"I want to hear your concerns. And this is between you and me," said MCC - Penn Valley President Bernard Franklin on the morning of Thursday, November 9, to approximately 50 students gathered in the fifth floor conference room.
With the sky-blue view behind him, Franklin asked the students to tell him frankly what was on their minds. "This is private, this is sacred," he promised.
Only two other staff members (Franklin's administrative assistant, Theola Cheatham, and Office of Campus Life and Leadership Coordinator Mindy Johnson) were allowed to sit in. A stray faculty member who had wandered in for a free lunch of salad, meaty and meatless lasagna, and chocolate and carrot cake was shooed out by Franklin as he brought the meeting to order.
He began by confessing that, as a young man, he hadn't taken school seriously. Franklin said that it wasn't until he'd had the opportunity to go to college that he had realized the impact higher education could have on his future.
He went on to achieve an impressive record of education and public service that has even included advising then-President Carter on his historic decision to make federal loans available to more low- and middle-income students.
"I'm not saying all this to brag or boast. I'm just saying to you that I came from a poor neighborhood, a poor family, and look where I am now," said Franklin.
"These days are your tickets to the future. And you cannot let your family, your friends, the people around you, hold you back."
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Pointing out that no faculty were present, Franklin said he wanted to hear first-hand from the students about what he could do, as President, to help them get where they wanted to go.
Students took turns speaking, and soon Franklin was being bombarded by stories of negative behavior by faculty, staff, and other students, with only smatterings of praise. Franklin waded valiantly into the fray, as patient as Jerry Springer, though at times obviously appalled at what he was hearing.
Eventually, one student declared that she had worked with Franklin previously to resolve some of her own problems, and she believed him to be a sincere and caring man who would try to help everyone who came to him.
"I know that, I see that, you care," she told Franklin. "I tell my friends, I like him, he's a good man. They don't know that you care."
Visibly touched, Franklin paused a few moments before affirming, "I do care. You don't know how much I care."
But, he said, most students never file an actual complaint with his office. He is unable to act on problems of which he is unaware.
"I can't help you if you don't come to me," he said. He instructed Cheatham, already busily taking minutes of the meeting, to make notes for him to follow up on every item discussed.
Several students said they had never been told that there was a complaint process, and suggested that it be explained during orientation meetings. Johnson said that it is mentioned in the Student Handbook, but, she noted, "Not too many students read the Student Handbook." She said that there had also been printing delays.
One student observed that the group of students present, while diverse in many respects, was probably not representative of many students' experience, since most of those invited appeared to be academic leaders.
"It might have been better to invite students who were not doing so well," she said, and Franklin agreed.
Some students complained of getting grades lower than they deserved, and Franklin encouraged them to appeal. "You can always challenge a grade you've been given," he said. "Don't be afraid to appeal!"
A student who said she was near graduation spoke in defense of some "tough" teachers who had often turned to out to be the most effective for her. She said that teachers have disruptive students and other pressures that may sometimes cause them to act negatively. But Franklin held firm, saying that nothing gives teachers the right to mistreat students, even when trying to maintain discipline.
To many complaints, Franklin responded, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You should have received better service than that." He promised to investigate.
To others, Johnson said, "We are in the middle of a huge student processes review, and we have to make recommendations for every procedure that a new student will encounter here. We are reviewing those processes and we have to have recommendations as of June, so you will see us instituting some changes."
Johnson said that her door is always open as well, and that she will respond promptly to email if students have any suggestions or comments.
She said that a group will soon be formed to initiate a student government at Penn Valley, with elections hopefully to be held next spring, and officers in place and at work by next fall. She encouraged anyone interested in the group to contact her.
"Students as consumers need a voice in the shared government here at Penn Valley," she said.
"If we're going to have a student government," said a student, "we need a newsletter."
A number of students agreed, but each seemed to have a different idea of what the newsletter should contain, and no clear consensus emerged on how it might be published or distributed.
One student suggested that the newsletter could be incorporated into Spectrum, printed on paper, and distributed campus-wide.
"We'll figure out how to get it printed," said Franklin.
He also appealed to the students to join him in an effort to recruit more Latino students to Penn Valley.
"We'll do anything," he said. "There's no good reason for Latinos to go across state lines to Kansas schools like Donnelly and pay out-of-state tuition, as many do now." Members of the Organization for Latin Awareness of Students vowed their support.
Before winding up the meeting, Franklin said that he would like to see a student ombudsman, or advocate, in place to assist students in filing complaints. "I believe some of [the problems] don't get resolved because the student has been unable to articulate the problem," he said. "They need help."
"Well, you all have certainly made my day," Franklin concluded, shaking his head but sounding undaunted. "I know there are positive things happening - I hear about those. I need to hear the challenges. You know, you've got to fix things, and I've got to fix this stuff."
Afterward, grazing through the abundant leftovers still warming at the buffet tables, students seemed generally enthusiastic, agreeing that the meeting had given them a more positive outlook.
"I'm glad I came," said one student, daintily spooning a small mountain of tasty lasagna onto his plate. "Not just for the food! I thought Dr. Franklin was really listening to us - that means a lot. I think we connected."
Copyright 2006 Metropolitan Community College