For over a century, Grinnell has been a beacon of progressive education, celebrated for empowering students with the autonomy to shape their own academic and extracurricular lives through a strong tradition of self-governance. However, recent actions by the College suggest a concerning shift toward centralized control, undermining our long-held practice of independence and setting a precarious stage for the suppression of student journalism.
As a member of this campus community who for four years now has been forced into several uphill battles with the administration, especially Student Affairs, I am fed up. I am compelled to address the systemic unraveling of self-governance that threatens the very foundation of our institution’s fading tradition.
The principle of self-governance at Grinnell has allowed students to make independent decisions about their conduct, work and the management of organizations. When I first applied, the term “Self-Governance” was stapled on every pamphlet and every webpage. This autonomy is more than just a simple policy — it is the compounded product of thousands of changemakers who have laid the foundation for what is now a critical component of our educational philosophy and identity.
Yet, recent developments indicate a stark departure from these ideals.
The administration, waking up to decades of fiscal mismanagement and an over-reliance on an endowment largely held in unreliable investments, has ushered in sweeping budget cuts and restructurings.
While fiscal prudence is necessary, the opaque manner in which these changes have been implemented raises serious questions. The decision-making process, once a collaborative dialogue between students and administration, has been left in the hands of a few and become a unilateral imposition of top-down directives.
The student activity fund, once a robust resource derived from the contributions of past and present students, now shadows its former self, gutted by decisions made without broad student consent.
One glaring example is the creation of [Weekend], a programming organization administered by the administration and funded by the student activity fees of alums and students who never signed off on its creation or on it receiving half a million dollars of rollover from the student activity fund.
Approval for this decision came from just two recent Student Government Association (SGA) cabinet members, pressured into a shady vote during winter break — a time when other international student cabinet members were away and could not legally participate. This vote remained concealed from us for almost a year.
These actions not only strip SGA of its autonomy but also reduce its role to that of a figurehead, aligning more with administrative agendas than student interests.
More alarmingly, these financial adjustments coincide with a targeted reduction in support for student journalism. Our newspaper, a critical voice on campus since 1894, is at risk of losing its printing budget without consultation or adequate notice, undermining our ability to serve our community. This follows a previous decision that stripped our wages budget and forced us to eliminate 10 staff positions. These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of sidelining student voices. By diminishing the platform of The Scarlet & Black and imposing top-down decisions, the administration is not just cutting costs but potentially curbing scrutiny and dissent.
Without a vibrant student press, who will hold the administration accountable? Who will tell the stories of our community, challenge the status quo and keep the historical record? The administration may claim that the digital transition is inevitable, but the manner and speed of this change suggest other motives at play.
We are sold the idea that creating and running student organizations is negligibly easy, yet these promises fall short in practice.
Administration bars us from directly communicating with our trustees. We face threats and are shouted into compliance by certain Student Affairs staff who show no regard for the blood, sweat, tears, pride and passion we pour into our organizations.
Students are often portrayed as fallible leaders whose transient presence on campus requires administrative intervention to ensure continuity. This depiction could not be further from the truth.
I have witnessed students passionately uphold campus traditions and values, successfully ensuring that cherished events like the Food Bazaar, Cultural Evening, Drag and Relays continue to thrive for decades. The primary obstacle they face is an administration that annually attempts to curtail these events without any regard for their historical significance.
It is perhaps no surprise that recent alumni feel disenchanted, reflected in their dwindling donations. They, like us, feel the loss of the Grinnell they knew — a Grinnell now only relivable through bittersweet memories.
It seems there is a deliberate attempt to weaken any institution within the College that fosters critical inquiry and independence. To that, we must say: “No, we will not give up, graduate and move on.”
We stand at a crossroads and the choices we make now — to either reclaim our tradition of self-governance and robust student participation or continue down this path of administrative dominance — will define our identity for years to come.
As students, alumni, faculty and staff of Grinnell College, we must not be passive observers.
We need to ensure that Grinnell remains a place where ideas can flourish freely and where the governance of the College is a collaborative, transparent and inclusive process. Only that will save the sinking ship that is Grinnell.
