On Thursday, March 4th, the Student Body Association held a faculty-free town hall to address concerns regarding the recent winter storm. While morale has been steadily declining, the recent ice storm seems to be the last straw for students.
Questions surrounding communication and transparency early-on became the most frequent, but most of all, students want to know why.
“Why were they so unprepared for the ice storm?”
“On the revised schedule, we started school earlier, we end on the same day, and we have no break. Why?”
“Why didn’t they tell us we could stay home?”
Why has the College made all the decisions it has? And, why have they left us in the dark?
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“Why were they so unprepared for the ice storm? What is the explanation for the negligence?”
“They switched our rest day at the last minute. I was planning on shadowing and my friends were planning on going home. When they changed it to a week and a half before, professors had already assigned homework.”
“I want my degree to mean something in four years.”
“Is there a plan if this happens in the future?”
“The shower trailers were a good idea, but they were only open for three hours in the morning and three at night. Is there a reason the hours weren’t extended?”
“In the middle of a pandemic, why didn’t we have Lysol or any products in the bathroom?”
“The problem is executive staff… Student Life has been working around the clock, and I have a lot of respect for them.”
“Midterms are coming up and these conditions are not conducive to success.”
“I want to paint a picture on why students are overwhelmed. Shower hours are from 7-10 and 5-8. Only 3 hours, and with a lot of athletes, it was very hectic. Then, you have to go off campus to wash your clothes, and you have to go to class in between that. The times of everything are skewed. It all starts to clash and run together. And, you’re trying to eat in that same time period… Only so many hours in the day.”
“How are we going to be compensated in some way?”
“I do feel for faculty because they’ve had pay cuts. It isn’t fair to us, or faculty, or literally anyone.”
“Where did the spring break days go?”
“We can’t even get a proper rest day.”
“Why didn’t they tell us we could stay home? My issue is they told us to come back on Saturday but didn’t tell us that we could all stay home.”
“Asking for compensation does jeopardize faculty, but it seems to be a common theme that Millsaps loses money. It shouldn’t be on students to worry about faculty’s jobs… Some of [the conditions] are inexcusable.”
“We should add another rest day.”
“On the revised schedule, we started school earlier, we end on the same day, and we have no break. Why?”
“In Bacot since we came on campus, bathrooms have been cleaned three times. It actually got better when the snow happened because then they were cleaned.”
“I keep hoping things get better.”
“It’s a little ridiculous we’re heard next to nothing from executive staff. It’s not fair for anyone to have to answer for them or bear the brunt of it.”
“People are considering transferring because of this.”