Nathan Ware
News Editor
Fall 2025 approval ratings were conducted Oct. 13 to 17. Results were tabulated and sent to departments, which were given six days to respond to the results and comments. Not all departments responded within the Voice’s timeframe for comment.
Among the five departments or offices with a 70% or higher approval rating, two responded — Alicia Brazeau, director of the Writing Center recounted in an email to the Voice some of her favorite appointments involve “writers who just want to talk out ideas so that they can finally start writing, or want to create a writing schedule, or have someone sit with them while they work on a revision, or just want help on one specific part of their essay” and encouraged students to schedule appointments stating “there is no right or wrong way to do a Writing Center appointment.” Overall, the Writing Center received an 82% approval rating with a very low disapproval rating of 3%.
Among the departments with approval ratings between 50% and 69% was the Office of Sustainability, which was added based on recommendations from students expressed in past surveys. It received an overall approval rating of 67%.
Brian Webb, director of the Office of Sustainability, responded to the Voice, saying, “I think one of the things we do well is to connect with students about issues they care about. So many young people are concerned about environmental problems and the intersections between environmental and social problems.” Webb shared how important student engagement was this semester, saying that “we’ve had almost 450 unique students participate in sustainability events, a number that has already exceeded our expectations for the whole year.”
Answering on behalf of Pathways, which received a 54% overall approval rating, was Pathways Program Coordinator Becky Webb, who shared that she’s “really pleased to see that the perception of Pathways on campus has shifted toward the positive.” She stated that Pathways has worked hard in showing students that taking a Pathway leads to career path benefits and attributes the bulk of the increase in student engagement “to class presentations and more engaging social media content — both compliments of the Pathways Peer Advisors!”
Dining locations had mixed results, with MacCleod’s C-store receiving a 65% approval rating, Lowry Dining Hall receiving 50% disapproval rating and Knowlton Science Cafe and Old Main Cafe having no clear majority responses. Marjorie Shamp, director of campus dining services, responded to a request for comment on behalf of all dining locations.
“We use many types of student input to enhance our dining hall menu, including survey results,” she stated, encouraging students to provide specific feedback on what they would like changed or improved. “A general request for ‘more options’ doesn’t help us determine what you might be looking for,” she stated in a comment to the Voice. Shamp also addressed the students’ frustration with the hour changes in Old Main and Knowlton Cafes. “These adjustments were made after carefully analyzing last year’s traffic patterns to ensure we focus our resources during the times they are most needed.” She restated that “Our goal is to provide the best possible service during peak hours while maintaining quality and efficiency.”
Among departments that received predominantly neutral or no responses, International Student Services (ISS) responded with a comment.
Scott Parillo, speaking on behalf of the department, appreciated student responses and said, “We are always looking for ways to better serve our students.”
Other departments, offices and programs had no clear majority responses, such as Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL), Scot Council, Residential Life, Dean of Students, Financial Aid and Athletics.
Director of Athletics and Physical Education Lynn Holleran responded to the Voice’s request for comment by first saying that “As part of the Wooster Strategic Action Plan, our working group focused on leveraging athletics continues to prioritize student engagement. One key initiative is hosting an affinity game each semester to celebrate campus partnerships.” She added by sharing plans, including expanding intramural space and “[encouraging] students to check their Wooster email for upcoming intramural opportunities, including additional Esports events.”
President of Scot Council, Flynn Cowie ’26, responded on behalf of the student organization. He said he was excited to see a more positive shift in how students view Scot Council and how it can continue to improve their ratings. “One [way] is overall increasing the number of events we participate in and host … to increase overall understanding and publicity of our organization and our function,” he said in his response to the Voice. He affirmed Scot Council’s objective of updating their website, which would include “containing our members, their roles, committees, our recent work, meeting minutes, any formal documents we have drafted, student resources, frequently asked questions, and a variety of surveys regarding the various entities, departments, and aspects of our college.”
Cowie also addressed the students’ dissatisfaction with the cancellation of Mission and Outcomes, expressed Scot Council’s contact with the Board of Trustees, and emphasized the open general assembly meetings. He shared that “The board has announced that they will not be returning to campus next semester; as such, they have suggested a hybrid format Mission and Outcomes meeting, at which students and some trustees can attend in person, while other trustees join via Zoom or Teams.”
Alexa Konstantinos, vice president of marketing and communications, responded on behalf of the Office of the President and The College of Wooster.
Emphasizing that she’s glad to see that students are responding positively to their experiences at Wooster, Konstantinos expressed on behalf of the College their appreciation of the strengthening ties between staff and students. “From the high turnout at events like the Culture show, the STEM Bash, and Party for the Planet, your participation shows how much these commitments matter across campus,” she said.
Director of Residential Life Johnathan Reynolds, responded to a request for comment on behalf of the Residential Life. He shared that the office has been focusing on improving the everyday student experience by communicating and ensuring decisions are centered on student needs. He responded to the disapproval ratings, saying that “We recognize that the housing options may not meet everyone’s needs or desires. We understand that some people get housing they feel is undesirable and that this leads to frustration with our office.” He also addressed students’ frustration with the winter break fee. “We understand that for current students, this was not the norm as we were operating within the COVID frame as a college; having moved back to pre-COVID policies for winter break, we understand that this is a significant adjustment and has impacted our office’s view. Even with this change, we will meet with students and work through concerns that are brought to our attention.”
Lori Hartzler, director of nursing, health and wellbeing at the Longbrake Student Wellness Center, responded on behalf of the center. She shared that they are doing monthly anonymous surveys to improve doctor and counseling services and appointments as the year goes on. Hartzler addressed some of the changes in the Wellness Center, saying “Wellness Center hours were reduced this school year in a way that kept the hours that last year were used the most and to keep all services that were offered in the past.”
The offices of Multicultural Student Affairs, Sexuality and Gender Inclusion, Student Engagement, Libraries, Faculty, APEX, First-Year Seminar, GEO, Dean of Students, Financial Aid, and Campus Safety did not respond to a request for comment. Representatives for the programs of I.S., first-year seminar and Fraternity and Sorority Life did not respond to a request for comment. Thank you to the directors and volunteers across departments who chose to get in touch with the Voice on the survey’s results.