Last month Northern Michigan University’s presidential search committee announced Northern’s 19th president, Chris Olsen.
Olsen currently serves as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Indiana State University.
Coming into his presidency, Olsen has his work cut out for him. With the lack of a president to focus on the university’s problems, it’s been hard to keep up with the issues students are facing.
Following the announcement of Olsen’s appointment, the North Wind Editorial Board discussed problems we hope Olsen will address during his time as NMU’s President.
One thing that is always on students’ minds is parking and transportation. One of the things that makes NMU so beautiful is that it is a commuter school, but this has its downsides. With a large portion of the population commuting to school, this means lots fill up, and they fill up fast.
The parking issue is a complex one, as NMU students feel freshmen should be allowed to have cars on campus. Since NMU is in the Upper Peninsula, students who live downstate may not have rides home for breaks. Students shouldn’t have to worry about trying to find a ride home any length away if their family members can’t pick them up. The parking problem at Northern is nothing new, but us here at the North Wind still hold hope that one day it’ll be fixed.
Another thing students are worried about is transparency when situations occur on campus or in Marquette that involves students. This semester students have received several urgent emails from campus PD regarding incidents happening on campus, and some even off campus. We want more transparency and follow up emails.
For our own safety, knowing when people of interest are caught or removed from campus could help students with peace of mind. If you’re going to tell women to keep their guard up, don’t you think it’d give some relief knowing more information regarding their safety? When taking the role as president, we hope you can give us some peace of mind that we haven’t gotten in the past. We’re not looking to know names or majors, just if the person has been found or removed. Students want to feel safe on campus, and knowing details like this can help aid in doing so.
Our last thing we want to ask for is more appreciation for your normal everyday students. Some facilities on NMU’s campus, like the PEIF, are hard to work with. There’s little equipment, and in the fall and summer time it gets so hot that students can’t use the benefits they’re paying for because the gym closes due to high heat. The building doesn’t have an air conditioning unit, and it has become a health hazard. This is frustrating, not only because we’re not getting our money’s worth, and as a college student funds are tight, but because students on athletic teams have facilities that seem lightyears better than those open to everyone.
Athletes at this school work hard, we’re not trying to undermine their talent and time they put towards their sport, but it’s not fair for other students to get janky things just because they aren’t Northern’s star basketball player. We’re all students, we all pay to go here, we just want to see more appreciation.
While the Editorial Board cannot speak for all students at Northern, we try to keep all of its students in our hearts as we discuss. We have high hopes for Olsen as he assumes his role as our President. As he adjusts to the new atmosphere, and the cold temperatures in his new home, we hope he’ll read this and see what he can do. NMU is a great place for students from all backgrounds to enjoy higher education together, and these points could help us all feel a little bit safer, and thought of as we complete our studies. Congrats on your newest chapter in life Mr. Olsen, we’re excited to see what you do as a Wildcat.
