Hi Chuck and Chuck,
I'm Ethan Schmidt, A.K.A. Big Dog Ethan. If y'all took the time to listen to the student radio station or go see a show at the theater that you've shut down, the name will sound familiar.
Since enrolling in 2019, I've been busy around campus: Maintaining a 3.8 GPA (before this semester😳), acting in six HSU theater shows, founding and leading the improv group "Delf" (for as long as the theatre was willing to support it), working as the program manager (Fall 2020), program director (Spring 2021), and then station manager (Fall 2021-Spring 2022) of KSWH-LP 102.5 FM "The Pulse" in Arkadelphia, AR. In the past year, my focus at KSWH has been experimenting with a new platform called Substack that would allow us to upload recorded clips of our live talk shows without having to worry (yet) about being demoted in recommendation algorithms or being flat-out censored. (Check out the KSWH Substack here!) This semester, that experiment blossomed when I was lucky enough to receive a Shure SM7B mic from my brother for Christmas. Using my own equipment and open-source software (nothing from HSU), I started putting out my own talk shows/podcasts in video form on my personal Substack, The Kennel, and would then cut out FCC-compliant clips to broadcast on our airwaves daily. This experiment resulted in a stronger ability to upload edited, boundary-pushing content that even prompted a personal record of phony complaints about offensive content--two! (Some may interpret that as a badge of shame, but given the blatantly false assertions made in them, I see them as a badge of honor😁)
I have a grain of empathy for the position that you two are in. Anyone suggesting that budget cuts shouldn't be made at all would be a complete fool, and I hope you're not receiving bogus arguments like that. With the financial constraints of inflation, many working- and middle-class families are essentially having to do the same thing that you are right now, and I'd be willing to bet that HSU is doing relatively worse than many of those folks in terms of finances. You're both in a tough spot, and I gotta acknowledge that.
That said, you messed up terribly, to say the least. (The included cartoon from Garry Simmons' Facebook page sums up your errors quite well.) If you wanna see the ramifications of your poor decisions, check my most recent video out here. (And yes, Glenn Jones and his former Board of Trustees share a lot of the blame too. I speak about that on The Kennel here.) As protestors last week pointed out, Mr. Ambrose, you've got a meaty salary of $250k and a nice big house that you get to live in--courtesy of the school that you're burning down. As impressive as that number is though, Mr. Welch's most recent salary outpaces you at $400k, according to page 9 of last fiscal year's operating budget for the ASU system. Many of our recent graduates have spent more time at Henderson than either of you.
Let's contrast your positions with that of a recently fired faculty member: I'll stick up for a family member (yes, I'm biased!) and point out that after serving this school since 1991 (much longer than either of you two have served), Professor Mike Taylor earned $73,435 for this previous fiscal year (page 25 of HSU's FY21-22 Operating Budget), after which he was gifted with the termination of his employment, along with the rest of his bright, dedicated, and talented Communications department. This news wouldn't be as troubling if it weren't for the fact that your proposal for a "reimagined Henderson" features entire eliminations of liberal arts programs at a liberal arts university, while indicating no plans to make cuts from its secondary functions: athletics, vendor contracts, etc.
I am not convinced that your administration has enough care or concern to provide the education and environment that made the school seem valuable to me in the first place. Frankly, I think you should consider yourselves lucky to have any student remain here! The only thing that kept me here for the past year was the fact that HSU covered most of my cost of attendance, but at this point, you can't pay me to attend the joke of a university that you're still peddling to prospective students as a valuable experience.
And that line hurts me to type. I took a lot of pride in not having to take out loans to attend college, but that will probably no longer be the case.
After witnessing the ugly effects of Glen Jones and his former administration since I first arrived at HSU, after having to deal with a theater department so focused on churning out backstage workers that it was unable to provide adequate training for its actors or the experimental and supportive community necessary for good theater, and especially after having to witness your destruction of the liberal arts core at a liberal arts university that many working- and middle-class Arkansan families once depended on for a quality, yet affordable education, I cannot stay here another second.
You've certainly made it clear to me where your priorities lie: Cut HSU's education as much as you can while maintaining all funding of your athletic programs to recruit students. While that idea may seem like a great way to boost revenue and maintain attendance right now, it's an unsustainable formula for failure. Not only will you struggle to maintain students 2-3 years down the road due to limited academic opportunities, you'll also create an environment at the school that favors athletics over education. That's not just a "reimagining" of our school--that's a total transformation from the school that I was promised.
Many Thanks,
No Thanks at All,
Ethan Schmidt - "Big Dog Ethan"
Former Manager of The Reddie Student Station
He/They
P.S. This e-mail will be publicly available via The Kennel.
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