Provost Kent Fuchs is conspicuously tearing off layers of the Big Red Tape that engulf Day Hall and we applaud him for his work. The decision to make public the 20 reports from the academic task forces was mission-critical for the process of “Reimagining Cornell.” It beseeches the University community to play a more active role in a truly academic debate about the future of cuts, where those who speak out will have facts and figures to support their cause as opposed to mere speculation.

In the coming months, the provost will be hard at work combing through the academic task force reports that were submitted to him in October. With suggestions ranging from transforming colleges, to slowing faculty hiring, to increasing student enrollment, Fuchs is now responsible for weighing these suggestions. But he is asking for our help. Students and faculty alike must rise to the occasion to scrutinize what is on the table and provide critical suggestions to the University. After all, it is the decisions to be made by Fuchs that will change the academic face of our institution in unprecedented ways.

Fuchs’s choice to make all reports available to the public was a responsible one (summaries of the reports can be found here and the complete reports can be viewed in the Dean of Faculty Office, 315 Day Hall from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.). The transparency will open the floodgates for staunch objections and harsh criticisms of some of the reports’ findings. But it appears Fuchs will welcome this debate and foster a constructive dialogue that will set a new tone on campus for discourse surrounding the budget cuts.

By way of comparison, the University’s recent dealings with Bain & Company were relatively opaque. Although we questioned the confidential nature of Bain’s cost-cutting actions and demanded that the consultants’ assessment of the University’s spending practices be communicated clearly to the community, our efforts were in vain. With the task force reports public, however, now is an opportune time to participate in the conversation.

The changes that will most prominently affect the day-to-day lives of students — those dealing with the management of the University’s academic core — will be implemented with student and faculty voices having set the stage. At an academic institution like ours, the best decisions will be as a result of intelligent debate. The task force reports will substantiate this dialogue.

We encourage all members of the community to go check out the reports and attend the provost’s series of panel discussions. Ask the following question: Will such a restructuring make for a stronger Cornell? If not, let the provost know. It is your academic and professional careers that will be most affected by these changes. Don’t sit on the sidelines as these big decisions begin to retool campus.