To Whom it May Concern:
My intent is to highlight some troubling issues I have noticed during my interactions with the Office of Student Leadership and Activities (OSLA).
Such interactions include submitting event and budget requests, ordering supplies for scheduled events, booking transportation, purchasing tickets, and handling reimbursements. Throughout most, if not all, of my dealings with OSLA, I have been given less than satisfactory service.
For example, I have waited more than half an hour after the opening of the OSLA office to recieve the Fenway card machine on multiple occasions. On other occasions, student workers have been unable to assist with basic services such as printing additional reimbursement envelopes.
During other instances, I have had to wait outside the OSLA office because staff members were late and the office was not opened as scheduled. Repeatedly, I have been made to wait for another employee to arrive or asked to return at a later time because the worker on staff was unable to provide assistance.
However, I do not blame the student workers for the unproductive interactions I have had with OSLA.
Student workers are not in charge of training themselves and can only assist with what they have been taught. My off-putting interactions with OSLA underscore a problem larger than the student workers: the staff.
The true staff members of OSLA, those not paid by work study, appear to be at fault for the sub-par service. I consider sub-par service to include: failure to respond to emails, to confirm orders, to verify event bookings, and to notify of receipt of items needed for an event.
Attendance at events had been compromised because of lack of communication between the organization officer and the organization. Students have been told that an event is sold out when in fact, only that specific time slot was filled. Many of these issues are beyond the control of student workers, but most definitely fall under the job description of full time OSLA staff.
I have had too many interactions with OSLA for these instances to be isolated events. While I found all the staff members at OSLA to be pleasant and helpful when they provided assistance, the lack of communication, follow up with organizations, and training of student workers are major concerns.
Perhaps OSLA is understaffed and the subsquent overwhelmed employees are leading to the issues mentioned above. Or perhaps OSLA lacks sufficent accountability to a higher office.
To whom should an organization submit its grievances and concerns to in such a case? No matter what is causing the troubling issues addressed in this letter, it appears that OSLA is in need of internal review and possible restructuring so that it may better serve the Simmons College community.
Sincerely,
A Simmons Comminity Member
