The Student News Site of Northern Michigan University

The North Wind

The North Wind

The North Wind

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Megan Voorhees
Megan Voorhees
Assistant News Editor

Hi! I’m Megan Voorhees and I’m the Assistant News Editor at The Northwind! I was first introduced to journalism my sophomore year of high school and I’ve been in love with the profession and writing...

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The North Wind is an independent student publication serving the Northern Michigan University community. It is partially funded by the Student Activity Fee. The North Wind digital paper is published daily during the fall and winter semesters except on university holidays and during exam weeks. The North Wind Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the student body, faculty, administration and area media.

RECORDS ON RECORDS — Teichman shows a variety of records on display at the Vinyl Emporium. With 10,000 records being brought in from downstate, there is something for everyone at the record show. Photo courtesy of Jon Teichman
Local record show promotes community connectivity
Megan VoorheesMarch 28, 2024

Editorial: Searching for a president: key leadership qualities

Northern Michigan University has undertaken a presidential search, gathering applicants from around the nation through March 3. The search committee has no easy task at hand; candidates will come from a variety of backgrounds and skills sets, but these important characteristics rise to the top.

Comic Credit: Dorsey Sprouls
Comic Credit: Dorsey Sprouls

NMU must find a president who operates transparently and democratically. Transparency of expenses and policies must be a priority. Allowing administration to be the only check to presidential frivolity poses an unnerving limit to accountability. When only the administration knows the reasons behind influential decisions and campus issues, the students are marginalized.

Encouraging student participation in policy-making is a first step toward democratizing campus. NMU could be known for an active dialogue between administration and students, but it is the president’s onus to make that happen. Maintaining such a dialogue means students know exactly what is happening to and around their campus from the mouth of the president, not from biannual Board of Trustees press releases at the beginning of a new semester.

NMU’s new president should be open to a greener, more sustainable campus initiative. Students for Sustainability have actively requested space for a campus garden to provide seasonal and healthy food to students. This effort would be a minor adjustment to such a grassy campus. Openness to progressive, campus-based sustainability initiatives would not only make NMU more resilient, but would attract students.

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Furthermore, the new president should respect his staff as much as they would respect his or her title as president. When a leader does not fully respect his or her employees, it spreads throughout campus.

Finally, an agenda-driven president is a suspect one. Funneling through changes without ample student input displays willingness to capitalize on the disconnect between Cohodas and campus.

This is the student-body’s college—running it as such would be a welcome change of pace.

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