KSU Students Sit-In to Protest Allegedly Unhelpful Advisers

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Several Kennesaw Statue University students conducted a sit-in earlier this week to raise even more awareness of an alleged difficult relationship between the student body and some of its academic advisers.

According to WSB-TV, a group of KSU students began the protest in the student center Monday in an effort to express their unhappiness with the current policies of their academic advisers, who they claim are not doing enough to help them succeed.

Widespread awareness of the situation began when junior Kevin Bruce recorded an interaction he had with adviser Abby Dawson while waiting at the WellStar College of Health and Human Services for one of his exercise science advisers to arrive and sign a form for him. Dawson said that Bruce was harassing staff by sitting in the office.

“Sitting here until somebody’s available is harassing them,” Dawson says in the video.

The video went viral and galvanized the campus, with many students discovering their individual issues with their student advisers may be part of a larger problem. Despite earlier cries that the issue was racial in nature, KSU students told WSB-TV that students of all backgrounds have come forward to complain about the advisers at the college.

On Friday, KSU administrators placed Dawson on two-to-three weeks of leave while they investigate the situation.

In a statement released Friday afternoon, KSU Provost and Vice President of Student Affairs Ken Harmon said, “Kennesaw state is dedicated to providing a positive academic experience for all students. We also have a responsibility to provide all students, faculty and staff with a fair and thorough review process.”

Students told WSB-TV they are keeping up their protests and hoping further actions are taken to repair the relationship between themselves and their advisers.