I’m sure a lot of you NKU administrators are glad to see me go. Throughout the years, I’ve read your e-mails, questioned your motives, spelled your names wrong and created a lot of paperwork for you.

Everything except spelling your names wrong, however, has really resulted from a campus-wide epidemic of not being able to be honest.

Just be honest. People are usually on your side.

You stopped a gay marriage on campus because you thought it would better protect gay rights by preventing a backlash against domestic partner benefits.

You fired two dedicated student affairs workers because they liked to raise, perhaps inappropriately, ruckuses. You felt like they racialized every issue on campus and that they got mad that you pushed out the boss they liked.

You gave a holiday pay bonus to staff because they deserved it and you could manage to afford it.

You raise tuition because most students get financial aid and it’s an easy way to subsidize the university with federal dollars, and most of the other students are usually able to make do.

You are creating a policy to help make it easier to keep Dr. W.A.S. and gay bashers out of your face because they annoy you.

You too, SGA. You impeached your executive vice president because you thought it would make your organization lack a single voice and because you were embarrassed by his perspective.

Actually, SGA has been a lot more honest lately. I saw it strongly in the candidate’s debate.

They admitted to slacking on civic engagement because other stuff seemed more important.

They admitted that most students do not want increased fees, but they feel the improved Campus Recreation Center will benefit them in the long run even if they cannot see it now.

They admitted they think they know better than you.

And maybe they do. I’m just amazed they admitted it. NKU administrators could learn from them.

I can respect people who think they are doing what’s right and can admit their true rationales. What I cannot respect are deceivers who make up any reason they think with appease a student journalist.

It’d be one thing if you were good at determining what would appease us. The funny thing is — it’s honesty.

Some administrators have been straightforward. I have always felt that the vice president for business and finance and NKU’s chief of police have honestly portrayed how something was happening. The dean of students has come around to being a lot more open, too. I don’t think the vice president for legal affairs knows how to be on the record, but she’s real honest off it.

Thank you to those of you who were willing to stand up for what was right—to join us in reporting the truth.

Dr. John Alberti was critical in reflecting how he saw NKU improperly pressure a faculty member to not perform a gay marriage. Dr. Sharlotte Neely was critical in demonstrating the frustration of not knowing that a university department may have been targeted by terrorism. There have been many more.

And, thanks to all the students who read The Northerner. I hope you come to expect just as more from the NKU administration as you also will for us.

Editorial by Jesse Call