The following is an opinion written by Walled Lake junior, Shay Athayde.
On the first day of classes, I was greeted with the information that professors of mine had left Albion College or are on leave.
Before I continue, I want to say that I have nothing but respect, admiration, and gratitude for these professors and am so excited and happy for them and their new journey.
But I have to be honest, I was devastated when I saw the history department board and former History Professor Laura Brade wasn’t there.
I had no idea she left.
Just a few hours later, my advisor (now ex-advisor), former History Professor Abigail Meert emailed me.
The email explained her decision to go on leave for a different opportunity. I never even had the opportunity to take a class with Meert, but she would’ve been both my academic advisor and the History Club advisor. Not only do I have to find a new academic advisor, but an advisor for a club I’m president of for the first time.
“The College is doing its best to resolve scheduling issues and should be re-assigning everyone to a new advisor in the coming weeks,” Meert said in her email.
Is the college doing its best?
Why weren’t students notified? Is it against school policy or something? I understand that students who had an upcoming class with a professor that left would receive an email from said professor but, what about a department email? Something? Anything?
Then, another anthropology professor let me know she’d be teaching my class because my original professor, Kaitlyn Sanders, had left.
And for the third time, I was blindsided.
Toward the end of Meert’s email, she said that the decision to take a leave was a hard one, and the only reason she felt able to was because of how much she trusts the college to take care of us and everyone impacted by her leave.
I want to believe her, but right now, I just don’t. At the end of the day, all I wanted was an email from the school to be updated on the loss of these beloved professors.
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