With the still too recent resignation of President Grandillo, Lakeland has been left with a loss of direction.
The Board of Trustees and others who are aware of what happened are not being completely open with students, making these students feel confused and out of the loop.
The problem with the behavior of these higher-ups is that it leaves people wondering and also makes them question why something is being hidden.
However, it is not solely the loss of our president that is so confusing for students, faculty, and staff. A large number of people have decided to leave Lakeland as of late for a variety of reasons—Dr. Michael Grandillo, Kellen Winslow, Dr. Russell and Megan Pettitt, Alicia Helion, Brittaney Prosser, Dawn Hogue, and others who say that they may leave in the near future for their own reasons.
Even Musko the Muskie can’t seem to stay the same, as we saw when our beloved crocodile-shaped fish mascot left us to be replaced by a new mascot that looks a bit more like a swollen shark.
Where is Lakeland going from here? What is happening? Why are so many people suddenly leaving? These are the questions that come to mind when looking back on this semester. It makes you wonder if the chemistry department put something in our water that is repelling people.
But in all seriousness, Lakeland has, in these past weeks, become more like the United States government in that there are secrets that will more than likely never be revealed to the students, secrets that students are dying to know.
Now, we are not saying that Lakeland is not trying to communicate with students about what happened, because that would not be accurate. What we are saying, though, is that the Board of Trustees and higher-ups around campus think it is for the better to keep students in the dark on certain issues.
Not only do students pay significant amounts of money to come to Lakeland, but Lakeland has also become a community and a home for many students and faculty. For many of us, all of our best friends are here, and oftentimes our professors can feel more like our grandparents and parents than our real grandparents and parents back home who we may not see as often.
The point is, we are united as a Lakeland family, and when one family member leaves unexpectedly, we feel we should know exactly why.
A lot of vague phrases and wandering speculations have been thrown around lately, and it has all been very professional, but that is not what a body of closely-knit students and faculty are looking for. We are looking for a real heart-to-heart conversation, a reminder that the powers that be still care.
Obviously, Lakeland is going to take care of the students, faculty, and staff during this time of transition, but the majority of students still perceive Lakeland as “falling by the wayside.”
What is causing Lakeland to “crumble”? We don’t know, but hopefully we as a community will be able to come together and advance again really soon.