Staff Editorial | College president’s legacy will be prioritizing student voice

With the end of this semester comes the end of College President Fran Fergusson’s 20-year tenure at Vassar. The upcoming transition to a new leader provides an opportunity for students to reflect on how Fergusson has shaped the College.

Fergusson has left her mark on almost every building on campus, from house parlors to the new Center for Drama and Film. But some of the most important changes to the College cannot be seen on a map of the campus. Throughout her tenure, Fergusson has been integral in creating a space for student voice on the campus. This is a mark that cannot be easily photographed or placed in a brochure, but one that has significantly shaped our experience at Vassar.

This is not to imply that the past 20 years have passed quietly or with little disturbance. In 1988, three students were suspended, prompting a campus-wide response. Students staged a takeover of Main Building in 1990 to protest a guest lecturer. More recently, concerns over restructuring and College finances led to a Town Hall meeting last spring. All of these incidents occured under Fergusson’s tenure. Nevertheless, such conflict is bound to occur in any community composed of invested individuals. What is commendable is how the administration, under Fergusson's guidance, has handled issues such as these.

The sit-ins of the early 1990s resulted in the creation of the ALANA center, and last year’s case of student agitation led to the administration holding a public forum that addressed issues of the budget, restructuring, and how to create an inclusive and safe campus. Both are cases where students raised their voices and the administration listened.

Alongside contentious issues, student voice has played an increasingly large role in the decision-making process at the College. Under Fergusson's tenure, student representatives have been placed on a wide range of College committees, from the Committee on College Life to the recent Presidential Search Committee. Fergusson also initiated the position of Student Assistant to the President, a role that allows a student to act as a direct liaison between peers and administrators, and a tradition that President-Elect Catharine Bond Hill will continue. Also, Fergusson holds open office hours that provides a chance for students to approach the president with any issue, question, or concern.

Fergusson has made a concerted effort to give the student body a voice in campus discussions and decisions. As this has become an element of the Vassar tradition, students and the community at large will look to the future. As we await the arrival of our new president, we anticipate a college environment in which student voice will continue to be heard. Fergusson has set this precedent, and it is an area which ought to flourish for years to come at the College.

Staff Editorials represent at least a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.