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by Emma McAndrews
CHICKASHA, OKLA (KOKH) — Chants rang out across the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma campus as students walked out of class to protest policy changes approved by the school’s Board of Regents this week.
For about an hour, students rallied and chanted, “1-2-3-4, faculty are worth way more. 5-6-7-8, what if you were in our place?” Students said they do not believe university leadership is hearing them.
Student Body President Mason Alldredge said students are concerned about how quickly the changes moved forward and what they see as a lack of consideration for faculty concerns.
“These students are concerned about how quickly that process went and how little their voices were heard in that process,” Alldredge said. “And also we're concerned because there was a faculty vote 'No' to confidence from our professors that we cherish. That was 40 to 1 and that was pushed to the side in yesterday's vote. They barely mentioned it, and that's concerning.”
One change requires classes with fewer than 10 students to receive additional approval. Alldredge said students worry that could make some smaller classes harder to offer.
He also pointed to concerns about faculty pay under the changes.
“The professors who are full-time in many cases get their pay reduced to adjunct level. That adjunct level is $225 per student per semester,” Alldredge said. “Our faculty can't live on a minimum wage whenever they have terminal degrees, and they're experts in their fields. And students are worried that the consequences of that will be that faculty don't teach those classes, and then we can't graduate.”
Freshman AJ Kanniainen said students value the close relationships they have with professors.
“We appreciate the teachers here. Part of the reason a lot of kids came to the school is because of the relationship faculty has and the close mentorship that we're able to get,” Kanniainen said.
Alldredge said the changes could affect more than course offerings, arguing that small class sizes are central to the school’s identity and students’ ability to finish their degrees.
“I speak for most USAO students when I say that one of the biggest appeals to this place, besides the fact that we're a liberal arts school, is that it's small,” Alldredge said. “And if we don't have those small classes, not only can we not graduate, but it takes away a piece of our identity and who we are.”
Kanniainen said students are not placing responsibility solely on USAO President Kayla Hale.
“This is not just about President Hale. She is our president, and she kind of fumbled really badly in that meeting. She didn't take any accountability,” Kanniainen said. “But this is about the Board of Regents and the government who's over our school. They're the ones who are making these decisions.”
Students said they want the Regents to reconsider some of the changes and show support for faculty, arguing that some programs could be affected.
“We want the Regents Board to, first of all, reconsider their decisions in a lot of the changes that they want to implement here,” Kanniainen said. “We want to show the faculty that we support them because they're the ones who are really at risk here. A lot of us, they're probably going to protect our majors to graduate, but there's a lot of people whose minors are at risk, and they want to let them know that we care about this school and we want to keep our classes that we care about.”
Earlier this week, Hale said the changes are driven by financial pressures, saying "This is no longer a strategy question, It's a funding survival question, and I intend to keep it as a standing item on this board's agenda until our trajectory changes."
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