You may have noticed that we at the Wire have been covering a lot of staff changes lately. The administrative structure at a college rarely makes itself apparent to the average student, which is not in itself a bad thing, but I have found it invaluable to have at least a working knowledge of the various divisions within the Wheaton administration and the dynamics of interaction between them.

Which is why, with our interviews, commentary and profiles, we’re trying to put faces to names and departments, by getting in-depth information on Wheaton’s newest and highest-level staff members.

Moreover, an understanding of the administration and its various realms of purview are integral in accurately assessing decisions made regarding — and often on behalf of — the student body. Which is why we think a healthy dose of coverage on administrative decision-making is perhaps one of our most important goals as a college newspaper this year.

This will become more relevant as the administration moves forward with its plans to revamp the meal plans at Wheaton. There’s a piece in this week’s issue about the new obstacles in place for students that don’t feel satisfied with our current meal plans; and on the web you can find commentary from Maggie McDonough ’15 with her firsthand experience in getting off the meal plan.

Let’s keep tabs on these discussions — because it is the constituencies like Ciara’s and Maggie’s that often get brushed aside or face the most obstacles in regards to this kind of school policy, as their accounts demonstrate. So let’s make sure that we’re all fighting for them.

~ Alex Butcher-Nesbitt