OUR VIEW: If students remain silent, the deserve what they get

Students have no room to gripe after fewer than 30 people showed up to President Kermit L. Hall’s public forum Friday from noon to 2 p.m.

The forum was intended to be an opportunity for students to have the chance to voice their opinions concerning the proposed 3.5 percent increase, which would be beyond the 5.5 percent Board of Regents-mandated state-wide increase.

Hall has been more than generous both with his time and with his ear. He has made it clear he wants to know what students think and need.

However, he is not psychic. Students must be willing to meet him halfway by attending public forums, writing e-mails and letters to the editor.

The price for silence may end up being more than students want to pay, yet if the student voice isn’t heard, there will be no one to blame but the students themselves.

For years the public complained Utah State University’s president didn’t care about students or the public. Now, when Hall is making an out-and-out effort to be in the public eye and to be available for students, faculty and community members, nobody is stepping up. How long will it take for Hall to assume nobody cares what happens at USU? How many empty public forums will he host before giving up? And who could blame him if he did?