Tuesday night, the University of Alabama Faculty Senate reacted to recent media coverage of higher education, proclaiming that it was playing a significant role in public perception and state legislation.
During the meeting, a faculty senate member spoke about reporting from sites, including 1819 News, Alabama Daily News, AL(dot)com and others, noting that the coverage is increasingly influential in how public universities are viewed across the state.
The faculty member specifically mentioned that coverage from 1819 News had become a "good source to see what all is being noted/picked up around the state for higher education."
The member noted that the site is a highlight of the growing role these sites have in monitoring universities.
According to a member of the Faculty Senate, recent articles published by 1819 News and other outlets have contributed to "momentum points" that have helped advance higher education-related legislation in the state.
The member also urged faculty to be "very mindful" of their actions inside and outside the classroom, given the potential for those actions to shape broader narratives about higher education. The message noted that the public and legislators across the state are paying attention to these outlets for information on universities.
The member also noted that just a "handful of faculty members" could harm the perception of universities across the state, echoing a growing awareness within higher education that universities are now operating with increased scrutiny and media coverage.
The Faculty Senate member also said the message discussed seemed to "resonate" with the faculty present and advocated for making higher education in Alabama the best it could be.
This conversation comes on the heels of a meeting covered by 1819 News, in which the UA Faculty Senate voted to issue a statement condemning the University of Alabama's decision to shutter two student magazines.
Partial remarks as follows:
[I] mentioned 1819 News, Alabama Daily News, and AL.com in that higher education in Alabama and other states have an eye on them that is significantly different than has been in the past. I noted that 1819 News, in particular, is a good source to see what all is being noted/picked up around the state for higher education. I mentioned that the University of South Alabama has had a series of very impactful events that have been written about and those articles are read by both the public and the legislators. The message being, we (UA/higher ed) need to be very mindful of our actions AND we need better promote the truly amazing things we are doing with teaching our students and innovations in research.
It is my understanding that the recent set of articles that have hit the press on 1819 and other sites are some of the momentum points that have helped to push legislation forward related to higher education. The message there being that faculty actions both inside and outside the classroom matter, and we should be extremely mindful of how we conduct ourselves, treat our students, and advocate for things. Without mindfulness of our actions on a daily basis, our mission and the absolutely amazing things we do for our students and research can quickly be lost amidst a few poor choices by a handful of faculty members. We are doing fantastic work at all institutions in this state, and that needs to be what the press and the public sees on a daily basis.
Trenton Buffenbarger is a senior at the University of Alabama and is the Chairman of the UA Young Americans for Freedom.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every day.
