Navigating the confusion

Since the start of the year, communication from Cabrini’s leadership has disappointed students. This year’s running theme is the administration’s lack of transparency and clear messaging. It puts us, the students, in a position where we are constantly blindsided by new information or outright left in the dust as we traverse a year full of meaningful changes. 

Hearing of the school’s closure through an outside source’s leak sparked a mountain of questions from students, faculty, and alumni. The campus community deserved to hear the news directly from the school itself. People on campus began to distrust the administration because of the leak, creating more uncertainties and questions because we had no idea where to turn for correct information.

The administration has only hosted one event where students could have their questions answered in person. While last December’s town hall was well received by students in attendance, there wasn’t a follow-up opportunity in the second semester. Student government was also the one to initiate this event, with most of the questions pre-planned for Dr. Filling-Brown and President Drinan to answer.

The time allowed for questions from the crowd seemed minimal during the one hour session, and without a formal follow up conversation there remained concerns of how the rest of the year would unfold for students.

Missing the mark

Navigating this year as a senior has been difficult, and the lack of communication is frustrating. From the beginning, the main point of concern for seniors was if they would be able to finish out this year and graduate. There was assurance that they would be able to do that, however, dates either kept changing or were unclear.

Some seniors were not notified of graduation registration, either finding out from their professors or through word of mouth from their peers. This caused confusion where students were barely able to make this important deadline, which would have impacted their ability to receive their diploma and walk in May.

Cabrini’s website states that this date was on the master calendar, however it is normally practice for mass messages to be shared with the student body regarding important dates.

The lack of communication on behalf of student athletes has also been inadequate this semester. Coming close to the end of the year, athletes, especially seniors, are preparing for annual academic and athletic recognition ceremonies.

These ceremonies honor student success, and serve as a culmination of their time as Cabrini student athletes. Unfortunately, the dates for these ceremonies and events remained unknown for a majority of the semester.

Once the dates were announced, athletes noticed that these times conflicted with conference playoffs that have been on the schedule since the beginning of this semester. Athletes, who are already low on roster numbers, must now sacrifice these final events to fulfill their commitment to their teams. On top of this, it also impacts families from out of town who wish to watch their students get the recognition they deserve.

This shows that communication has been lacking between different areas of the school, creating conflicts that impact the student experience directly.

It’s unclear if students are the priority throughout this final year. On top of all this, little information has been shared about how our student body’s legacy will live for years to come. Those of us who don’t graduate in May will not be considered Cabrini alumni. Does that mean the years of forming meaningful relationships and bonds with our classmates will go to waste? We made the decision to return to a school as it is in the process of closing, and we are not being valued as members of this final student body.

It feels as if the school is simply checking off items on a list of things to do before closing it’s doors, rather than assist students on their journey through this final semester.