Transparency is crucial
Since the beginning of the 2017-2018 academic year, students at Guilford have returned to campus noticing a few changes had been made. Over the summer, seven employees were let go of their positions. On June 20, Jane Fernandes held a public meeting where she announced these changes were due to budgetary constraints.
The problem, however, is that there was no official communication to the rest of the community, especially considering that most of the students were back home enjoying their summer vacations. After classes returned, none of the emails from the administration addressed the fact.
This semester, a similar situation occurred when three staff members were allegedly laid off, but there has not been an official notice to the student body since then. Many people in the community felt disrespected, and some even took initiative to protest against the decision.
Another concern is that not only are staff members getting laid off, but their positions are also being terminated. One of them was the assistant director of internships in the Career Development Center. Without this position, there will only be one counselor for that whole department to assist all traditional, CCE students and alumni.
In addition to staff being laid off, there have also been cuts to different departments and events. The spending and cuts seem to be both personnel and operational. Not only are staff members suffering, but different departments have been suffering as well when trying to plan events that are being offered to students.
As journalists, the editorial board of The Guilfordian always looks forward to being transparent with our readership and with bringing the truth to the community. It troubles us to think that the administration does not seem to share the same values.
We understand that the cuts were made with the intention to save the College from the increasing debt. However, there is still a huge lack in communication between the senior team and the rest of the College.
Through this staff editorial, we ask that Guilford considers its values of integrity, community and stewardship. Transparency is not only about sending a message, it is about being honest while respecting that any decisions made will affect students the most.