Story by Zoebelle Bean, News Columnist
If the campus feels empty after winter break, it’s not all in your head. As of this week, Aquinas College has nineteen job openings from positions left open from staff members either leaving or being fired.
These positions include, but are not limited to: Head Cheer Coach, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Coordinator of Curriculum and Scheduling, Administrative Assistant and Records Specialist, Registrar Director of Academic Advising, PT Admin Assistant (Center for Teaching Excellence), Enrollment Data and Systems Manager, Residence Experience Coordinator, Coordinator (Advising and New Student Registrar), Executive Assistant (Provost), and Building Custodian.
The staff that have since left include Elizabeth Flores, the previous registrar, as well as Mary and other staff members from the Center for Health and Wellness Services. With Flores gone, staff members have taken shifts at the registrar’s office to compensate so students can still add and drop classes, declare majors and minors, as well as other class-related requests. Some professors have their office hours in the registrar’s office to allow for students to stay in contact while maintaining their shifts.
These departments, such as Residence Life, Health and Wellness, and the Registrar’s office, have either exactly one person working or have lost all of their employees. Health and Wellness is currently being run by licensed faculty counselors on campus.
Freshman Delaney Lovely says, “People are dropping like flies. It makes me wonder about the future of the school.”
The school plans on continuing budget cuts into the next couple of years. While staffing changes aren’t convenient for anyone, especially students since these are services and departments that are used by a majority of students on a regular basis, it does help with the budget cuts since these positions no longer need to be paid until they’re filled. While it’s not good in practice, it’s good fiscally.
Students should be reassured by the fact that while there is a deficit of staff members in multiple, high-end places on campus, there are still qualified people filling in in the meantime and they’re here to help. Elizabeth Flores may no longer answer your emails, but at least there’s professors standing in to help you and keep this college supported while they’re understaffed.
The Saint 