EDITORIAL: A Vision Without Dorren Robinson
Recently, the Vision's adviser told our senior staff that she is now our former adviser. She told us that she has been removed.
We were shocked. And we were upset. We never imagined a Vision without Dorren Robinson.
It wasn't for failing at her job. No, she excelled at it. If I called her at 7:30 a.m., panicking, she would answer and calm me down. If I asked her to come back to Belmont at 6 p.m. and help me edit a story, she would leave home and come to work after hours.
It wasn't for lack of caring. “I mean, the Vision's been my home,” she said in a previous Vision article. “I'm really sad leaving the Vision."
The only reason we were given is one sentence.
“The administration has asked for a change in leadership at the Vision."
That's all we know. That's all we've been told.
How can Belmont completely get rid of a successful, beloved adviser without even the decency to say why?
We've put our time and our hearts into serving the Belmont community by giving them the truth they need. Don't we deserve to know why our biggest supporter was taken away? Don't we deserve that much?
"Student journalism is and should remain separate from a university's public relations efforts," commented faculty member Bonnie Smith Whitehouse on the Vision's website.
"Now that longtime advisor Dorren Robinson has been removed from leading Belmont Vision, who will be the (ideally tenured) faculty member leading our student journalists and teaching them the important lessons of maintaining free and accurate flow of information?" she asked.
They haven't told us that either.
After all the work we've put into the community of Belmont, don't we deserve to have all the information about what’s next?
Even from a purely PR standpoint, it is a bad look for the university.
And the public thinks so, too. Currently, 1,435 people have read the article we posted on our website and 312 people have liked the Instagram post.
When we posted that she had been removed, 44 people commented on Instagram and two people commented on the website. About 22 of those comments expressed actual distrust in the university's motivations.
"As a parent of a current student this is concerning to me. You gave her an award last year and now a change in leadership for no apparent reason," said Instagram user @joleetaylor.
Since Belmont hasn't given us any real reason, all we have is speculation. "Apparently telling the truth is a problem," commented user @composemd1.
"This sounds like a political move," said user @dwwmc.
Belmont would probably tell us these statements are wrong. But they won't tell us what is right, either.
"While we will not comment on any specific personnel matter, changes in faculty responsibilities are common across the University. We are grateful for Dorren’s many years of dedicated service to the Belmont Vision and for her ongoing leadership in the classroom. The University remains committed to supporting student journalism and a new advising plan will be announced soon."
That's what they told me when I asked.
I asked twice for an interview with either the president or the provost. I wanted to give them a chance to explain their decision before the news went public.
I wanted to ask them why they took away my adviser.
I wanted to ask to their faces, not behind their backs.
I asked twice for an interview and both times all they gave me was the same emailed statement.
"The University remains committed to supporting student journalism."
I don't think anyone will ever be able to support the student journalists of the Vision like Robinson. Removing her is directly contrary to our support.
Robinson took care of us. I remember when we went to the Southeast Journalism Conference in February, she told me my job was to have food on standby in case our diabetic staff member needed something to eat.
She protected us. I remember one time she told me that she would not let anyone yell at me for anything I had written. "Let them yell at me," she said.
She mentored us. I remember time after time after time she stayed late instead of going home because I or my coworkers needed help on a story.
Who else will be kind enough to pause an academic conference and make sure her students are taking care of each other?
Who else will be brave enough to take the blame for someone else's writing?
Who else will be invested enough to spend hours with students, knowing they won't get paid overtime?
"If there’s anyone at Belmont that cares more for the student body than Dorren I never met them," commented former Vision staff member Matt Sinofsky on Instagram. "The Vision cannot be the same without her."
The Vision is not going anywhere. With or without Dorren, we will give the public the true information they deserve to know. It is our duty as journalists.
But it will not be the same.
The university said it's committed to student journalism, to us.
But they're not committed to Dorren.
So, are they really committed to us?
Written by Olivia Abernathy
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