I Studentsdeserveanswersfromadministration EDITORIAL On deaf ears

According to a recent survey, students indicated a high rate of satisfaction with the cooperative education and career services, as well as job placement. We would like to commend those involved with co-op and career services for'their visibility on campus and their willingness to extend themselves to meet students' needs.

As the survey reveals, the school is in touch with what the students~rms of career services. Unfortunately, this is tht only area the school has a solid and firm grasp on when it cotrresto the desires of the students. It is our belief that there is a tremendous lack of concern and attention allotted to the interests of the students.

With the controversy surrounding the recent large tuition increase, there has been much discussion among students about what the extra money will be utilized for.

Not only was president Dr. Antoinette Iadarola's account of where the money is going extremely obscure, we are questioning whether or not the briefly described improvements are those that the students really want. Is the administration, specifically Iadarola, spending our money on things that we do not want and ignoring that which we do need?

There are quite a few examples of the neglect of the wishes of students. For quite some time now, students have been expressing their desire for a softball field. Instead of addressing this concern, we now have an often times empty swimming pool. We have a softball team, we do not have a swim team.

Recently, fancy lights have been added to already visible parts of campus. However, there are still areas that are highly traveled by students, like between the mansion and the tennis courts, that are completely dark at night.

The question we are posing is are the opinions of the students being sought after and considered? Where is the personal attention and care we were promised when we came to this school?

It seems that the administration is not active enough to find out what the students want before they do their longrange planning. The College Relations office could hold focus groups or go out and find students to talk to, rather than expecting students to come to them. If this is a college that serves its students, why do they not appear to care about what we really want?

This editorial represents the combined views of the Loquitur's student editorial board. It does not represent the opinion of any one individual writer or any member of the faculty, staff or administration.

Until a few weeks ago, I was looking forward to my senior year. That was before I got a letter in my mailbox. I am referring to the letter sent to the students by Dr. Iadarola about the nearly- IO percent raise in tuition-the second in two years. Not only will I be paying almost $3,000 more to get my degree, but with the recent debate over this year's and future graduations, it seems that I will have to choose which one of my brothers can come to see me receive my diploma on graduation day.

The Class of 2000 will be burned twice next year. In addition to paying more money for "upgrades" to the school that we will not be around to use, we will also be forced to spend our senior year fighting the administration to have the kind of graduation that we want and deserve. We have worked hard for it and now, we will be paying even more for it. A minimum of 10 tickets per senior for graduation is not too much to ask, considering the substantial tuition increase.

In addition to being disgusted about the increase, I am also aggravated by the way the students were informed about it. Bad news is bad news, no matter how you hear it, but this letter is completely perplexing. First, the letter is annoyingly vague and esoterically worded. Since I was a transfer student, references to "the College's first strategic plan" and "phase II renovations" mean nothing to me. I have a feeling that they don't mean much to anyone else, especially first-year students, who will be paying the most for these renovations.

The administration obviously knows that many students will be financially strapped next year due to the increase. I was personally insulted by the suggestion that I should "learn more about the various forms of financial aid." I have enough debt as it is.

I understand that improvements to the school are both necessary and costly. However, a second tuition increase in two years is just asking too much. What happened to all of the additional money that was collected from the tuition increase last year? The letter states that "the college has worked to contain costs." How did they do this and why hasn't it worked? Another tuition increase is not simply a quick fix.

If I am going to pay for something, I want to know exactly what the benefits are, in plain English. The letter does not do this. The only numbers that are concrete and measurable are the price of tuition and the number of beds in the new residence hall It tells us that we are going to have to pay, concrete commitment in writing. but it does not give any idea of-----------when these renovations will be MaryEileenO'Connoris a English/communication.juniormajoringin She is oneof c~~plete~. ~s is ~c_ause the ad- Loquilur'sfeatureseditors.She'smadas m1mstrat:1on1s unwillmg to put a hell,andshe's notgoingto takeit anymore.

I urge the administration to make a commitment to the students. I don't simply mean a commitment to long-term goals, but an everyday commitment. When I came to Cabrini, I was surprised to find that there has only been one or two president's forums, in which the administration sits down with the students to answer whatever questions they may have. Ideally, these forums would take place once or twice per semester. Although the news might be the same, it means more when the administration takes the time to meet the students face to face.

I think students should receive a list each semester stating when any and all improvements, no matter how small, began, what their status is and when they will be completed. We should also receive some type of simple budgetary breakdown so we know exactly what our tuition is being used for.

These are very simple requests. As a student, I don't have time for letters with inflated language and cloudy promises. I have found that the students ask very little of the administration, with little in return and often disregard for the students' feelings, as bas happened with this year's fight over graduation.

This tuition increase is just one example of bow the administration simply asks too much of the students.