Transparency is a very broad term, referring to how Etown faculty and administration are trying to be more open with big decisions made around campus. They are trying to bring students further into a decision-making role.
Transparency has been a highlighted topic around campus recently with issues such as the tuition transparency announcement and the microbial growth.
“Transparency is key to any healthy institution,” junior and Student Senate President Holly Francescone said. Francescone and the rest of the Student Senate are often seen as ambassadors to the administration and ambassadors of transparency.
As Francescone said, transparency is helping to increase the collaboration between the administration and the students. It provides a peace of mind for current and past students, and it builds a trust between students and the administration.
Executive Director of College Engagement Opportunities Mark Clapper highlights how important the institution is in the eyes of the alumni and how important it is to the alumnis for current and future students to become involved in the school as much as they are.
Because of this, Clapper hopes that the tuition transparency in particular is able to illustrate the College’s commitment to “simplifying and clarifying a critically important part of the enrollment process.” This policy will hopefully make Etown more possible and attainable for many prospective students.
Clapper is excited about this tuition transparency policy because he believes that it will lessen the “hurdle” for prospective students, so they can truly see Etown for what it is instead of being deterred by the cost of the institution. Most of the responses received by the Office of Alumni Relations so far have been positive such as “proud of Etown” and “love my alma mater” messages.
The announcement about the tuition transparency brought interest to Etown alumni, with the alumni being interested in how the tuition transparency will translate to other things such as financial aid.
When asked about incoming first year students, Francescone noted that transparency is not typically the first thing that parents and students are thinking about when applying to schools, but at Etown, incoming students should understand the power they possess to write the College’s history and be involved.
Francescone understands that transparency is more than just communicating clearly; it spans into providing an opportunity for collaboration, which is important with the unique and diverse perspective that students can bring to important issues.
“My goal is that one day, transparency will come naturally to the institution, so students can have greater ownership of their college experience,” Francescone said.
She realizes that there is a balance that needs to exist in order for transparency to be successful. The balance involves students and allows them to have a voice but still allows for ideas to be developed and nurtured before they are shared with students. Students “feel a strong level of distrust towards the administration due to past unsuccessful transparency policies, and it will take time to earn the trust back,” Francescone said.
The big issues at the beginning of the year, such as the microbial growth in the Vera Hackman Apartments and the surprise addition of a parking fee on campus forced the administration to improve and look for feedback from students so that it can inform students about decisions and incorporate students into the decision-making process.
Francescone encourages students to reach out to the administration and become familiar with the people who make the large-scale decisions that affect them and get more involved with issues that they care about so that everyone can work better together.
Clapper wants students to remember that Etown is a family of current students, alums and prospective students, and this is an exciting time to watch the institution evolve.
