More than half of voters say administrators ignore student opinion

In all, 43.6 percent of the nearly 1,900 students who participated said that they “approve” or “strongly approve” of the manner in which top administrators manage the University, while 38.1 percent “disapprove” or “strongly disapprove.” The remaining 18.3 percent expressed no opinion on the issue.

Students were less positive in their responses to questions about the administration’s recent changes to undergraduate life and its receptiveness to input from students. Nearly 58 percent of voters said they did not think that administrators “listen to student input when creating substantial campus policies,” such as grade deflation and stricter alcohol regulations. Just 18 percent said they think the administration does listen to student concerns. Overall, 36 percent of voters said that recent policies have caused a decline in the quality of undergraduate student life, while just 21 percent saw new policies as leading to improvements in student life.

President Tilghman was away from campus last night and was not available to discuss her thoughts on the referendum results. Before results were released, Dean of the College Nancy Malkiel said in an e-mail that she “[didn’t] expect to have any comment on the USG elections.” Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson also declined to comment for this story.

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Students Thomas Dunne was the only administrator contacted for this story who agreed to be interviewed. He spoke to The Daily Princetonian before seeing the vote’s results. Though he is not a “top-level administrator,” Dunne frequently interacts with students due to the nature of his job. He said that despite the results of the vote, administrators do not ignore student input and concerns. “In meetings with other administrators, I’ve never seen examples where someone is clearly being dismissive of the undergraduate experience at Princeton,” he said. “I have witnessed that at other institutions where I’ve worked.”

Citing the USG and the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC), Dunne said there are ways for students to express discontent and offer opinions on University policies. “I think it’s kind of a defining characteristic of Princeton,” he said.

USG president Josh Weinstein ’09 said that “in spite of the opportunities to voice concern” such as those Dunne listed as well as Tigerforums, Point’s Suggestion Box and various committees, “many students are disenchanted, grow apathetic and opt not to provide feedback.” He added, “It’s an unsurprising consequence that I hope the USG can ameliorate over the coming years.”

Petitioner Kyle Smith ’09 said the results of the referendum prove that there are “some fissures between the students and the administration on policies.”

USG vice president Mike Wang ’10 expressed mild optimism about the levels of approval evident from the survey results. “I was a bit heartened to see that people’s overall feelings were more positive than negative about how Princeton has been run,” he said.

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But U-Councilor Maria Salciccioli ’09 said she had some concerns about the results. “It’s troubling that students have this deep sense of not being listened to,” she said.

Weinstein nonetheless said he thinks administrators consider student views. “Even if it’s not always visible from policies, I am confident that administrators hear the student voice loud and clear — both before this survey and now in a quantifiable way.”

Though 73 percent of student respondents to the survey voted that the referendum questions should appear on the USG election ballot next spring, Dunne said he did not find the referendum useful due to the nature and working of its questions. “My own personal opinion was that I didn’t find the four questions illuminating,” he said, suggesting that future referenda include questions targeting specific policies.

Wang said that a discussion about the placement of referendum questions on the next USG ballot is planned for the next Executive Committee meeting.

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“I’d suggest that next year’s USG, along with the petitioner, discuss the issue and consider making alterations to the questions, as stated,” Weinstein said. “If not, the change over time with the same questions may be a meaningful statistic.”