We want to support student involvement in out of class experiences consistent with the core values of the University and the learning intended by faculty members. However, the student has to be at the center of all that we do. In thinking about what distinguishes an SU student, perhaps we should use the metaphor of a chorus rather than a single voice. It is multiple students. We need to clarify our expectations and students' expectation of an SU education.
Faculty have a very limited view of what students do here, that is, what student life is like.
We need to find ways to connect academic affairs and student affairs activities and people. We can accomplish our goals by having a series of community conversations through which we create a view of ourselves as a university. We have to listen and reflect what we hear. We have to outline the issues that emerge from the conversations regarding how individuals view their own and their collective missions of teaching and learning. We have to flesh-out the differences and similarities in teaching and learning in each field.