Organizations and clubs here at Millersville are a staple of the campus community. These are assets in every university across the country including ours. Organizations stand for the collective thought in which groups of individuals share. These thoughts help grasp the feeling of community in which a university is supposed to provide.

But recently, Millersville seems to have found a way to separate themselves from the student body in ways that are hidden from us. From the 2009-2010 Organization Guidebook which is created by Student Programs Office and the Student Senate an interesting section titled “Using the Name of the University” located on page 12 boggles our minds, as well as it should yours.

The section is quoted in its entirety below:
“Millersville University recognizes and supports the development of all student organizations. However, student organizations are not departments or administrative units of Millersville University. Therefore student organizations that wish to use the university’s name as part of their organization’s name may do so as long as sponsorship or endorsement by the university is not implied or stated. If used, organizations must clearly indicate in their organizational title, constitution, and paraphernalia that they are ‘at Millersville University’ (i.e. Student Organization at Millersville University).

The purpose of this distinction is to ensure that outside organizations that do interact with student organizations are aware that their dealings are with the club or group and not with the University itself.”

Think about what is being said here; the university does not seem to want any association with the staples of our community. Why are we “at Millersville University” and not actually recognized as Millersville University?

A better question is what happens to the student activities fee in which we pay at the beginning of each year? Currently the fee is $693.25 per semester, this figure is found on the University Bursars office website.

Imagine every student on campus paying this amount and most of the money going to the programs in which we participate in but they are not actually part of Millersville. Does that even make sense?

Millersville says on their website the fee goes toward “a variety of ongoing student services and activities such as student government, student organizations, health services and wellness programs, Student Center debt service,expansion, capital replacement and maintenance.” Are not some of these programs considered not part of Millersville but instead “at Millersville University?”

There seems to be to many irregularities with the structure our campus is based on. How can a university separate themsevles from the students in a way to say that the “outside organizations are aware that their dealings are with the club or group and not with the university…” Is this not the reason many “outside organizations” deal with Millersville in the first place is for the recognition?

It seems as though somewhere down the line of bureacracy something has gone afowl. Could the answers be in the large bureaucracy, which exists on campus? Could it lie with the university taking charge of insurance purposes involved with organizations?

A number of ideas can help lead to answers of why students seem to be separated from the university. Separation of the students from the university will lead to an ultimate failure in our educational values.