The Communication Gap Between the University of Arkansas and its Students

By Emalee Powell

In every classroom on the University of Arkansas campus, there is a stark black-and-white picture of the Ten Commandments. Once an attention-grabbing sight, the framed picture is now a normalized part of every classroom.

As the temperatures begin to finally drop and leaves begin to turn, the U of A approaches the first anniversary of the controversial Act 573. Despite this drop in temperature, however, tuition prices and enrollment numbers continue to rise year after year. All of these affairs call into question the power of a student’s voice on this campus: Do their voices matter? Are they being listened to?

Act 573 instructed “institutions of higher education” to “prominently display [the national motto and the Ten Commandments] in a conspicuous place.” In October 2025, the U of A placed over 500 framed copies of the Ten Commandments in classrooms and other shared public spaces all over campus, despite mass protest by students, staff and alumni.

Although the university denied wrongdoing by attributing its actions to lawful legislation, it did acknowledge student concerns, evident through posters hung around campus that stated that tampering with the copies would constitute destruction of the U of A’s property. Ultimately, despite public pushback, the university took little action to protest Act 573.

A graduate student at the U of A, who has chosen to remain anonymous due to her position as an instructor, shared, “Many students feel deeply uncomfortable about their presence in the classroom.”

For a university that prides itself on its increasing enrollment and diverse student body, students feel the environment does not reflect the various cultures and perspectives that exist on campus.

“We can’t expect [students] to come into a classroom and feel comfortable with what’s being presented there,” she said.

Similarly, students have spoken out against the university’s tuition, arguing that the price of attending is too high and goes to the wrong places. They have also protested the rising acceptance rates, saying that the university is accepting too many students with too little housing.

When asked about her opinion on the policies of U of A, the graduate student argued that the price of tuition should guarantee a comfortable learning environment for all.

Still, the U of A Board of Trustees voted in 2026 to seize funds for the football team by charging students a fee. The Associated Student Government, as both representatives and students themselves, chose to let the student body decide if their tuition should be funneled into sports. Over 82% of students voted that they would not support this use of their tuition.

Although this athletic tax was not implemented, the board initially acted against the vote of students to not add an additional charge.

In Bill 13, from February 2026, ASG stated that as “advocate[s] for the entirety of the undergraduate student body of the University of Arkansas…The Associated Student Government Senate affirms that student affordability and academic excellence must remain the University’s highest institutional priorities.”

When questioned on an anonymous Yik Yak poll, only 13% of 126 students said that they felt like their voice mattered.

The same graduate student, who has experience teaching classes on her own, offered her pedagogical experience to explain the failed communication between staff and students.

“When you’re at a larger university, like this, it’s very easy for your voice to get lost and for there to be more excuses for things to be ignored administratively,” she said.

Coming from a smaller university to the U of A, she noted, “I think that we could focus on making students comfortable… like, for example, listening to student voice and providing a platform for students to actually be listened to.”

Right now, there is a gap between the administration and the growing pool of students, and it is only getting wider.

The U of A continuously reaches record-high freshman classes year after year. On Sep. 9, 2025, Dr. Indrajeet Chaubey, the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, released a statement that revealed record enrollment in freshmen, the entire undergraduate class and the entire university for that year.

In the statement, he boasted that the U of A has accepted more than 34,000 students, with the largest undergraduate and graduate class yet.

“Why aren’t we making more buildings for classrooms or restricting the numbers that we put on classes, so that students are able to build relationships with their professors and therefore [get] recommendations or internships?” the student said.

The needs of a fast-growing student base are not being met due to the rate at which it is increasing. As a result, career-building connections between faculty and students are becoming more strained.

Frustrated, she asserted, “We’re expanding so fast, we’re restricting ourselves to giving little care to our actual student base.”

Wyatt Rice, a senior at the U of A and Director of Campus Relations for ASG, shared that each of these issues is the subject of serious discussion for both ASG and administrators.

Rice said that ASG is constantly striving to “advocat[e] on behalf of students,” and “to facilitate accurate communication between students and decision-makers.”

As a trusted resource and democratic connection to the university for students, ASG takes pride in listening to students’ voices. In fact, they want students to talk more.

“This is the first step… to the university being more representative of the student voice,” Rice said.

The students need to find their voices, and they need to be loud.

When questioned about the gap between student life and university policy, Rice encouraged everyone on campus to participate in the campus community. In the past, these ventures have been successful. Increased funding for Registered Student Organizations and renovations to both the Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Building and Maple Street proves the impact that student advocacy can have.

“The more students use every available avenue to make their voices heard, the more pressure there is on the institutions that can actually act,” Rice said.