all departments to find problems and work toward solutions. That is a process, taking at least two years. With tight budgets, Watson had to do this for himself. And we must realize that takes time as well; Rome was not built in a day.
In addition to being more responsive to students, during his 17-month tenure, Watson had only one auditor on staff.. He's increased CSU's auditing team by 300 percent. And he's not afraid to clean house: After taking the time to evaluate staff, he right-sized the campus to allow the university to run more effectively. His team wasn't even really in place until March 2010, yet you use a hammer to bash his reputation when he's just getting a solid footing here and making changes we, the students, clearly see and experience.
The average reader might believe CSU is run by incompetent staff and faculty members, and that its students are clueless and unintelligent, which couldn't be further from the truth. Following are a few wonderful facts about CSU:
• We do pay our tuition bills because we look up our accounts online.
• Because of online access, CSU had an increase in the amount of tuition and fees collected in the spring of 2010. (This is the period the audit report blamed on the administration for failing to mail out hard copies.)
• CSU graduates more black students in Illinois than any other institution.
• This university has one of the most affordable tuition rates in this state. In other words, CSU gives students an opportunity to earn a degree from an accredited institution without having to pay the outrageous tuition costs we all hear about so often.
Talk to the people who matter the most instead of assuming and speculating. CSU is a place where the people of the community are all involved. The students stand behind Watson, and we challenge you to come on campus and get the real story of CSU.
— Raymond Morris Jr., student government president, Chicago State University
— Anthony Williams Jr., student government member, Chicago State University
