When an all-student email went out on Wednesday, Jan. 29 announcing the preferred candidate for the new interim president, students didn’t have very positive reactions. It didn’t take long for the Winthrop related meme pages on Instagram to start talking about George Hynd, his history and how he might compare to Dan Mahony, who is stepping down in March.
Instagram page @winrthropu was the first to post a screenshot of part of an article talking about fees accrued by Oakland University officials. The article they shared was published by the Detroit Free Press in June 2016 and talked about a trip to Florida that Hynd was on. The trip cost Oakland University $155,000 and included Hynd and his wife as well as 42 university employees and board members. The trip took place less than seven months after the university raised tuition by 8.4 percent.
Winthrop student @shelbyjamie99 commented on the post, “We gon keep an eye on him.”
Another Winthrop student, @original.wik commented “WTH” in reaction to the information about Hynd’s past with Oakland University.
The official university Instagram account, @winthropu, posted about Hynd’s selection and the Board’s final vote which took place on Friday.
Winthrop student @_.melegida._ commented, “Is the meeting at a resort in Florida.”
The Winthrop account did not respond.
At the board meeting where the Winthrop Board of Trustees voted on Hynd, student council chair Imani Belton said that the board did not take student thoughts and opinions into consideration when deciding on Hynd’s appointment.
Despite many trepidations from students about the newly elected president, some are still remaining hopeful about what Hynd’s term as president may hold.
“There is already an uncomfortable disconnect between Winthrop students and the board of trustees with the exception of our alumni, faculty, staff, and student representatives. In his past, it’s clear that he had no problem encouraging this kind of behavior,” Joseph Robinson, senior IMC major said on Facebook, “However, I see positive marks throughout his career that make me excited for his time here. My hope is that he will leave Winthrop better than he found it.”
Some students aren’t specifically upset about Hynd himself, but instead about the lack of diversity in the office.
“We’ve had only two presidents out of 11 (soon to be 12) that have been women and absolutely [none] who are minorities. For a fairly progressive school, WU could be doing better and setting a better example, especially given the location of the school and the surrounding political/social climate,” Kiri Ashley, a freshman anthropology major, said in a Facebook comment
Winthrop students want the best for their school. They are paying to go here and they expect those in charge of their education to be qualified and reflect their values. The board of trustees should be taking these criticisms seriously and should address Hynd’s past as well as take the opinions of students more seriously going forward.
Photo provided by Winthrop.edu
