Everyone has their own reason for choosing their college. Some enjoy the setting and the social experience their school has to offer, while others focus on the different kinds of educational experiences they will receive while at their school. And, of course, there is one main factor that plays into choosing a college. Does that college offer my major? Now, in a critical time when we must make hard decisions and figure out what is best for us, Rider University had to eliminate 14 majors within the university.

Ever since this was announced on October 29th, many rumors have been circulating around the student body. "They don't like these majors and just want to target us" has been a popular rumor, as well as "They just need to make the cuts and they do not care about the students that are impacted." Well, I can tell you one thing, neither of these are true whatsoever. After sitting through three, yes three, meetings with multiple administrators at our university, maybe I can paint a more clear picture for the students and for our administration.

First, let me speak from the student perspective. I am impacted even more than some other students who are complaining about these cuts just because they have something to complain about. I was a business education major who was lucky enough to switch my second major to English literally a day before these cuts were announced. When I received the email from the president, I was concerned. "What does this mean for everyone else who has to take classes for their majors in these fields?" and "What about my friends and my residents who are affected by these cuts? What am I going to tell them and how can I help them?" Well, while I was once uncomfortable about this situation and curious as how to address this situation, I can now say I can answer a few questions and feel confident in how I go about it.

As mentioned before, one thing that I have heard multiple times is that the faculty does not care about the students that are affected. First, scroll back up a little bit. Did you not see that I had three, not one, but three separate meetings in which administration came and talked with us about these changes. I know it is easy to blame the ones who had to make the decisions, after all I have done the same exact thing in the past, but had I not been able to talk with administration, I would most likely be in the same boat as you all. As I said before, I understand where you are coming from. There are many people who are angry, upset and scared about these changes. Many of those students who are affected are facing the decision of changing majors or transferring out of this school. Trust me, after changing my major four times, I understand how scary this process can be. However, I do not want you to be scared about this decision. You have to do what is best for you and what is going to make you happy. If you think that you would be better off at another school, then do what makes you happy and go to that school, but please do not conform to something you do not want to do just because the school is trying to retain students. Also, do not be afraid to reach out to the on-campus resources, such as your academic advisors and your RAs. We are here to help you, I can promise you that.

I can also promise you that our administration and our faculty do care about you. How do I know this? Again, scroll up just a little bit to the part where I mentioned three meetings, all which took place in the course of two days. If the administration did not care about us, then they would simply let us ride out this process all on our own. For those who have not had access to these meetings, feel free to go to the SGA open forum with the president on Tuesday, November third at 11:30 a.m. in the Sweigart auditorium. At least now you can't say you never heard of a place to go and learn about these changes. Not only will they answer any questions you have, but they also want to point out the resources that you have access to if you have been affected by these changes to some of our programs. I also want to point out to you how open and willing our faculty is to help you figure out the next step in this process of switching majors or transferring schools. I have never experienced or heard of another school where the faculty is so willing to help their students succeed, even if that means it cannot be at their own institution. There are so many opportunities for one-on-one time with your academic advisors that if you do not take advantage of this critical opportunity, you only have yourself to blame. In addition to this, Rider is looking towards the future of our university. They are trying to set the university up for success by introducing new majors and truly turning to the student body to see what they can do to help all of us out. I encourage all of you to take advantage of just how willing they are to meet with and listen to us students.

The bottom line that I am trying to get to is that I understand the concerns everyone has. I walk in your shoes everyday, and I see how these changes are affecting everyone around me. However, if you are complaining about these changes and bad-mouthing the faculty and administration but you have not reached out to actually find information on these changes, then you cannot complain. You need to have your facts correct before you can actually blame anyone. Our future is what's important, not only to us, but the faculty and administration at Rider as well. Before you are quick to make judgments on the university's character, just remember that the administration is attempting to help everyone out and meet with all students who are seeking help. It is up to you to be that student who actively reaches out for that help.