Desperate times call for fresh perspective

Now that we are 7 days into financial exigency, we ask ourselves how did we get here?
How do we get out?
What does this mean for Southern University?
How will this affect me as an individual student, faculty member, staff member, or employee?
Throughout the next 23 days we must decide where to go from here… What steps and in what direction should we take?
Desperate times don’t call for desperate measures but a fresh perspective and approach.
Fresh perspective and approach to stale issues and problems. We have to re-think the way we address revenue, spending, travel, and salaries. We have to re-evaluate the way we classify jobs, their importance, hierarchy, and value. We have to consider sacrifices for the whole university in order for the united body to prosper.
Not just cuts to the faculty, continuation of furlough for staff, layoffs, and consolidation of colleges. We have to think outside the box to approach the problems with registration, retention, graduation, and student involvement.
This is not something that can be solved in 30 days, only an approach and plan can be developed but, the issues didn’t happen overnight and can’t be solved that way.
It is critical that no matter the decisions made that the administration; faculty, staff, and students make them together. If we are not on one accord it will only delay the process.
As long as all parties have equal representation and voice the democratic system should be able to decide on a solution to these problems. Without one united front we will just be fighting each other.
 How did we get here? No one really knows speculations of inaccurate policies from the Board of Supervisors, lack of leadership in administrative roles, misappropriation of funds, decrease in student enrollment, low graduation rates, formula funding, or a combination of more than one factor. But, the buck should stop here.
How do we get out? Definitely not by cutting certain entities out during solicitation for input. Not by excluding the foundations of the institution in the processes and decisions.
We need a united front with new ideas and new solutions to our old problems.
What does this mean for Southern University? Is it bankruptcy? Not quite. But, it does give the administration powers they did not have before concerning termination and restructuring. There needs to be a policy and procedure for financial exigency put together by each affected party. Faculty, students, staff, etc. need to have a procedure and that needs to be negotiated to a compromise. The interests of every one should be addressed and considered.
How will this affect individual parties? This can decide whether a tenured faculty member has a job.
This lowers job security for staff members and other employees.
This plan can decrease the amount of time a laid off faculty member, staff member, or employee has to make arrangements for a new job.
Exigency can deter new students from applying to this university in fear of the survival of the campus and the relevance of their future degree.
Exigency can deter students from graduating from Southern University because of consolidated programs and cancelled programs.
Exigency can mark Southern University as a example of a failed system.
Beyond the brand of exigency, it’s important for a fresh perspective to leadership, organization, structure, fundraising, revenue, spending, recruitment, retention, and graduation.
If we want to place Southern University where we envision it, we have to see it, act on it, and accomplish it.