Editor’s note: This staff editorial reflects the combined ideas of all editors, but not all thoughts presentend are held by specific editors.

By: Daniel Yanez | News Editor

When I first came here, I felt as if I would have a closer relationship with the university while still being able to enjoy the large school atmosphere. However, now that the semester is wrapping up, I am trying to wrap my head around some of the issues I have noticed thus far.
As many of you may know, or at least have heard by now, last week the university lost one of its students. The newsroom already bustles with energy on a day-to-day basis but on this certain occasion activity level peaked. Editors were being constantly bombarded with questions and asked whether there was any updated information on the incident. Unfortunately, The East Texan was only presented with new questions, dead ends, and lack of information.

Ironically, the same pattern seems to persist throughout the rest of the university. Here are some of the issues which have triggered student concern.

1. Is A&M-Commerce more focused on its image than preserving its relationship with students and the community?
   I think we can all agree that establishing a good reputation is good business, but customer satisfaction is often based on trust. If a business prioritizes its image over its customers, then the customers are left holding the bag when things take a turn.
2. The delay of news to students, where exactly do students land on the radar?
   Our lives are fast-paced with information coming in every second, but TAMUC moves at the speed of dial-up when it comes to informing students. I’m not sure how partial students are being when they say that the university does not care for them, but it is an issue that has been the topic of discussion for the past few days. For a lack of words, the expression SOL fits well here as students are often left to fend for their own or given the cold shoulder.
3. No clear stance on issues by the administration and lack of discussion…….????
   Is keeping everything quiet really better? I think this point relates back to the university’s idea of public image. If you can control a situation and its circumstances, you can likely predict and monitor the outcome, but controlling the outcome doesn’t mean that the university can keep students in the dark.
4. Higher tuition, where exactly is all this money going? Under the table business…
   The athletic referendum, need I say more? It was one heckuva campaign for it. Athletes were stumping in classes for the “yes” vote, and though the administration wanted to appear neutral, they clearly wanted it to pass. There had been a case made that the university had already combined administrative positions to save money, and the university should have taken measures beforehand to prevent the athletics from leeching academic budgets.
5. For every action, there is a reaction, not always the case…
   Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, but the university only follows that law when it wants to. One of the main concerns voiced this semester by students is student safety. From a preventative point of view, students say the university should consider cases to ensure the welfare of its residents. This semester, for example, there have been several incidents where pedestrians have been hit by motor vehicles, but how long will it take before action is taken to either minimize or eliminate that danger?