Huntington News

Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: Editorial

For the last several years, the Northeastern administration has been listening to the students complain about the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR). They've heard us but they haven't really been listening, and if they have, they certainly haven't been acting on what they hear.

When asked about a Facebook group dedicated to OSCCR reform, Valerie Randall-Lee, director of OSCCR, told the Northeastern Patriot, "Demands are often unreasonable when they precede dialogue. Our office has not been contacted by the administrators of this group to discuss their concerns. Concerns should be brought to my attention in a proper format, so we can discuss them productively."

I'm usually appalled by just about everything I read in The Patriot, but this particular quote made me sick. I know from my own memory that every student government regime for the last five years has made OSCCR reform a major initiative. Furthermore, as a former Student Government Association (SGA) vice president for student affairs, I have met personally with Randall-Lee about this very issue. Not only did she find my criticisms and new ideas laughable, but she also specifically told me that the changes I was seeking would never happen because they were far too liberal and progressive when compared to the current system. That's right, a baby boomer working at one of the most liberal, progressive universities in one of the most liberal, progressive cities on the planet actually told me that my ideas were too liberal and progressive.

So here's my liberal, progressive view of the situation and how we got here. Every generation has a picture of exactly what is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to the behavior of young people, and a method for punishing those found responsible for unacceptable behavior. The current OSCCR system was designed by the last generation to address what they deemed unacceptable behavior in a manner they saw fit. But now, a new generation walks the Northeastern campus, one with new views of what is acceptable and unacceptable and new views of how unacceptable behavior should be dealt with in a fair and ultimately productive manner.

This situation fits the model perfectly. The administration has a policy, and the students don't like it. The students protest, their concerns are collected, a solution is developed, and SGA presents it to the administration for approval. The problem is that we've been stuck trying to convince the administration for half a decade with almost no visible progress, and after this long, I don''t think our student leaders are the problem.

The effectiveness of an educational institution over time depends on its ability to adapt to the changing needs of its students as the world changes around them. And the last time I checked, Northeastern was world renowned for its progressive approach to education through co-op.

So riddle me this, Northeastern: If progress is the ultimate goal, why has a hyper-traditional, obstinate, quatragenarian been allowed to retain one of the university's most important posts as OSCCR director? And further, is she the real stonewall or is it someone higher in the chain of command? At the very least, students deserve an answer, and if necessary, they deserve a new director.

- George Gottschalk IV is a senior economics major and the
former Student Government Association executive vice president for student affairs.

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