Dear Editor,

I am a student at Stan State where the quality of academia for students is not the top priority. My current classes are excellent, I am grateful for the professors exceeding their objective to provide us with what we are paying for, and Stan State is taking this away. Classes are being dropped, and staff/professors are getting laid off. Tuition cost is increasing and the very things and people that make Stan State excellent are being removed. If Stan State truly regarded the quality of teaching the students receive, why then are excellent professors and class opportunities being cancelled? As a student, it is confusing to pay for something that is evidently not fulfilling its mission statement: “… we promote academic excellence in the teaching and scholarly activities of our faculty, encourage personalized student learning, foster interactions and partnerships with our surrounding communities and provide opportunities for the intellectual, cultural and artistic enrichment of the region.” If Stan State could explain to me how laying off quality professors and limiting class opportunities is promoting academic excellence in the teaching and scholarly activities of faculty that would be greatly appreciated; only there is no justifiable explanation for students and future students. From a student’s perspective, this is an assault on what I have invested so much in.

— Heather Oram