According to the Texas Education Code, one of the main purposes of our prestigious university is “to enable students of diverse economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds to realize their full potential.” One can only question if this purpose is being fulfilled with one of the fundamental colleges of this institution of higher learning.
Recently, the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences’ only student learning facility for agriculture majors was abruptly closed. This administrative act therefore dispersed all agriculture students to the corners of the campus, dissolving what has always been a close family.
E.B. Evans, with all of its faults, serves as a meeting place for agriculture students. We study, learn, mentor, and yes, socialize at this edifice.
When questioned about the hasty closing of E.B. Evans during Student Government Association’s Speak Up or Shut Up forum, our university’s president Dr. George C. Wright referred to it as a positive look for the university. Not only was this not a sufficient answer, but it also raised the follow up question of who benefited from the closing of the building. It was also said by the president that the building was closed due to there being too much building space compared to the number of students. During the forum, agriculture major students rightly asked that if there was too much building space, then why purchase a 52,000 square foot building off of Hwy 1960 that students are not even going to utilize? Once again there was a less than comforting response from Dr. Wright.
Agriculture students have been more than patient with the university. We have taken all of the faults that are given to us, and, in return, have been optimistic, cheerful, and active throughout the campus. We have some of the most genuine faculty-student relationships. Our organizations fulfilled their purpose of networking students with corporations and graduate schools, providing most agriculture students with internships with some of the most important global corporations and tier one research institutes as well as the government. We have also produced notable student leaders. Last year’s SGA president as well as Miss PVAMU were agriculture economics majors. However, the closing of E.B. Evans is where we stand up and finally declare enough is enough.
For all who don’t know, here is a quick lesson in the history of our institution. The “A” in PVAMU stands for Agriculture. The university was created from the USDA 1890 Land Grant for the purpose of developing agricultural techniques for the communities in the surrounding areas to use. The government money that the university receives is because of the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences. Yet, we as agriculture students do not benefit. We are tired of receiving, for lack of better words, the “short end of the stick.” We are asking, what do we mean to this university? Are we invisible? Agriculture students are paying customers just like the rest of the student body.
We are tired of being ignored by university recruiters. How can the department grow if people who are paid to recruit don’t recruit for our college? This dilemma has forced the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences into a catch-22 that is not difficult to remedy. Although our hard efforts as student and departmental recruiting has paid off, the progress of student enrollment is not where it can be. Recruiters, do what you are paid to do.
When it is all said and done, agriculture students want our family to stay together. It is not asking a lot. This is by far our foremost concern. We want to be included in the future of the department. We want to be able to compete with other agriculture departments at other universities. We want updated labs for a change, and we want there to be a plan for replacing E.B. Evans. Since it is now closed for renovations for the next two years, open it with the intention of the next newly constructed building intended for the Department of Agriculture. That would indeed be a “positive outlook.”