After the announcement that the Colleges of Family and Consumer Sciences and Education would be combined drew an outpouring of concern and protest, ISU administrators will present several opportunities for interested parties to give input.

In the next two weeks, students, alumni, faculty and staff of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Education will be able to express their thoughts about the merger through four open forums.

“This will be the first moment for people to express their ideas and concerns in a public way,” said Susan Carlson, associate provost and planning committee facilitator.

Carlson said students, alumni, faculty and staff will each have their own forum sponsored by the Planning Committee on the Combination of the College of Education and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“We thought [student, alumni and faculty and staff] concerns would be slightly different from each other,” she said. “After considering all of our options, we decided this would be the most productive way to get as much input as we could.”

Although these forums were created to target each group individually, Carlson said everyone, including the public, is welcome to attend all of the forums.

Carlson said members of the planning committee will facilitate each forum.

“Because we didn’t have a lot of lead time, some of the planning committee members won’t be able to come to each one,” she said. “But there will be enough committee members there to listen to participants.”

The forums will begin with large group discussions, after which attendees will break up into small discussion groups for further input, Carlson said.

“We will be videotaping the commentary and discussion [in the large group meeting],” she said. “In the small group discussions, planning committee members will be taking notes.”

What is said at the forums will be given to the planning committee for consideration while it makes decisions about the merger, Carlson said.

When appropriate, some of the information will also be given to work groups, which are smaller groups of students, alumni and faculty and staff which will be involved in particular aspects of the merger.

Carlson said she hopes people who come to the forums will give their honest opinions and constructive input.

“We want to build a conversation; we don’t want to isolate people and their thoughts. We want them to be able to talk about this,” she said. “We won’t be able to do a good job without additional input and discussion.”

Melissa Wilmarth, junior in family and consumer sciences education, said she plans to attend at least the forum for students.

“I know there are people who want to go and have their opinions heard,” she said. “I’m glad they are doing this, because it can be used as a two-way street. I’ll be able to hear what their plans are directly from [the planning committee] and not through a press release.”

She said she doesn’t believe a college merger is the “wisest move” for the university to make, and wants to make that known through the forums.

“I’m going to give them my honest opinion,” she said. “I really hope the planning committee will not only hear what students, alumni and faculty really want, but take it into account for the future.”