Student response to dean decision juvenile, myopic

Even those students dazed by sunny afternoons on Wilder Bowl probably figured out that something was afoot this week with Oberlin's dean of students. Met with one letter announcing Interim Dean of Students Deb McNish's decision to take a job at Earlham, and another today welcoming Peter Goldsmith as Oberlin's new dean, even the most oblivious might have taken notice. As the news of the decision to hire Goldsmith spread, "activist" students picked up the torch, claiming that the search process was skewed and that the best candidate - Bill Stackman - had been overlooked.

This claim is not only misguided, but simply wrong.

Perhaps equating students with moles that burrow around blindly is harsh, but it isn't too far off. Yes, by our nature we are focused on the present - a year is an eternity in Oberlin time - but to be so frightened of something new is myopic. Goldsmith is sure to do a fantastic job as dean at Oberlin. He has won the support of students, faculty and staff on the search committee, as well as impressed top administrators. Why must we be so suspicious of the search committee? Whose interests do they serve but our own? The truth is that a contentious and diverse search committee chose Goldsmith over the other candidates, and the search committee stands by their decision vigilantly.

But this isn't where students' mistakes end. Not only are they showing themselves to be stubborn and short-sighted, but their claims that students were not included in the search process are juvenile. The open forums advertised around Wilder and in the pages of the Review. Midterms might be a busy time for students, but a half hour spent at a forum isn't going to make too big a dent in your studying time. But not surprisingly, the forums were poorly attended; no forum drew more than 15 students. Beyond these forums, members of the search committee were available for months, and would - without doubt - have listened to students' concerns and opinions. Sure it might be more fun to spray-paint a rock than go to a (boring) forum, but if students cared so much, where were they when their voices might actually have been useful?

The last of the students' mistakes is their fixation on the passing over of Stackman in the final decision. Students are right about one thing- Stackman has proven himself a wonderfully competent administrator and a great advocate for students. He is creative and imaginative. His staff loves him, and he obviously loves Oberlin and Oberlin students. But there is another worthy candidate sitting in Wilder, who has served Oberlin through a rocky, and often-times-contentious, 10 years. Deb McNish is a caring, gifted and dedicated administrator, whose departure from Oberlin carries more gravity than the cheery letter Dye sent out this week suggests. While few people, including the editors of the Review, honestly know what McNish wanted to happen, leaving Oberlin was probably not her top pick. She loves this place, and she has been a source of hope in an otherwise weary division during her time at Oberlin. Her departure is a true loss. Of course, if Stackman is snatched up by another school in search of a dean of students (which is likely to happen), his loss will be grave as well. But for now, he is still here to continue his excellent service at Oberlin.

If all this teaches Oberlin anything, it should be that we need to rethink our search processes. A number of searches - and even more resignations - have led to substantial distrust between students and the administration over the last few years. It's no mystery why this is: "personnel matters are not public." Searches are conducted with the utmost privacy, and firings -�as they should really be called - are barely spoken of publicly by administrators. It's obvious that when people aren't given any facts to go on, they will make up their own. For a school that never ceases to espouse the importance of "dialogue and communication," a little more honesty would go a long way in these kinds of personnel matters.

Hopefully Oberlin can leave the distrust left from this situation behind, and welcome a new dean next year. Student Life desperately needs continuity and leadership, and Goldsmith is sure to fill that void.

Students need to wise up and give him a chance.