Staff Ed: Prospective students not being given what is advertised

By THE BLUE & GRAY PRESS STAFF

Students at the University of Mary Washington have raised concerns regarding how dining and housing options are being presented to prospective students. Long-time UMW students believe that there is a prominent disconnect between the portrait of the school painted by the administration and what upcoming students should expect.

When it comes to dining, prospective students are presented with a freshly stocked University Center dining hall, one that current students feel is significantly bumped up in quality and quantity when compared to an average day at the dining hall. The best days in student dining are when visitors are present.

This is even more alarming when all incoming students regardless of whether they live on campus or not, will be forced to purchase an unlimited meal plan, which only allows them access to the University Center’s main dining hall, excluding them from Qdoba, Vocelli’s and the other options which are presented to them unless they pay more.

It is not only the dining options that are misrepresented by campus administration, but campus living, too. It is important to highlight that prospective student and their parents are treated to tours of the showrooms in Randolph and Mason Halls, the two most updated halls on campus. Randolph and Mason Halls present a stark contrast to other freshman residence halls, Bushnell and Russell, which lack adequate temperature control. Ironically, the University fails to showcase Eagle Landing, which is a popular choice for campus living for sophomore through senior students.

Among the places boasted about during a prospective tour is the Hurley Convergence Center, which claims to bring the latest in technology and innovation to all students.

This multimillion-dollar study area may look cozy, but it offers nothing revolutionary to students except a myriad of conference rooms and neon colored couches. While the first floor presents an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere, it is important to note that fewer than 12 desktop Mac computers are available for use on the first floor, all of which attach to a single black and white printer.

If a student is already so inclined to own a recent MacBook and a personal printer, and most are, the Hurley Convergence Center does not offer anything new in the way of technology for them.

These false advertisements play a part in the University’s retention rate, which suffers when students do not get what they were advertised.