Page 4
The Clarion \ Sept. 30, 2011
Staff editorial
Continued from page 1
let go. Whether she was fired or laid off, it did
not matter—campus opinion was hardening in
the absence of any official information.
And then, the word hit Facebook. The genie
was out of the bottle, and there was no putting
it back in.
Just before 6 p.m. on that Thursday, a
Facebook group was formed by a 2006
graduate of the College. Within an hour, the
group had more than 80 members. Within
two hours, the number had topped 100. A
day or two later, that number had doubled to
more than 200.
Far more troubling than the numbers,
however, were the comments being left on
the site ... and the narrative that was forming.
The Facebook group had been created, after
all, in support of a beloved staff member
But it quickly took a nasty turn against the
College’s administration, who basically got
caught flat-footed in the midst of a public
relations nightmare.
Those who make decisions for Brevard
College need to understand something that
the younger generation—in other words,
the students and recent graduates of the
College—understand intuitively: In the
era of social networking and instant status
updates, timeliness matters—especially when
announcing bad news.
For some inscrutable reason, the College
delayed making an official announcement for
more than 24 hours; it did not arrive in Email
inboxes until nearly 11 p.m. on Friday. By that
time, opinion had been set, and any statement
by the College would be read by many simply
as “damage control.”
Worsening the sense of a cover-up was
the fact that Friday night’s “Campus
Announcement” even then neglected to
reveal some pertinent details—such as who
the people laid off were, why the cuts had
to be made now, and how much was the
budget deficit that these cuts were supposed
to alleviate. And also left unanswered was
whether this was the end of cuts ... or the
beginning.
The first “distinguishing commitment” listed
in the Brevard College mission statement
says that the College will nurture “the
personal and holistic development of each
student—intellectually, spiritually, socially,
and vocationally—within a diverse and
mutually respectful community.” That last
phrase, “mutually respectful,” was nowhere in
evidence last week in how the administration
chose to treat students, employees, and
alumni. And it should go without saying that
leaving open and unanswered the questions
on everyone’s mind about the future of the
College does not contribute to anyone’s
intellectual, spiritual, or social well-being.
Students went to class on Friday not
knowing what had happened, or how the
changes in Campus Life would affect their
health and safety. When students asked
faculty or staff what was going on, all they
could say was “I don’t know.”
If this were the first time the College
had botched a major announcement of bad
news, we might be more inclined to chalk
this up as a simple mistake: still bad, but
at least understandable. However, it is not;
many students on this campus still recall the
brouhaha that erupted the past few years when
it became known that the chaplain position
was eliminated and that changes were being
made in campus medical services. Then, as
now, the College was slow to announce the
changes, and when they did so, it was too
little, too late.
Now, we see another failed attempt to get
the word out. Did the College leam nothing
from these past PR fiascos?
If not, it raises serious questions not
just about the College administration but
about those over the administration, the
Board of Trustees. As one former BC
faculty member wrote on Facebook, “when
administrators come and go but the practices
don’t change, the problem is much deeper
than the administration.”
We implore the College administration,
and those to whom they answer, to take note
of this recent episode as a prime example of
how not to handle an announcement of bad
news. They must move forward now in an
open attempt to treat us with respect—not as
children, but as responsible, mature adults
who can handle bad news with dignity
and strength, and as people who truly care
about Brevard College, and who will move
mountains to see it succeed.
That is what we are taught here: to “Leam
in order to serve.” It is high time the College’s
decision-makers follow their own motto.
Flash Bang Grenada
By Park Baker
Editor in Chief
As hip-hop music
has grown from
the impassioned
outcries of inner
city youth,
many diehard
heads raise
their eyebrows
at what it has
become. “Get
Money”
culture
has taken
hold of
creativity.
turning prose and style into
synthesized slow talking
over the same beats
filtered through different
looping programs. To
here black music in its
most raw and artistic
form, you have to
look beneath the
limelight.
Los Angeles
based Flash Bang
Grenada is the
brain child of
Busdriver and
Nocando and
in their effort to capture th|
spirit of a culture that has
in their opinion, lost it'l
voice, they have created
a work of art that is mon
parody than masterpiece
In tracks like “Moisturizer’
the duo claims they wd
make you touch yourself
Despite the weirdnesi
of Busdriver, their lyrici
and delivery are what i|
lacking in rap: talent an(
originality.
You can catch then
outs^g'&f_Whole Foodi
where they kaim^thro'
dudes. The album po^
fun at themselves, anc
their own culture in a head
nodding way. Best rap
album so far of 2011.
T-a.