Student surprised to find voicing opinion to university higher-ups easy
Don’t make the mistake of not voicing your opinions to administrators. You might be suprised at how interested they are in what you have to say.
COMMENTARY
David Reese

I hope other students at TCU don't make the mistake I have made for the past three years.

While in college, I have been fortunate enough to participate in a number of organizations including residential services, student government and the TCU Daily Skiff.

In those organizations, I have been free to share my opinions and suggestions with my peers. But I never gave my input firsthand to an administrator or a program director.

In an Aug. 30 column, I wrote about my dissatisfaction with the “TCU-En-Mexico” program this summer. I was angry because I had paid a lot of money and I felt like I had been mislead about many facets of the program.

I meant for the column to be a signal to those in charge of the international education program that the Mexico program has a number of flaws.

Then came the e-mail from Tracy Williams, the international education coordinator.

Williams asked me to meet with her and the director of international education, Luis Canales.

At first, I was apprehensive, but since the column was meant to help the international education office, I felt I should stand up for what I believe.

So I went to the meeting a few Tuesdays ago to find out maybe TCU hasn't been deceitful over the past few years.

I remember as a potential student, the admissions office explained that the smaller student population along with the low faculty-student ratio of 15 to 1 helped improve the learning process.

I have had some amazing professors, but I also am a student with decent grades who has flown below the radar of most professors. I've never had a truly one-on-one experience with any of them.

So I was surprised the International Education office actually wanted my suggestions.

If no one says anything, then her office would never know there were problems, Williams said.

I'm impressed with the International Education office now. The folks there were willing to spend an hour of their time talking to someone who hadn’t been a big supporter.

Know what? It felt good that a person with authority over the program wanted to hear what I had to say about it.

Now I realize that I might have missed out on some aspects of the TCU experience by talking only to peers rather than faculty and staff members.

I only have one year left at TCU, but I plan to talk to as many people — including administrators — about topics that affect my everyday life as a student.

I hope you will, too.

It may be that administrators and program directors are waiting for you to give them a different perspective.

And you may change things for the better for you and the students who follow you to TCU.

News editor David Reese is senior journalism/speech communication major from Oceanside, Calif.