Editorial: Where is our President?

By | The Lumberjack Editorial Board

Oh where, oh where, oh where in the world is Humboldt State University President Lisa A. Rossbacher? President Rossbacher has been at best unavailable, and at worst dismissive and non communicative with The Lumberjack. The Lumberjack works to engage with and provide a voice for the HSU community.

By deciding not to engage with The Lumberjack, Rossbacher is deciding not to engage with her campus community.
As the president of Humboldt State University, Rossbacher is in charge of supporting the campus community. A key component of delivering that support is communicating with and being available to the campus media.

Just like any governmental official, Rossbacher is held accountable to the public through the media.

The Lumberjack has time and time again reached out to Rossbacher for comments on the ongoing athletic deficit, the recent tuition hike, and even parking with not one response.

The Lumberjack is not only a media outlet but a mandatory class for all Journalism majors. Shutting out The Lumberjack also shuts out the 40 students who take the class every semester from having an opportunity to complete well-sourced, informative stories.

In doing this, she fails to reinforce HSU’s mission to support its students educational opportunities.
Failing to communicate with the media distorts the facts, it leaves people confused, and it fails to promote transparency — the chief responsibility of a community’s leader.
On occasion, we students gather and sing, shout and even march to support the issues that are important to us; however, the one thing that has been missing during all this time is the voice of our university leader President Rossbacher.
The Lumberjack staff would like to hear from President Rossbacher. The student body deserves a chance to hear from the president within the pages of its own, historic newspaper.
We need a president that is present.

One that shows up for the student body not only in making policy, but in communicating what steps, if any, are being taken to protect students and Humboldt State University’s values.