President Hatch positives?

[WakeBDer]

I mean things like:

Undergrad
- building more housing before you decide to implement a mandatory 3 year residency requirement
- building more housing, adding more dining space, adding more parking (or prohibiting freshman from bringing cars at all), adding more recreational space when you increase enrollment beyond capacity
The additional tuition from increased enrollment is being used to address these items. They've been needed for a long time but there haven't been the monetary resources to correct them.
- spend money on a new rec center and things that are truly necessary on campus rather than building the "barn" and buying up a lot of now unused property on deacon blvd. I know that this is a really long term development plan, but it seems impractical given the pressing needs that exist on campus.
There was MAJOR demand for a facility like the Barn. It was "low hanging fruit." If that is not common sense then I don't know what is.

Worrell
- coming up with a plan for the parking situation at Worrell when you take away a parking lot next to IS for faculty/staff, eliminate spaces because of the rerouted road, and add an entire new section of 1Ls because you "accidentally" let in too many students
- create some kind of decent dining option for people in Worrell when you eliminate the IS cafeteria
- create some kind of new dedicated study space for law students when you renovate the library to add staff offices on every floor, thereby eliminating a lot of student study space
- build new offices for professors, but refuse to make significant changes to areas used by students because "we're completely renovating in a few years"


I understand that changes have to be made in increments to further some type of long term plan. However, long term planning shouldn't mean that current students of the undergraduate and graduate schools have to have a lesser student experience for the sake of people who will attend Wake Forest in the future. Taking a minute to use some common sense and think about how new policies or construction may change the day to day life of students and perhaps soliciting student input on how to best deal with these changes would go a long way.

All in all. Your points seem fair. I'm curious to Dean Morant's reaction when you spoke with him.

I've attended open forums seeking student, staff, and faculty input about potential changes and not one student has shown up. Students are extraordinarily reactive in terms of change and have a Veruca Salt "I want it now!" mindset. I can't blame them. I was the same way. I've gained a bit of perspective now where I'm happy that students have things that I didn't have when I was in school.

To think that the administrators don't "take a minute to use common sense" is just silly.

 

[Deac2010]

First, Bder is killing it in this thread. I also graduated in 2010 and I take some issue with your comments. First, if you're bitter about the administration at Wake, that's fine. I'm certainly not Hatch's biggest fan, I think he's pretty lame and there are probably people out there who would be a much better fit as President at Wake. I'd encourage you to ask your friends at other schools what they think of their administration or the direction of their school. They will probably offer up a bunch of complaints.

Using those complaints as a vendetta to not donate to the school is lame. First, you're hurting the value of your degree. All those changes and buildings you want to see Wake make and build cost a shitload of money. So start donating if you want a bigger gym or a better classrooms for liberal arts majors. Second, you have to treat a donation to Wake as an investment in the future of the school and the future value of your degree. If you want Wake to be able to compete in an increasingly difficult academic environment, it is going to take a lot of money. Wake has a smaller alumni base than similar schools so in order to keep up, we need all alumni to contribute, even if it is a small contribution.

If you have serious complaints about your entire academic career at Wake, I'm sorry, maybe you should have transferred or looked elsewhere for a school that would have better met your needs. If you have some gripes about the administration or the direction of the school, that's fine. Call and voice your complaints to the advancement office while making a donation to a department or section of the school that you did enjoy (surely there has to be something).

I really liked Wake and enjoyed my experience there. I was more involved on campus and did more for the university than most students. I was involved with the administration, know their lies and the bureaucracy. I'm not bitter; I'm just a critic.

 

[bojanglefunk]

All in all. Your points seem fair. I'm curious to Dean Morant's reaction when you spoke with him.

I've attended open forums seeking student, staff, and faculty input about potential changes and not one student has shown up. Students are extraordinarily reactive in terms of change and have a Veruca Salt "I want it now!" mindset. I can't blame them. I was the same way. I've gained a bit of perspective now where I'm happy that students have things that I didn't have when I was in school.

To think that the administrators don't "take a minute to use common sense" is just silly.

+10000.

Change is always going to impact current students. I took my first law school exams with jack hammering going on because Duke was building a new atrium and rennovating the law library. I had a lesser experience. Luckily it was done during my 1L year and I also got to use it, but the 3Ls that had just graduated didn't and put up with the same problems. There are always some losers and some winners.

 

[Deac2010]

All in all. Your points seem fair. I'm curious to Dean Morant's reaction when you spoke with him.

I've attended open forums seeking student, staff, and faculty input about potential changes and not one student has shown up. Students are extraordinarily reactive in terms of change and have a Veruca Salt "I want it now!" mindset. I can't blame them. I was the same way. I've gained a bit of perspective now where I'm happy that students have things that I didn't have when I was in school.

To think that the administrators don't "take a minute to use common sense" is just silly.

You have a VERY student government mindset. Are you in SG? I almost think I know who you are.

 

[bojanglefunk]

He graduated before I did, so no.

 

[WakeBDer]

I really liked Wake and enjoyed my experience there. I was more involved on campus and did more for the university than most students. I was involved with the administration, know their lies and the bureaucracy. I'm not bitter; I'm just a critic.

Just so I'm clear too: There is PLENTY of criticism to be aimed at University administration top to bottom. I just want to make sure that the criticisms are informed and directed at the appropriate people/bodies.

I also can't say enough how much I encourage discourse. Bringing up concerns on this board is great if you just want to vent. However, you won't be met with much good information and certainly no changes. Find the decision makers and talk to them. Don't go in on a Quixotic quest to right all the wrongs but ask your questions and get answers. They may not be the answers you want to hear but that's life sometimes.

 

[WakeBDer]

You have a VERY student government mindset. Are you in SG? I almost think I know who you are.

Nope. Never was involved in SG.

 

[Deac2010]

All in all. Your points seem fair. I'm curious to Dean Morant's reaction when you spoke with him.

I've attended open forums seeking student, staff, and faculty input about potential changes and not one student has shown up. Students are extraordinarily reactive in terms of change and have a Veruca Salt "I want it now!" mindset. I can't blame them. I was the same way. I've gained a bit of perspective now where I'm happy that students have things that I didn't have when I was in school.

To think that the administrators don't "take a minute to use common sense" is just silly.

What about the ARAMARK catastrophe of 2009 where they started letting students use their meal plan at subway and then realized it was way too expensive so they cancelled it. How many minutes did they ponder over that one?

There's other examples of bad decisions taken by the administration (and yes, I consider Aramark part of the administration since the administration made the decision to hire that contractor out of all the options)

 

[WakeBDer]

What about the ARAMARK catastrophe of 2009 where they started letting students use their meal plan at subway and then realized it was way too expensive so they cancelled it. How many minutes did they ponder over that one?

There's other examples of bad decisions taken by the administration (and yes, I consider Aramark part of the administration since the administration made the decision to hire that contractor out of all the options)

I'm not familiar with that one. Can you tell me more?

 

[bojanglefunk]

Well clearly the solution is to elect 2010 dictator of the school.

 

[Deac2010]

I'm not familiar with that one. Can you tell me more?

In 2009, they changed the meal plan (something that is not a 10 year plan and affects students immediately). They now allowed you to use your meal plan to get any sandwich from subway/chick fil a you wanted. Everything was just a swipe of a meal (not deacon dollars). Students, of course, loved this. 3 months later, they decided it was not making them any money, so they changed it.

They have the right to change it (since it was not making them money), I'm not arguing with that one. I'm just trying to highlight some decisions made by the school that were half baked - like google+

 

[ellisat2]

Maybe I am extremely short-sighted, or apathetic, or a representative of many distant, non-involved alumni, but here is my opinion on pretty much this entire thread:

I don't care about anything that doesn't impact our academics, our athletics, or the value of my degree (rankings, etc). I have already come to grips with the fact that I likely will not be able to afford to send my kids to WFU. I couldn't care less about the gym, the food options, the classroom chair padding. The gym was shitty when I was there and it still is - and you shouldn't feel entitled to anything because you know what you're getting into when you enroll. Hell, I was there a few weeks ago, and everything is as nice (if not an incredible amount nicer) than when I was there. WFU is only getting better, no matter how long it is taking.

 

[Deacfreak07]

In 2009, they changed the meal plan (something that is not a 10 year plan and affects students immediately). They now allowed you to use your meal plan to get any sandwich from subway/chick fil a you wanted. Everything was just a swipe of a meal (not deacon dollars). Students, of course, loved this. 3 months later, they decided it was not making them any money, so they changed it.

They have the right to change it (since it was not making them money), I'm not arguing with that one. I'm just trying to highlight some decisions made by the school that were half baked - like google+

Did Hatch's regime create that agreement with Aramark? Not sure the timeline. I think John Anderson started that. Aramark's contract was/is ironclad IIRC. They call the shots.

John Anderson also brought the UPS store to campus and laid off all the postal workers. Only to find out that UPS sucked for students.

 

[DeacAlum2001]

As I read through this thread I laughed a lot because the complaints from current students are pretty much the same complaints as when I was a student at Wake (97-01) and the same complaints that students before me made.

As far as Hatch as University President, I have no serious complaints right now. I like his vision and think he has done a very good job of being responsive to alumni and communicating with alumni. I have e-mailed him a few times over the years about different issues to voice my opinion and even though I am not a large donor (I was only been able to make a few small donations while I was in the military) and am no more special than any other regular alum, he always responded personally to my e-mails and addressed my concerns.

I know students made a lot of complaints about Hearn being disassociated with students and there were lots of jokes about how he cared more about getting his new Lexus every 2 years then about student issues, etc. However, the few times I saw him around campus and approached him, he took the time to talk to me always seemed approachable. It is a lot like BDer has been saying that the administration seeks student input but the students rarely show up to give constructive input. This is not a Wake specific issue, either. I see it a lot now teaching for the military. Students complain to us a lot about issues but then when the military leadership gives them forums to provide feedback or ask questions they don't say anything.

 

[wake]

Man the one semester where we could use the meal plan anywhere was so awesome, spring 09 I think.It was probably the only time I ever came close to even breaking even on my meal plan.

 

[DeaconCav06]

I get what you're saying Ellis, but all of those things that students care about are what get us the best students and that's how we make sure that the value of our degree is high.

You have to get the highest caliber students you can. That's why things like losing the SAT requirement annoy me.

 

[HailToTheDeacons]

Man the one semester where we could use the meal plan anywhere was so awesome, spring 09 I think.It was probably the only time I ever came close to even breaking even on my meal plan.

Truth. I ate so much subway and chick-fil-a my senior year.

 

[WakeBDer]

In 2009, they changed the meal plan (something that is not a 10 year plan and affects students immediately). They now allowed you to use your meal plan to get any sandwich from subway/chick fil a you wanted. Everything was just a swipe of a meal (not deacon dollars). Students, of course, loved this. 3 months later, they decided it was not making them any money, so they changed it.

They have the right to change it (since it was not making them money), I'm not arguing with that one. I'm just trying to highlight some decisions made by the school that were half baked - like google+

Gotcha. You're right it sounds like it wasn't completely thought through.

 

[DistrictDeacon]

Some other items he touched on upcoming in the next 24-36 months:
Adding an additional dining option on the quad
Renovations for Scales Fine Arts Center
Social Sciences will be moving into Kirby Hall when the B-School moves out
Law School will be refurbishing Worrell when the B-School moves out
Construction of a new upperclassmen dorm beginning in 2012
Top to Bottom Renovation of Reynolds Gym for Student Fitness (educating the whole person); including an expansion for additional classroom space for HES Department

Really spoke to the struggles at Wake Forest of balancing Tradition and Innovation.

Good to see the tradition of ignoring the embarrassingly outdated science buildings continues.

 

[PhDeac]

Good to see the tradition of ignoring the embarrassingly outdated science buildings continues.

True. One would think they'd rename "Winston" and "Salem" for chump change.