In last week’s issue of The Stute, the Senioritis column was about the regrets that come with attending Stevens for four years. I agree with Joe. What is troubling about the administration is that it has a lack of trust for its students. Stevens continuously puts in more regulations for RSOs, more restrictions for students, and more red tape for event planners. I find that the more involved I become on campus, the more aggravated I am with those in charge. I can’t do anything without playing a waiting game with at least two gatekeepers. It would be less work and more fun to not do anything. Many people in the Office of Student Life don’t give the time to help student organizations accomplish their projects, which are coincidentally meant to enhance campus life. It seems like the only time the Deans reach out to us is when they scold us for not doing things the way they want us to do them.
So, do I regret coming to Stevens? I’ve been starting to. During my years here, I’ve seen students in my class progress from energetic underclassmen to mentally exhausted upperclassmen who just want to leave the Institute. Sure, I get it. We’re all here because of the promise of amazing job prospects. Why should anyone care about anything else if the education is top-notch?
The problem is that more and more I’ve been wondering: Will we ever reach the end we were promised? And if we do, will it be worth the oppressive atmosphere we all endured for 4-5 years?
If Stevens wants to be known as “The Innovation University,” it should do more for its students and foster the entrepreneurial spirit of the student body. Why was the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Club stuck in Student Life’s bureaucratic hell for two years? Why are they still not a recognized student organization? Stevens has advertised the ability to form a new organization on campus quickly and easily. During my time here, I’ve heard from several students about the difficulties of getting Recognition status from Student Life. Ever heard of the German Appreciation Society? No? Well, it would have been a thing, had the process not taken an excess of six months.
I can’t help but feel like we’re missing out on something. Without funding, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Club has to solely rely on personal connections to get speakers to come to campus. In other words, we won’t be seeing Dick Costolo or David Karp anytime soon.
I could have been a computer engineer elsewhere. Instead, I decided to come to Stevens. Someone remind me again, why did I decide to stay?
