What all of the chatter I’m hearing has in common is that the current students are not in the picture. There’s lots of conjecture about boosting future enrollment, and lots of talk about duty to the existing alums, but no one has really asked the students themselves to be involved in the conversation on any level. This is directed to ministers who like to talk about what this all means for the very future of the ministry, and especially to those who may or may not be ministers in positions to influence the very idea of a merger.

I don’t imply answers because I’m not a student - I’m just married to one and get to see bits and pieces of what’s going on. My picture is incomplete, at best. But the broader point is that I haven’t heard anyone ask the people who should be at the crux of the issue - the people paying tuition right now.

As a member of the M/L community, even though not a student, my morale is pretty darn low.

I know all three ministers and all three live hundreds of miles from either school. I know I do.

So I’m not sure how to answer questions like:

“How are the current, limping, programs serving the students they have right now? How’s morale, right now?”

Indeed, I don’t think such questions are mine to answer. You certainly imply answers, but I don’t know for myself, so it would be weird for me to write about that.

I don’t think anyone is ignoring the students’ perspective, it’s just that none of us have it.

If a student wants to write about that, great. I, for one, will read it. That perspective is valuable. If none of the students feel comfortable doing so, that’s understandable, too.

But I don’t think the criticism that we’re irking you by ignoring their point of view is fair. Your very questions imply knowledge of things that we have no way of knowing.

CC