Letter from the Editor

Dear Administration: Listen More Closely
Nigel Chiwaya

During my tenure as a student at the NYIT Manhattan campus, I’ve heard my fellow students grumble over many things: high textbook prices, high tuition costs, too many adjunct professors, not enough fun things to do on campus, etc. However, if there is one thing that students have grumbled loudest over, it was the lack of an on-campus food service. Students have long resented the fact that they had to head over to Melissa’s, Subway, or Starbucks for a meal at a school that costs over $20,000 a year.

So it stood to reason that when NYIT’s new food service kiosk opened in the Student Activities Building last month, students would’ve been excited, right? Well, not exactly. Thus far, the reaction to the food service from returning students has ranged from indifference to outright hostility. But why exactly are students still grumbling? I mean, NYIT gave us what we asked for, right? Well, not exactly.

We have a food service, yes, but at what cost? The first floor lounge and basement recreation areas were both taken away from students. Now, I understand that we are a small school, and unlike an NYU, we don’t have the ability to buy new space in the area. So in order to create something as ambitious as a food service, certain trade-offs needed to been made. However, in creating the food service, the entire makeup of the SAB has changed. There is food, however there is no space to eat the food on the first floor, so students must head to the second floor lounge. In addition, students who used to play games in the basement also head to the second floor lounge. This has caused the second floor lounge to become an over crowded, noisy area, which affects the Student Activities employees who have offices on that floor. In addition, student groups no longer have a dedicated programming space, meaning that they must now fight with other departments for use of the 11th floor auditorium of the New Technology Building.

In addition, students have lamented the high prices. As Nina states in her article, many students simply don’t feel the need to spend so much money at a new on campus service when Melissa’s is close by.

So right now, no one is happy, and it’s a shame. To the people who worked all summer to make the food service a reality, I realize it must be difficult to watch students react negatively to your hard work. However, the problem is that students didn’t have enough input from the start. It’s not enough to simply give students what you think they want, you must try to give it to them in the way they want it. And if you cannot do that, you must explain to us why not. College students are a difficult group of people to please, but we’re pretty understanding if we’re talked to.

But now, enough of what’s wrong, let’s focus on how to make things right. First: lower the prices of the food. Between tuition, books, supplies, computer software, and transportation, we’re spread thin. If lowering prices across the board isn’t possible, then consider giving a bigger discount (and no, tax free does not count) to the students who use flex funds. This way students will have more of a reason to use flex funds. Getting a card management center machine up and running will also help.

Also, it might not hurt to continue explaining to students that this is a transitional phase, and that the entire building will be remade over the summer. By all means, take the blue prints that ran in last month’s Chronicle and distribute them to all students. And please, do not take away any more lounge space from students.

I’ll give NYIT credit; they’re trying harder than ever to listen to students. I just hope that the administration does not content with where we are now, because right now, we’re simply at a crossroads.