On Wednesday, April 3, students from Northern Vermont University – Lyndon gathered to voice their concerns over the Johnson and Lyndon State merger as NECHE evaluator, Susan Hunter, addressed any questions the student body may have had as part of the accreditation process.
Several students expressed their frustration with the snow removal, or lack thereof, explaining how the road conditions are unsafe and are much worse compared to previous years at Lyndon.
“A friend of mine who is blind struggles to travel throughout campus due to the poor road conditions, which is not fair to him,” said senior Peter Cormier, the general manager here at Lyndon’s student run radio station.
Other issues that caught attention were the fee of $75.00 for parking passes that was added this fall (article) and the shortage of delays or cancellations that made it difficult for commuters to get to class on time.
Rumors of a bar also being brought to campus next year raised concern among the crowd of students as they felt there were other priorities that needed to be fixed, such as athletic facilities and the Veteran’s Pond on campus.
The conversation then shifted over to problems with course selection and the removal of majors and other programs. A part-time student who attends Lyndon and Johnson was displeased at the fact that the schools do not offer the same courses and it is difficult to know when certain courses are available. Online classes were also seen as an issue as the programs used by NVU are outdated and not suitable for getting a quality education, although everyone agreed that having access to a teacher in-person is better than online classes.
Many students also believe it is taking far too long to work out the “kinks” since the merger in the summer of 2018.
From start to finish, there was a feeling of agitation within the room, but students were finally given their chance to have their voices heard in hope of significant changes being made as a way to improve their experience at NVU.