Administration goes ahead with plans, disregarding student opinion

What does it takes to be heard at Wellesley? The recent announcement that the overnight infirmary will be shut down not only sparked much debate and discussion, but led to a student protest in Green Hall. Students, parents and even some faculty members are extremely concerned about the repercussions of the shutdown. Not having an overnight infirmary will mean going to the hospital, which brings up the issue of insurance. Will students who have their own insurance be at a disadvantage compared to those who have Wellesley insurance? We don't know yet.

There were many others questions that Wellesley students brought up in Senate, questions that Dean Michelle Lepore and Dr. Vanessa Britto were unable to answer because all of the details concerning the new health care plan have not been worked out. But the most pressing question on everybody's mind is why the students had not been informed about this plan earlier. The administration said that it has been planning this for almost two years. Why wasn't the student opinion taken into account from the very start?

The News doesn't doubt that the new healthcare system will be very beneficial to students whose needs cannot be fulfilled at the infirmary, which in itself is very outdated and presents a whole new set of problems. We don't doubt that the administration is developing this plan with an eye toward the future, hoping to make Wellesley's health services as "21st century" as possible. But for current students at Wellesley, who won't be affected by these alleged innovations to health services five years from now, this is extremely worriesome.

Even though the administration insists that it did take student opinion into account, it did not. They did not take into account the very same concerns voiced by the larger student body when meeting with UNITY. The administration also told the Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) about their plans, but did not ask for feedback. The administration has not once asked the students how they feel about the new changes; they have informed us of their plan and expect us to agree with it.

What the News does not understand is how such a big decision was made without any student input. The health services are, after all, for the students. We are the ones who pay the school fees; we are ones who utilize the infirmary; we are the ones who are going to have to pay large hospital bills; and we are the ones who will have to avail of their new healthcare plan when we get sick. So why weren't we included in any stage of this plan's conceptualization?

Speaking to us in Senate is not taking student opinion into account. It is a rubber stamp, a mere going through the motions. It does not mean anything. Considering this decision is for us and for our health, we should have been involved in the decision-making process.

The administration, however, doesn't seem to think so, because when they were recently asked if they would definitely go ahead with this plan, even if the majority of the student body opposed it, they said yes.