The Geneseo administration, as representatives of our college, should always take into account the views of the professors who teach us.
Professors are the core of our institution, and their consent should therefore be given on every major issue involving our education. This includes the scheduling process and the layout of the classes that they teach.
When Dean Polly Radosh released information involving the concept of redistributing the course schedule for the spring semester there was, understandably, resistance from both the uninformed professors and the students.
The idea behind Radosh's initiative is, by all means, a good one: classrooms should be utilized to their greatest extent, with less conflicting class times within each department. Her route of action, however, was unprofessional. Not only did the dean not consult the College Senate to implement this course; she also failed to seek faculty and general student input on a change that directly affects them.
Professors should be entitled to schedule their own classes based on what is most convenient for them - taking into account the countless number of activities they are required to do outside of the classroom. Their prominent position on campus warrants their right to have complete control over their jobs, which includes scheduling based on their personal lives and in the best interest of the content that is to be covered.
Furthermore, the timing of this announcement was less than ideal. Publicizing the change just before fall break gave both professors and students no time to voice their opinions on the matter, let alone come to any consensus about to the best route to take.
The situation, overall, was poorly thought out and handled in an unsatisfactory manner. A simple survey could have been administered to the student body to inquire about their opinions on the change; meetings could have been held with individual departments to acquire personal feedback from professors. Really, anything to gather information outside of the personal beliefs of Radosh and the SUNY administration would have been welcomed.
Although the idea has been postponed, the likelihood of it resurfacing in the future is highly probable. Hopefully Dean Radosh will clue in the rest of the campus next time.