Being a first-year student (and thus under 21), I have no emotional connection to the Pub in Kennedy Union.

  With that being said, I was still somewhat upset over the announcement that it will be closing due to a lack of student patronage.

  Would have I liked to have had an opportunity to have a beer at the Pub as an upperclassman? Perhaps, but the fact that I will never have this opportunity is not why I am upset.

No, I am upset because there is a fundamental lack of communication between the university and its students. Why was there no notification that the Pub was in trouble? Why were guidelines not specified (for example stating that x, y and z must be met if the Pub is to remain open), thus giving students an opportunity to save a UD staple.

This fundamental lack of communication is symptomatic of greater systemic problems within the university bureaucracy.

It seems as though students are complacent with the lack of accountability, transparency and communication from the administration. It seems to me that students are complacent because they are denied a voice in shaping the university they attend.

  Policy decisions the administration makes are not communicated, or if they are, rarely justified to students. The lack of communication breeds complacency with the lack of accountability.

Why would the university not want to clearly communicate its decisions, explaining in plain terms why a decision was made, thus eliminating confusion and rumors?

It is unfortunate then that no one, including this newspaper (for whatever reason), is willing to challenge the administration or its student leaders (except when it's an issue involving the banning of alcohol or alcohol-related events, a fact I find disappointing).

The university experience is about the development of the entire individual; it is there to provide an opportunity to challenge, question and work toward a goal or finding a solution.

UD's failure in creating this experience lies not only with the administration, but also with its students. We, as students, need to be active participants in shaping our university experience.

If the administration is unwilling to begin a dialogue with students then it is time that students began a dialogue with the administration. However, we must learn to pick our fights carefully, criticize (not complain about) the decisions we disagree with but understand that there are some policies that the administration puts forth that will not (and probably should not) change.

 Most importantly, perhaps, students must come to a consensus that continuing to operate at the status quo because the status quo is comfortable and the alternative (change) is difficult is unacceptable.

It is the university's job, then, to realize that students have a right to not only voice their opinitons but be heard, consulted and informed about the decisions that are made (as it is the students who are most impacted by those decisions).

If status quo does not change I can guarantee that the university will have forever created a group of complacent individuals, unwilling to challenge or change the status quo. If the university does not change, it will have failed in its primary mission of developing the entire individual.