In a Sept. 13 editorial, the Central Michigan Life Editorial Board said University President George Ross has not once had lunch with students on this campus.

This statement was made to illustrate his lack of on-campus visibility and interaction with Central Michigan University students.

On a quantitative level, the wording of this statement was erroneous, however this publication stands by the editorial and the spirit of the point it was making.

As pointed out by Ross and Renee Walker, associate vice president of University Communications, Ross ate with five students in April at the Fresh Food Company at Woldt Hall. During a Sept. 23 meeting with the media after the board of trustees meeting, he even pointed them out.

They were all from Grand Central Magazine — a university-affiliated website run by the Department of Journalism. The meeting had been arranged so the students could write and publish a “Graduation Bucket List” feature, where one of the things they wanted to do before graduation was have a meal with the university president, said current Grand Central Editor in Chief Kristen Newhouse.

That is not the same as simply sitting down in a residential restaurant with any given student. It is also not the same as sitting down with the editorial board of this publication, which is published independently from the university.

Other instances of student interaction presented by University Communications involved Ross working with student liaisons who were a part of his transition team into the presidency, namely Student Government Association President Brittany Mouzourakis.

Both Walker and Ross have insisted the president has met with, dined with and talked with students outside of these instances, but no other specific examples were given when asked for during e-mails and phone calls late last week.

Although this does not paint a flattering picture of Ross as president, it would not be prudent to condemn him for this.

His administrative career up until now — both as vice president of Finance and Administrative Services at CMU and as president at Alcorn State University — has not prepared him for public relations and personal interactions on the level expected of a president of a university this size.

A president has many obligations, but it is just as important an obligation to take time to spend on campus, attend student events, meet students, learn who they are and learn what issues are most important to them.

Ross can not hesitate any longer to establish a tangible presence.

He must take time out of his day to do this and not only because it was scheduled or arranged for him by somebody else. He must prove he cares about the students on this campus. He needs to establish himself as a leader who uses a style of "management by walking around."

If, in the future, the president, other administrators or public relations officials have grievances or see errors in an editorial, hopefully they will be pointed out and addressed in a timely and appropriate manner.

Calling, meeting or e-mailing editors to let them know of a perceived error within several days of publication is a standard expectation, and one the administration and University Communications have met in the past.

In instances of errors, it was customary for Steve Smith, director of public relations, to e-mail this newspaper the day of publication or the morning after and it’s a practice he has exercised in recent weeks.

Instead, Ross and university public relations did not say anything until after Thursday’s board of trustees meeting — 10 days after the editorial in question ran. When it was brought up, it was in a fairly public environment where other media were present.

CM Life was scolded for “printing lies” and for failing to correct these “lies” that were never pointed out in the first place.

Handling the matter this way is completely inappropriate. This is not the protocol that has been established.

What direction this issue takes from here is entirely up to Ross.

The CM Life Editorial Board would like to meet with Ross face to face to talk about this and other issues important to CMU, which he has not done since taking the presidency. The board would like to meet and speak with Ross, as the president representing and serving the students of this university, without Smith and Walker speaking for him.