Columbia President and CEO Shantay Bolton will join the Student Government Association’s meeting Tuesday night, Oct. 21 for her first open dialogue with students since assuming the top leadership role this summer.
The meeting with Bolton will take place at 5 p.m. in The Hive at 618 S. Michigan Ave.
Junior journalism major Rico Mays said he hopes Bolton will address major financial concerns.
“I hope she touches on the debt, how she plans to bring it down, if the school is going to close and what is the future of the school,” Mays said.
At the State of the College meeting earlier this month, Bolton told faculty and staff that the college’s budget deficit has grown to roughly $40 million, as the Chronicle previously reported. The college has also laid off 43 full-time faculty members this year and has cut or merged nearly half of its academic programs in a historic restructuring undertaken to stabilize enrollment and address the financial concerns.
Mariana Montes De Oca, a junior graphic design major, said Bolton should share what plans are in place to help students access more financial aid after Congress cut federal student loan limits by 25% for undergraduates and even more for graduate students, starting in 2026.
Montes De Oca, who depends on merit-based scholarships, said that she has seen a decrease in her refunds that should cover textbooks since her first year.
“I just don’t know where this school will help me financially,” she said.
Montes De Oca said that she also hopes that Bolton will address student safety following increased ICE raids in Chicago.
“How are we protecting our students right now? What are we doing to support and educate our students? Are there any workshops that are going to be put in place or drill procedures or even just some sense of if something is happening on campus, what are we doing?” Montes De Oca said.
Senior graphic design major Payton Erby said Bolton should share information about any additional curriculum changes.
Last year the college reduced the number of core requirements from 42 to 30.
“I was nervous about finding out if I had to take extra classes because the curriculum did change and now there’s different prerequisites,” Erby said. “I kind of just want to understand how returning students can continue their curriculum they were following when they first came in.”
Junior graphic design major Eric Lara said he was most looking forward to seeing Bolton in person.
“I feel like face to face conversations, stuff like that, are more personal instead of remote stuff,” Lara said.
Senior graphic design major Angela Kalish said that she appreciates the effort Bolton has put into “reaching out” and that she even visited the mural class last week to see what they’re working on.
“I like that she’s been involved,” Kalish said. “I think it’s really cool, she’s a lot more involved than what I’ve witnessed here in the past.”
Additional reporting by Kate Julianne Larroder and Matt Brady
Copy edited by Mya DeJesus
