UMES students ask for more school transparency

UMES officials announced Friday the postponement of the Shady Affair that was scheduled to take place later in the evening.  The decision came as student activists prepared a rally insisting on more student voices in UMES decisions.

"We're no longer going to tolerate these last-minute changes that are really making huge impacts not only on people traveling here, but also our university as a brand," says rally organizer Ben Webster.

School president Dr. Juliette Bell sent this out a letter to students, saying in part, "This decision is based on the University's responsibility to provide proper and adequate security for this event."

Leaders of the rally list a series of demands, one of them being a large events committee, that would include the SGA president. a student, and the aforementioned decision makers.

The list of demands sent out Friday include calls for monthly town hall meetings, more transparency, explaining students do not know who makes key decisions, and to create a process to prevent last minute changes such as the one UMES students saw on Friday.

School officials say regular town halls already take place in the students theater and are given notice via twitter and other social media.

"We're trying to make sure we have monthly town hall meetings, we just had one last week where, actually, the SGA president led with his cabinet to talk about the different events that are happening the rest of the semester on campus," said Dr. Michael Harpe, the vice president of student affairs.

We're told the Shady Affair is set to be held in May.  UMES officials tell us the administration has been locked in a dialogue with student leaders on the issue.