This week, myself and two other staff members from The Oswegonian attended the first student open forum for SUNY Oswego’s presidential search. I wanted to share my experience at this forum, as it was extremely disappointing and aggravating. 

The presidential forums were announced via email to the campus community on March 6 with more details to follow about the dates and times for each candidate. 

The first open forums were scheduled for March 20, with a faculty and staff forum from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., a forum for all members of the university and public from 2-3 p.m. and the final forum for students from 4:15-4:45 p.m. The first candidate was Mary Toale, the current officer-in-charge of the university. 

We arrived to the forum a few minutes early, chose our seats and were prepared with notebooks and questions for Toale. But, time started to tick by and the forum did not begin.

At 4:30, after not hearing anything from the other staff and students at the forum, we were approached and told that we may not have permission to be there as members of student media. The representative from WTOP-10 was not allowed to record video and it was not made clear if we would be allowed to publish anything in the paper about what happened at the forum. 

It was made clear after the fact that we are allowed to publish what was said at the forum and the concern was that we would treat it as a press conference to ask whatever we wanted, rather than use it for its intended purpose. 

Nonetheless, after clarifying multiple times that we would only ask questions as students and not as student media, the forum was allowed to proceed. Half of our time was gone and they reluctantly agreed to extend the forum’s end to 4:50 instead of 4:45. 

Toale then made a speech about her background and qualifications, which took another 10 minutes. I would like to be clear that I am not being critical of her or the speech, but the forum was advertised as an open time to ask questions of the candidates, so I was expecting 30 minutes for questions. 

After Toale’s speech, there was 10 minutes left of the forum. I was able to ask one question, which I do not feel was answered, but neither of my colleagues were able to ask any due to the lack of time.

My main qualm with the forum was the lack of preparedness by those who ran it. It was very clear that they did not intend on or even think of having student media present, as they spent half the time trying to see if we were even allowed to be there. As a student, I was welcome, but as a student journalist I was not. 

There was no communication to The Oswegonian about if we were allowed to attend the forums and none of the emails or information listed on the presidential search website had any other restrictions. 

I do not think we, as students, should have been punished for other people’s lack of preparation. The student forum had the shortest time, less than half of what the other two groups were given, and I think it is unfair that we were cut even shorter despite being there on time and acting accordingly. 

I am not trying to act like a spoiled child who is upset because I did not get what I wanted; I am upset because I am a member of the campus community with many unanswered questions, despite being promised thrice the amount of time we were given to ask, and I will not have another chance with this candidate. 

Photo via SUNY Oswego