The Higher Learning Commission came to Columbia and put the administration to the test last week to confirm or deny the school’s reaccreditation, a process that happens once every 10 years.

Eight representatives from the HLC were on campus for two days hosting forums, asking students questions and talking to faculty to suggest improvements and see if Columbia has been following through on its mission statement. Columbia had already submitted a Self Study, a self-evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses, before the representatives arrived.

In making sure that the Self Study was accurate, the commission conducted several forums: one for staff, one for faculty and another for students. These forums were held to see what Columbia was succeeding at and what could be improved.

“The HLC came to campus to confirm that our Self Study-that we worked so hard on for two academic years-was accurate and complete,” said Anne Foley, vice president of Administration, Research and Planning in the office of Research, Evaluation and Planning.

At the student forum, where the junior class represented the majority, the visiting team focused on key issues such as housing, security, generous admissions and adjunct faculty.  In the casual and intimate environment, students appeared passionate and unafraid to share their opinions, even when they opposed the consensus.When it came to topics such as on-campus housing, all 30-something students present seemed to agree:  It’s just too expensive.

“I moved off campus, and I’m now paying half of what I was paying when I lived on campus; the pricing is just terrible,” said junior Kevin Obomanu.

One senior, who did not want to give their name, has lived in three of Columbia’s dormitories and said not only is campus housing overpriced, but that it was poorly maintained, noting that Columbia isn’t taking the correct steps to ensure students’ health and safety.

When issues of safety arose, the students had mixed feelings. Although most students admitted they felt safe in their individual classrooms, some have had bad experiences checking their bags while visiting the Museum of Contemporary Photography in the Alexandroff Campus Center, 600 S. Michigan Ave.

“I’ve heard of several students having things stolen at the museum because everyone is forced to check their bags,” said junior Barbara Trinh.

However, with topics such as generous admissions and adjunct faculty, students seemed appreciative. Jennifer Brown, a junior at Columbia, said she felt that the generous admissions policy is sometimes hard for freshman because other students may not be as serious about classes. As students matriculate through college and classes become more difficult, those less serious students get weeded out. Another junior felt that it was helpful because not all studying artists have a high GPA in high school, and the generous admissions policy gives them a second chance.Students seemed to agree that having adjunct faculty provide their “real world” professional experience was indispensable to students.

They said they were thankful, and it was one of the many things that makes attending Columbia a unique experience. Nevertheless, students, faculty and staff feel like adjunct faculty needs some improvement. Students felt that one of the challenges of having adjunct faculty is that because they are on campus less than full-time faculty, they are less available to assist students outside of the classroom.

“Like so many things, adjunct faculty has both positives and challenges,” Foley said. “It does, however, help the university build contacts with the professional world. All of the things that have been suggested by the HLC to improve are things that we know about and have been working toward.We have even been working on a new advising model that will be coming in the fall.”

Although the preparation process may be long and tedious, Foley said it is a valuable one.  With the suggestions for improvement, Columbia previously created programs such as Columbia’s Bridge Program from the last reaccreditation process in 1999.

Now that the process is over, Foley and the 30 other members of Columbia’s committee can now breathe a sigh of relief, even though the official outcome of the visit probably will not be known until fall.

“We have spent the last 10 years making the college better, and we definitely want to continue that,” Foley said.