“We hear your concerns and have taken them into consideration” is a phrase that many college students are very familiar with when dealing with college administration. Yet college campuses continue to make changes that leave the student body in outrage. When I chose to attend a small liberal arts college, I based my decision not only on the reviews and rankings of the college but also on the expectation – stemming from the campus tours and faculty I met with – that the quality of the students’ experience is what mattered. In hindsight, I should have been prepared for the reality of campus life to differ from my expectations.
When I first started with Feedback Labs, I couldn’t help but think, “wow, someone really needs to introduce college campuses to better feedback practices.” I am only halfway through my college career, but I have watched as my classmates have grown increasingly frustrated as my school fails to tell them how they’re taking their opinions to heart. It was only within the past year that our current Student Government Association – SGA – made progress in ensuring that as representatives of the student body, they have a seat at the table when school decisions are being discussed and made. Despite the administration’s steps to start incorporating student voices, their lack of communication prevents them from successfully closing the feedback loop.
For example, during the fall semester of my sophomore year, the administration announced that non-athlete students would no longer be allowed to use the work out room in the athletic facilities. The announcement came as a shock to both the student body and our SGA, as they had been unaware that such a decision was even being discussed.The workout room in the athletic facilities is larger and better equipped than the small workout room in one of the residence buildings, which was already overcrowded. Students were upset about losing access to the larger workout room.
Our SGA listened to the concerns of the general student body and in meetings with the administration convinced them to modify their decision to allow non-athlete students to use the athletic facilities during certain hours. Unfortunately, these adjustments to the policy were not widely announced, leaving most of the students unaware of the changes. As a result, the students continued to feel as though their concerns were left unaddressed.
While SGA has made attempts to keep the student body informed about how their voices have created change, it has not made a great impact on the students’ trust in the administration. As I’ve learned at Feedback Labs, one of the most important steps of the feedback loop is closing the loop, which in this case would mean the administration telling students how they took their feedback into account when modifying the workout room policy. Closing the loop would ensure that the administration and the students are on the same page of what student feedback means and how it’s being acted on. In the case of my school’s decision, better communication would’ve let students know they were heard and that the administration changed based on their feedback.
As I head back to campus, I’ll be working closely with the SGA president to encourage the administration to not just listen to feedback from students but close the loop on how they act. If my school’s administration is able to close the loop, then they can be an example to other colleges on how to do so too.
