Tuesday’s Town Hall meeting at the University of Memphis was one that revealed the highlights and changes of the school, but also key improvement points and hot takes.
The meeting was held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the UC theater of the University Center. UofM president M. David Rudd gave the audience the chance to ask him questions about their concerns and the events taking place on campus. The meeting covered sports, finances and other student concerns.
The open floor meeting allowed for hot takes and challenging remarks toward the UofM’s president. Rudd was challenged on the purpose of the bridge and why the school emphasized resources for the bridge and the upcoming fitness center, but not on graduate student assistance.
“Why are we putting so much money toward the bridge,” one student asked. “Who asked for the rec center? Who are we really trying to appeal to, Dr. Rudd?”
Another student, Jonathan Ford, also pressed Rudd on the construction of the bridge. Ford asked why money was going toward the bridge when the schools has problems with mold in the dorm rooms and insects in the classrooms.
“Why are we trying to become a tier 1 school when we don’t have tier 1 facilities?” Ford asked. “I have friends that had to be relocated because of black mold in their buildings. Where are we finding the money for bridges and beautification, when there are some things more needed on campus to provide the best education for our students?”
Not every question was challenging the use of resources on campus. Steve Mase posed a question about how athletics are impacting the university, especially with the school having four sports teams ranked in the Top 25 of the country. President Rudd ensured that it had a positive effect on the school as a whole, especially with funding and branding.
“All of it is critical for branding and identity,” Rudd said. “The visibility drives the ability to recruit and retain good people at the university. All of that drives success for the students, and only that means how they move through the system, whether or not they finish, and if they’re competitive for good jobs when they finish.”
After the meeting, students and guests shared their thoughts on how they believed the meeting went, some looking at the meeting as a success, and others believing that it could have been better. One student, Joshua Dawson, said he enjoyed the meeting, and that the hot takes and challenges were great for that kind of meeting with the president.
“I think that any time we have a chance to ask questions regarding how the school is being run, it’s welcoming,” Dawson said. “A lot of times, we don’t get the chance to address our concerns with anyone because we don’t get to see the right people about them. This meeting helped us get in touch with the right people.”
Not everyone thought that the meeting was as smooth. Sarah Mason, junior, thought that having an open floor to the audience for that amount of time opened the door for controversial questions.
“To have that long of an open floor to the audience, it was only a matter of time before someone was going to raise a controversial question,” Mason said. “Having a few questions from the audience was good, but not the entire meeting.”
After the meeting, the guests were welcome to personally meeting with President Rudd to talk to him further about their issues and concerns.
A faculty member questions President Rudd about a salary increase for faculty administration.
President M. David Rudd responds to the questions, comments, and concerns of students and faculty.
University student Jojo Sigala questions President Rudd on the investment towards outside appearance rather than in students and faculty.
President M. David Rudd responds to the questions, comments, and concerns of students and faculty.
