The last leaves hit the ground, and something shifts. The days get shorter, the cold creeps in, and for many of us, the mood drops along with the temperature. It almost makes Minecraft all that much better.
Attending the MOSA Town Hall
As a new student on ESF’s main campus, I decided to attend the recent MOSA Town Hall. The campus has been swirling with talk of fiscal crises, stabilization plans, and decisions made by the higher layers of SUNY. I went hoping for clarity and maybe even a sense of direction.
What I found instead was a reminder of how messy things feel right now. Students are disappointed. People are angry. And beneath that anger is a real fear that our generation will simply be swallowed by a political moment that treats public education as an afterthought.
A reaction no one wants to admit
Walking out of that meeting, I felt three things. Embarrassed, frustrated, and confused. Embarrassed and frustrated to sit beside students who claim active listening skills yet seem unwilling to apply them. Frustrated that so many are quick to assume malicious intent rather than grapple with the real constraints of a public institution.
SUNY is not a private business with unlimited flexibility, and it is not a charity that can conjure resources out of thin air. President Joanie Mahoney is not secretly plotting the downfall of ESF. She is operating inside a rigid bureaucratic structure where refusing to sign a stabilization plan would cost her the job, while signing it at least keeps her in a position where she can continue to fight for ESF’s interests. You do not need to admire her biography to understand the political reality she is working in.
A call for restraint and responsibility
If you are a student at ESF, please use common sense when asking questions to the person who is actively trying to secure funding for the institution we all rely on. If you are a member of MOSA, remember that a town hall needs a moderator or it becomes a shouting match. When you invite guests, communication must be clear and expectations must be understood by everyone in the room, especially when it comes to speaking time.
Hold power accountable. Push back when it is deserved. But aim your punches higher and make sure they land on the right target. Critique is valuable only when it is grounded in reality, and right now, reality is complicated enough without us making it harder to navigate.