Editorial
Success of Master Plan relies on student input
September 23, 2010
The Community open house for UW-River Falls’ Master Plan wil give students the opportunity to influence the direction of the University for many years to come.
The decisions we make now will guide UWRF in how it should grow, what it should invest in, campus preservation and what changes it will make over the next 15-20 years.
Student and community input is vital letting the Administration know where the true users of the facility would like to see it headed.
After all, the students are what the University is here for If UWRF isn’t going in a direction the student body agrees with, then the organization as a whole is failing to do its job.
The catch is that these decisions need to be made now. These plans are not they type of plans that can simply be changed when students finally become aware of what is going on and decide that they don’t like it.
The time to test these plans, to look ahead and visualize what this will mean for campus in the long run is now—not when the plan is being implemented.
All too often, plans are proposed and receive no feedback from stakeholders until it is too late. Like planting a tree too close to the sidewalk: it is only when the roots up heave the cement and the tree needs to be cut down that the community recognizes the problem; though, the tree has been there for years, and careful thought or feedback to the landscaper could have prevented the whole situation.
Not only will the Master Plan direct decision making for the University, but it has the capacity to join all those invested in UWRF—students, faculty and administration alike—under one vision.
Whether or not this Master Plan unifies or divides the campus depends on if all voices are heard and considered when creating the plan.
Responsibility not only rests on students to provide their input, but also for Campus Planning to take what they hear into consideration when making their final decision.
During the open house, Campus Planning will present four alternative plans for review and feedback. The open house will be held at 4 p.m. on Sept. 17 in the University Center Willow River Room.
We encourage all student, faculty, staff and community members to go. These decisions affect us all.