As I round out the end of my final semester at Sinclair, I’ve been looking back on the experiences I’ve had both at Sinclair and at the Clarion.
This column has been dedicated to politics and my weird fascination with constantly making fun of politicians who make one too many blunders.
However, I have never addressed the politics of my own school. Sinclair has its own set of politics that can sometimes be more of a hindrance than a help.
Even though Sinclair is a great school and I’ve loved my experience here, it has a startling lack of transparency towards their students and their professors.
Everything is kept under lock and key as if it’s all one big secret when, in reality, Sinclair doesn’t have giant secrets to keep.
Wright State struggled with the same transparency problems and they had a reason for it. They were possibly in violation of federal law.
I would be shocked and flabbergasted if Sinclair has been breaking the law because I love this school and genuinely don’t believe they would violate the law.
However, if there is nothing to hide, why act like there is? Why not make information ready and available to the public because they aren’t ashamed of it?
I went through the process of submitting a public records request to the school for financial and budget information. Sinclair was incredibly helpful through the process and were more than willing to give me information and helpful tips.
Throughout my Clarion career, however, Sinclair has been virtually silent, making us pay for sins done by a former Clarion staff that was long since gone.
Submitting a public records request was the best thing I ever did because they actually reached out and opened up the lines of communication again.
However, most colleges have information listed on their website as to where to submit a public records request. Sinclair did not. Also, documents that are readily made known and available at other schools, such as the fiscal budget and audits, are not listed or mentioned at Sinclair.
The Board of Trustees at Sinclair, perhaps some of the most important decision makers here, are not really known and it can take a long search to find them on Sinclair’s website. Who are the Board of Trustees? What kind of work do they do?
The people who voted for your tuition fee increase and the smoking ban are not made known at Sinclair. They are hidden behind closed doors while they make decisions that impact your future.
Sinclair, as great of a school as it is, could be headed down a dangerous path of secrecy if they don’t begin to truly open their doors. Secrecy is the name of politics and transparency is the name of true democracy.
Sinclair, don’t hide behind glass walls or, in some cases, concrete walls. Open up the lines of communication between Sinclair and its students. Let them know who your Board of Trustees are, let them know where to submit a public records request and don’t hide away the president of the school behind doors.
There’s been so much emphasis on discussion here, but it doesn’t work when the conversation only goes one way. Students need to know that Sinclair is there and they truly care. Don’t just send an email when something happens, but actually get out there and connect.
It’s not about likes and views on a social media page – the twenty billion exclamation points make me cringe every time – that make you seem in touch with students.
College is about giving students the best learning experience they could possibly have and being transparent to them about what kind of people are in Sinclair. Let’s be that college.
Laina Yost
Managing Editor