It is safe to say that a Student Bill of Rights is long overdue. Despite being one of the most politically active and socially conscious campuses in the country, AU students have very little in defense of their own interests and college experiences. While the SG's first draft of such a bill of rights is a major step in the right direction, The Eagle offers these four key recommendations:
A privacy policy that respects students and is clearly publicized
Under the current guidelines, the university retains the ability to monitor students' computer use, from bandwidth access to search records. Although students must agree to the Internet regulations in the Student Conduct Code, very few really know what those regulations forbid, and there is no recourse for those who disagree.
The SG should also advocate for a more explicit policy on searching Facebook photos for drinking and illicit substance violations. Facebook photos should never be the basis for punishment by the university. Similarly, the university should clarify its policies for keying into students' rooms for dorm searches. Regardless of our status as residents, AU students are entitled to some measure of personal privacy.
Better student-professor relationships with clearer, stated academic expectations
With more than a thousand full-time and adjunct professors on campus, the lack of standardized teaching protocols produces gaping inconsistencies in grading policies, deadlines and expectations. While a 90 may be an A in one class, it will net A- in another and a B+ in a third. Students deserve a fair grading rubric across the board, especially given varying degrees of difficulty in classes. Professors should also consistently use Blackboard, return student work in a timely manner, assign work with reasonable deadlines and come on time to class.
On a politically charged campus, a Student Bill of Rights ought to protect students from biases in classrooms. Maintaining a diverse dialogue and respecting various opinions cannot be underestimated, yet students with minority or controversial viewpoints must be not penalized on work that is otherwise structurally sound. Student opinion should be considered when the university takes action to refuse professors tenure or let professors go. The current policy leaves students in the dark, wondering why beloved teachers do not return in the fall while other less popular, or even incompetent, professors come back year after year. A Student Bill of Rights should make sure to address these issues so that the quality of education at AU continues to be as receptive to student need as possible.
More accountable and student-friendly financial aid
Financial Aid, Student Accounts and the Office of the Registrar are often collectively referred to as the Bermuda Triangle, a maze of confusion and overlapping authority that makes financial aid crises that much harder to solve. Indeed, it almost seems that students don't know or understand the source of their aid packages until their money is in jeopardy. The SG can fix this by making financial aid processes clearer. For example, current students who lose their scholarships because they've missed GPA requirements by even a tenth of a point can sometimes seek exceptions. But those exceptions aren't guaranteed, and such inconsistency is unfair to other students in similar situations. Even worse, students who do exceptionally well in their first years at AU receive little to no reward since most, if not all, merit aid is awarded at the time of matriculation. And transfer students get the same end of that stick. Just as qualified to attend AU as other freshmen applicants, transfers are often shocked to find they aren't eligible for any merit aid whatsoever, regardless of their academic successes.
While a Student Bill of Rights cannot change Financial Aid's policies, it can facilitate a more transparent, accountable and consistent financial aid process. It could make requirements and policies clearer and standardized - changes that could be jumping points for more reform.
Increased commitment to accessibility
Although AU has a plethora of services to help disabled students navigate and take full advantage of the campus - most buildings have ramps, dorm room numbers are listed in Braille and developers are working to make the Web site more disability-friendly - there's still room for improvement.
A perfect example is the Hurst building. Although Hurst has a wheelchair lift at its front, there are no amenities inside, and it is impossible for disabled students to reach the second floor. There are also no Braille signs to help visually impaired students find their classes, and the doors to each of those rooms are entirely too hard for disabled students to open. Worse, those problems are not confined to Hurst. Some of the ramps scattered throughout campus aren't very wheelchair-friendly. In other buildings, elevators and doors aren't large enough for students in wheelchairs. A Student Bill of Rights that includes support for students with disabilities would be more than welcome. It would force AU administrators to reevaluate university facilities - a perhaps long overdue task.
When formulating the Student Bill of Rights, the SG needs to keep students in mind. A document that is more symbolic than substantive is of use to no one, especially the student body. Moreover, the SG needs to ensure accountability; such documents are only as effective and relevant as the SG's willingness to defend and execute their provisions. Whatever the form the bill of rights takes, we can only hope that any results will serve to ensure fairness and equity in student-university relations.
