By Spencer Friedman
Students at the University of Maryland are seeking more trust and transparency from their next president.
Twenty-six UMD students were randomly selected to share their opinions about Darryll Pines, who is currently the dean of A. James Clark School of Engineering and will succeed Wallace Loh as president of the university starting July 1. They were asked about their expectations for Pines as he prepares to transition into his new role.
Controversies surrounding the school’s football team proved to be detrimental to the last few years of Loh’s tenure.
“I think everyone is watching what this president will do with the aftermath of Jordan McNair,” Mikayla Walker, a graduate student studying public health science, said.
McNair was a former University of Maryland football player who died from heatstroke at a summer practice in 2018. Loh announced that D.J. Durkin, the head football coach at the time, would be reinstated after McNair’s death. One day after public backlash, the school decided to fire Durkin.
“I feel like [Pines] could struggle as the president, mainly because of the distrust the students seemed to have with President Loh over the last couple of years,” said senior Alison Weinstein, a double major in marketing and economics.
Many students said they felt a disconnect between Loh and the student body. They expect Pines to be honest with his students.
“I think he’ll have to establish integrity,” said Hunter Ramsey, a junior communications major.
Students say resident life quality is one of the school’s biggest problems that Pines should address.
“I hear a lot of talk about the dorms and how they are not in the best condition,” Faith Avery, a junior communications student, said.
Mold outbreaks in on-campus residence buildings affected hundreds of students in 2018 and may have complicated one student’s autoimmune disorder that resulted in her death, according to CBS news.
Many engineering students recognize their dean’s accomplishments and support Pines as the new president.
“If you look at the advancements of the engineering school compared to others at this university, it’s the smartest decision,” sophomore engineering student Gabe Pollack said about the newly appointed president.
The Clark School of Engineering ranks as the 18th best engineering program in the country, according to Best Value Schools.
“I really like that they chose someone who is already so involved with the university and has proven successful in such a high position,” Raymond Smith, a senior accounting and information systems major, said.
Darryll Pines will ultimately need approval from 40,000 students, not just 26, if he wants to have a better relationship with the student body than his predecessor.
Featured photo courtesy of the Office of Strategic Communications.