PVCC President Dr. Bernard Franklin hosted his spring semester luncheon for student leaders on Monday, February 11, in the fifth floor conference room.  Attendance was lower than it has been traditionally; only about a dozen students showed up with opinions to express, but the discussion was frank and open as usual, Franklin's stated aim. 

  "This gives me a chance to hear what students' concerns and issues are on campus," Franklin said.  "And it gives students a chance to talk to the President, in an  environment where they don't feel threatened.  What I end up doing is taking a lot of notes, and sometimes not responding in a way that really helps you.  I'm trying to interpret this for my Leadership Team...[but] things get lost in the translation.  So they're here to listen to some of things you have issues with...I want you to be honest and forthright, because that's your perception, and your perception's okay here.  We'll tell you if you're screwed up!"

  Present were Sandy McIlnay, Director of Health Sciences and Associate Dean of Instruction, under Dr. Al Dimmitt; Thomas Walker, Dean of Administrative Services; Carroll O'Neal, Associate Dean of Students; Tracy Hall, Associate Dean, Planning and Development, and Greg Sanford, President of the Faculty Senate.

   "I just want to make sure we have good honest dialogue, and people don't feel intimidated," Franklin continued, and then asked to students to speak up.

   A nursing student complained that recent inclement weather announcements have come after she is already on campus, which means she then has to return home, since she isn't allowed to stay.  She said she has to be on the road by 5:30a.m., and would - like other nursing students - appreciate an earlier decision on campus closings.

  "You know, I'll never make a decision that will make everyone happy," said Franklin.  "Understand, there's a lot that can happen between 4 and 6a.m."  He explained that he'd waited till after 6:30a.m. to make a decision recently, because even though there wasn't that much snow and the campus lots had been cleared, city road conditions were bad.  He said he would work with his "calling tree" of people he calls to get the word out, to see if the nursing department could be advised sooner, since they must start their day earlier.

  A student from Mexico and another from Russia both said they're very pleased to be attending Penn Valley.  Dr. Franklin said he wondered if they felt welcomed by staff and students, and both said in general, they do.  But they said they were surprised at how readily Americans choose the elevator over even one flight of stairs.  "That's the American way," quipped a dean.

  More classroom power outlets, including for individual chairs, were suggested, and Franklin agreed to look into it.

  Several students blamed staff for guidance errors that had led or will lead to extra semesters, and therefore more time and expense than had actually been necessary to get the degree they sought.  This prompted an extended discussion of how often students find themselves learning things the hard way because of flawed advice from staff, and how this learning always seems to involve paying more money to the MCC.

  One student who said she now primarily attends UMKC, described how often she is impressed with the way she is treated much more positively there, like an adult.

  "Having an instructor that looks down at you and doesn't care, that makes you look down on a class.  Here [at Penn Valley], it's like, I HOPE you make it.  It's hard to have optimism if you always have that negative attitude confronting you."  She said the underlying attitude at Penn Valley seems to be, "you're on your own, kid."

The Cafe Scout and the Penn Valley Bookstore are perfect examples, noted another student.  "We think they're here to help us because we're students," he said, "but they're really just in it for the buck, like any predator on the block.  That's why a decent-sized, modest salad costs you $12 or more.  That's why you pay for a CD you don't need, when you buy your astronomy text that isn't really necessary either, if you just take notes in class.  Or how about a Bible, which the Bookstore tells you is required for one course at a cost of $45, when it's freely available online - you don't even have to steal one from a motel room!" He said faculty could help tremendously by choosing to avoid textbooks and their publishers, and instead making assignments from freely available online sources.

  Franklin said he understood these problems are nationwide.  He said he's talked with his staff and "I know we're making changes, and I have talked with Dean Minis but I know we need more advisors, and we need to look at things."  He said there are always budget restraints whenever improvements are considered, but no one should ever feel "pushed out the door" in the educational process.  He asked the students to see him after lunch to set up further meetings.

  He suggested that some of the students as a group should meet with Dean Minis for dialogue about their concerns with student services.  Dean Walker added that he was sensitive to the issues as well, and said a lengthier student orientation process might be a good idea.

  Franklin asked the administrators if they had anything to say, or questions to ask. 

  Greg Sanford said he wanted to affirm that book publishers are indeed deceitfully making excessive profits at the expense of students.  "Insofar as textbooks are concerned, it's gotten so bad that Congress is investigating," he said.  "It's gotten completely out of control."

  He said one problem he wanted to ask students about was "Are chairs or tables a more ideal arrangement?"  There was nearly unanimous agreement that tables are preferred over the sort of one piece, tube-'n-slab-made-for-kids chairs common in most Penn Valley classrooms. Walker said he definitely shared that concern personally, having sat in one recently during a meeting and finding himself still stuck in the chair even after standing up to leave.

  "What could we do to better market our athletic teams?" asked Walker.  Students proposed traditional methods like everyone agreeing to wear school colors on game day, promotional posters, and more of a focus on team spirit, especially by faculty, who many look to for leadership in that area.

With time running out, Franklin called the lunch to a close by extending the customary offering of leftover pizza, salad, and cookies for everyone to take home. "This is my favorite part of these lunches," one veteran confided to another while bagging up a couple slices of pepperoni, one plain cheese slice and a large sugar cookie. "We should have these more often, serious!"

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