Students suffer verbal, sexual, and even physical abuse and harassment. Students are told that their cherished ideals and beliefs are unimportant, and that their opinions and viewpoints do not matter. Students feel they have no forum at which to speak freely, or fear repercussions if they do. Students have their intellectual property taken without recognition and cannot get their advisor to even read their dissertations or give them an hour of time. Students have their trust violated by faculty and are effectively dismissed for health reasons.
Students feel stressed by excessive and overwhelming requirements and conflicting responsibilities.
Students feel that they never have any time for themselves and have to pursue their own interests behind their advisors' backs. Students feel pushed into certain academic programs which don't meet their needs or the realities of the job market and are ostracized when they express any desire to pursue a non-academic career path. Students feel that the University does not care about them but is, instead, more driven by its reputation, public perception, and the whims of its faculty. Students find the decision-making process to be entirely closed to them, and are made to feel like outsiders at their own institution. It is imperative that we bring these serious issues to light and confront them head on.