Senior Noah Tilsen rightfully pointed out some Hamline shortcomings in a Letter to the Editor published in last week’s issue of the Oracle. I have a few thoughts about the things Noah pointed out, from agreeing with his disappointment to understanding the business of colleges in our American society.

Noah begins his letter by drawing attention to the 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio that Hamline loves to boast about. For many, this was a deciding factor between Hamline and other schools. However, many classes don’t ring true to this statistic. I completely understand this frustration. I applied only to  small schools, so naturally, small class sizes were something I looked forward to. I didn’t want to be just another face in a sea of college students.

Luckily, I’ve been able to witness small and large class sizes. In my sophomore year, I took Textual Studies and Criticism, an English evening class where we had 10 students. We had many  thorough discussions, frequently staying the complete three hours. We learned each other’s names and how to have effective discussions. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen what’s been happening to the ENG 1800 courses.

Professional writing courses usually fill up rapidly, missing out on first years and sophomores who should be taking these  introductory courses, because so many juniors and seniors need them to graduate. In my 1800 course during my sophomore year, we had multiple people sit in on the first day, hoping they could get a spot in the already overfilled class. As Tilsen explains, it can make it a bit uncomfortable to get that complete learning experience. Our classroom, one of those with the pods and screens, was full and one group had to sit at a table without a screen. The screens were highly connected to our course taught by Professor Jen England, so that group kind of missed out. ENG 1800 should be full of first years and sophomores. They shouldn’t have to fight seniors for spots in an introductory course.

Moving on to the more financial side of things, I can see Noah’s notion of feeling like “cattle” to the university. I can guarantee he is not alone in feeling this way. While not everyone wants it to be this way, post-secondary education in this country is a business. It’s marketing and targeting and recruiting. It’s enrolling students the university sees as dollar signs. There are endless costs associated with running a college or university, and someone needs to pay for those. I understand that President Miller’s predecessor totally overpaid herself and, in turn, made things worse for us all.

In 2015, the Oracle made clear President Linda Hanson’s outrageous budget and financial choices. Past Piper reporters pointed out that Hanson “received a 42% pay raise in the ‘06-’07 fiscal year amidst financial concerns.” I believe that President Miller is trying to make things right, but that kind of overspending can’t be fixed in a year or two. It’s going to take time. With rising tuition costs and no more free J-term, it’s important for Hamline to remember why some of us came here in the first place.

While I’m  not a proponent of free college, I think a line needs to be drawn. Most certainly, if you enroll in an institution that gives you certain truths, they damn well better keep those truths or at least grandfather in students. As Noah points out in regards to credit limits per semester, this causes some serious troubles for students. Many have planned out their courses and this sudden credit limit definitely hinders some plans.

While I could possibly temporarily excuse some of the financial burdens of Hamline, I do believe some of the more organizational and administrative problems should not be happening. Take Noah’s example—everyone’s favorite university bookstore. I won’t even go into lengths about paying $690 for a book rental program that could be much cheaper through online book rental programs, especially when a student might only have a few books during certain semesters.

Costs aside, this semester the bookstore has been one hell of a hot mess. I’ve heard countless horror stories across all disciplines. My entire management class was without books for the first week and once my book was finally in, many students in my class had two of the exact same book bagged and ready to be picked up. I don’t understand the complete disarray the bookstore has been in. Even with new management and a new location, this isn’t their first rodeo. I think the chaos has been completely unnecessary and I sure hope they get their act together for next semester.

I’d also love to complain about the large number of empty offices on campus. Student organizations have been vying for offices, but still haven’t been cleared to take up just one of the countless empty spaces. While we are all unique in our experiences at Hamline, as Noah says, this hasn’t just been affecting him. Like many, I’m growing sick and tired of the disillusionment and lack of transparency from Hamline.

I have to conclude that this isn’t the professors’ wrongdoing in the slightest. Many of the professors I’ve had have been overwhelmingly caring and attentive to keeping costs low for students. They point out additional resources for students unsure where their next meals will come from. They offer to cover costs of activities like play showings so that students can fully participate in their class. For me, the professors are what keep me here at Hamline. We do have a “meal of problems” at Hamline, and it’s not just the food at Anderson. I believe we have a whole slew of financial and administrative issues brewing that may only be solved in due time, with student advocacy and attention at the forefront for resolution.