Andre Fuller/Roundup
Public meetings create positive dialogue between officials and people within the community.
Pierce should not be any different.
In a recent Pierce College Council meeting, Lyn Clark, Chair of Computer Applications and Technology, Chair for PCC and a member of the presidential hiring committee, stated that the committee might be doing away with public forum.
In a public forum, the presidential candidates present themselves and their candidacy. This is especially important because the community gains knowledge on the upcoming college president.
If the presidential hiring committee has it their way, the public will have no say in what determines a good president for Pierce.
We live in a democracy. Our higher officials should realize that the students’ opinions should be just as important as theirs. After all, the next president will be making key decisions for the students.
The idea of open government and the process of selecting a new president is a good one. Keeping the Pierce community out of the loop would not be conducive with the new president’s progress.
During the United States presidential elections, candidates must travel around the country, virtually selling their product. From Barack Obama to John McCain, candidates went out of their way to make sure the people felt comfortable with theirs efforts of becoming the next president of our nation.
Why should choosing a new president for Pierce be any different?
When Pierce decided to make the campus smoke-free, they went in the direction of not giving the students the option to decide for themselves. Not to mention the fact that there is confusion about a “smoke-free” campus, when there are designated smoking areas.
Let’s learn from this mistake, officials. End the confusion.
The Pierce community should have someone in office they can trust. We can not have trust if we don’t even know what they stand for.
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