By Mary Dubecky, Staff Writer 

Before you read this piece, I urge you to read past senior opinions pieces. Past writers are who I learned from and who helped me form my thoughts.

At Xavier, when you ask students why they came here you are met with many of the same answers. Small class sizes, great academic departments and the Jesuit identity are among the most popular. These are a few of the reasons I decided on Xavier. The student-professor connection is invaluable, and the commitment to progression, care and exploration held by the Jesuits is ever inspiring. I am proud to have gone through – what I believe to be – some of the finest departments Xavier has to offer: the English and Philosophy departments. I have learned and grown as a result of my caring and passionate professors and classmates.

But there are many dividing lines plaguing Xavier. No institution is perfect, and Xavier is certainly no exception. What those before me began to notice, and what my classmates and I have felt strongly is the ever-increasing gap between the administration and students and faculty. 

The universities are places designed specifically for students to deepen their education. This should be done through mutual progression, open discussion and assurance, amongst many other pedagogical ideas. A student should feel seen, respected, heard and safe. The Jesuits would certainly agree. Unfortunately, these sentiments are being lost and sometimes blatantly disregarded. 

Administration is not a mysterious monolith operating behind closed doors. At least, they are not supposed to be. While professors interact with their students on a daily basis through lessons and continued conversations, I cannot say the same for the administrators. I am confident in saying most professors at Xavier know the struggles their students face. The students often know the struggles their professors face – they are humans too after all. I wonder if the administration knows the students at all? 

The disconnect between the two groups has only grown clearer over time. We are taught to critically think and to engage in meaningful dialogue. Our professors guide us through challenging discourse in class. We are also told by many administrators that they believe in open discussion. However, when you leave the classroom, discourse is gone. When there is a message being touted that discourse breeds deeper education while those same messengers are unwilling to share their own beliefs or engage in challenging discussions, a clear problem arises. 

Xavier is facing retention and incoming class size issues. For a liberal arts school, and one that appears to be proud of this, I find it concerning that most of the students studying the liberal arts and humanities are upset and struggling. The solutions that are presented are most often mere bandages. When a basement floods because of a broken pipe, a bucket only does so much.

I call on members of the administration to be brave. To actually converse with students across identities, belief systems and academic departments; to truly foster an open marketplace of ideas. 

Of course, the problem is always more nuanced than this. But the solution is never silence or complacency. A call to recognition of the problem and conversation around the problem can only ever benefit Xavier.

I have my many critical opinions about Xavier. I also have gratitude, and I would be remiss to leave gratitude out, as what I am grateful for is my opinion, too.