While professors are supposed to lead a good example for their students, one school at Iowa State seems to struggle to work together.

The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication has gone through a great deal of turmoil since last summer, with racism accusations that caused a student to be kicked out of a class and the chairman and vice chairman to be removed almost permanently. There has also been bickering about salary differences between junior and senior professors, and how much research should be accomplished when compared to actual teaching. Recently, three junior professors have announced that they will be leaving rather than staying at a school where one professor says she’s now seeking counseling for her anger.

But what’s lost in all the controversy is that the students are suffering because good professors are leaving. The three junior professors are right to leave because these problems should not exist.

“I hate the environment here,” said Cindy Christen, a junior professor at the Greenlee School and one of the three that will be leaving Iowa State. As the sole permanent public relations professor on staff, she said there won’t be any permanent professors teaching the more than 200 public relations majors at Iowa State.

The other two junior professors leaving are Tracey Owens Patton and Scott Chadwick.

Christen cited hostility among herself and senior faculty members as to how much research should be done within the Greenlee School. She said junior professors had so much pressure to balance research and teaching, only to have senior professors — whom she said hadn’t had any research published in almost 20 years — say that her research wasn’t good enough.

Stephen Coon, a senior professor within the Greenlee School, said there should be a healthy balance between research and teaching for all journalism professors, but there may be too great of an emphasis on research at Iowa State. Although the ISU administration has gone on record that undergraduate teaching is a top priority, he said, “I don’t think the university’s actions have matched their words.”

With the announcement of a new chairman of the school, Coon and Christen said they are both hopeful that there will be positive change.

“We’ve tried to make changes. We’re going through a healing process … Things will get better,” Coon said.

Christen said, “The [new] junior faculty candidates are very good, and there will be a few key retirements. There is a possibility for a shift in a positive direction. But it’s too late for us.”

Hopefully the senior professors will take note of this and realize that they’re not exempt from doing research of their own. Action needs to be taken before more qualified professors leave their students behind.