The Ranting and Raving of a Freshman
I am a student at the University of California, Merced. Yes, one of the pioneers, big wup. Every time I had heard about the new UC in high school (which was a lot), it would always be connected to the fact that anyone who went there for its first ''grand opening'' would be a pioneer and would help shape the school. It is sad how we (undergrads and graduates) all believed that we could shape the school. That we can create the new UC in the Great Central Valley by our standards. As for now, our opinion is carried out in surveys every few months for specific classes. That's great and all but what about "shaping the school," not just shaping the classes. A university is more then just its classes, yet our opinion has been reduced to such. They give us enough say so we don't go on complaining about not being heard; tricky bastards.
Then when students do complain and want to get something done, they go to the administration, for what? Do they really think they are going to be heard? Yes the administration will hear the students but they won't do anything about it. They won't truly hear them. They will pat them on their merry little naive heads and tell them to run along and to not worry about "big people" problems.
The university undermines the power of the student. They belittle us and condescend us by telling us that our opinion matters and we get to shape the school and by giving those damn useless surveys to try to shut us up. How did we fall into this trap. We should have realized that the UC is a bureaucracy and anyone who has taken a general 8th grade course in US government knows how a bureaucracy works and how hard it is to get anything done. We can't blame anyone in a bureaucracy and we can't get what we want through 10 minute speedy meetings with the personal assistant of the Vice Chancellor of UCM. What the hell is a personal assistant going to do? Of course I am exaggerating about the personal assistant. Some students actually get to talk face-to-face with the Chancellor or one of the three deans, but they have so many other things to do, they could care less about a bunch of whiny kids.
Two very high profile people are leaving the university by the end of this year. Kenji Hakuta and the Chancellor. Was the university that bad that they had to leave? Maybe they had a hard time getting their opinion heard from the people who are even higher then them. It would of taken a lot to get them so fed up that they would just quit. These are two very strong, powerful, influential people and even they couldn't get what they wanted for the university. Maybe they were listening to us. Maybe. Maybe they tried really hard to get what the students wanted but has no such success. If they can't do anything, what hope is there for us students?
So what to do? That has been the question that has been circling my mind for the last few days or so. (1) Should I just transfer out? No, that won't work because they credits here are not accredited so they wouldn't transfer. That would be a waste of time and money. (2) Talk to the administration? Haha, I can't believe I even asked that question. (3) Talk to students and see what they say and try to rally them up and them talk to the administration. Power in numbers they say. The problem with that is that UCM students just don't care. They are a bunch of lazy ass dip-shits. Not all of them, but most of them. Most of them don't even know what is going on with the UC. All they complain about it the crappy food and trams being too slow. There are a few that do care and that would help, and they are actually doing something, but that is a very small group.
My conclusion is to try to get people motivated. I have to do something that sparks an interest in the students. In order for students to do something, they have to feel that it somehow affects them. This is going to be a very hard task and I am not sure that is it possible. I have to remember that I am just a freshman and there is only so much I can do. Do I even have the guts to go out there and piss enough people off that they would get up and do something. Anything! To tell the truth, none of this is going to work. I'll probably get sidetracked; there are only 5 weeks left of school, finals are coming up, I have a million essays due within those 5 weeks, I am getting backed up at my job, blah, blah, blah. I guess if I had a bunch of others students that were passionate about changing the school, then I'd do something. But everyone else is busy as well and it seems that enough people are content with the UC. Eh, I guess this is just the way the world works. The little guy always loses and gets stomped upon while the big guy wallows in his piles of money and power (use your imagination) that he got from screwing over the little guy. The proletariat should stand up against the bourgeoisie and get in charge but our generation just doesn't care enough to do so.
We are treated like children, our opinion has be reduced to a few "yes" or "no" answers, the administration is fed up, there seems to be no progress being made, there is corruption and scandal everywhere, and students could care less. This is disheartening and it makes me lose confidence in my generation. Well not only my generation but the ones before me. Most grads aren't doing anything. I should be criticizing them more then my peers. They are supposed to be older and more experienced, they should be the ones to "spark an interest in the students" and deal with the administration. Their opinion holds more weight then ours yet they don't do anything. They are too busy criticizing their students and perfecting the art of being pretentious. But my problem with the grads are a whole other story.
I am a student at the University of California, Merced. Yes, one of the pioneers, big wup. Every time I had heard about the new UC in high school (which was a lot), it would always be connected to the fact that anyone who went there for its first ''grand opening'' would be a pioneer and would help shape the school. It is sad how we (undergrads and graduates) all believed that we could shape the school. That we can create the new UC in the Great Central Valley by our standards. As for now, our opinion is carried out in surveys every few months for specific classes. That's great and all but what about "shaping the school," not just shaping the classes. A university is more then just its classes, yet our opinion has been reduced to such. They give us enough say so we don't go on complaining about not being heard; tricky bastards.
Then when students do complain and want to get something done, they go to the administration, for what? Do they really think they are going to be heard? Yes the administration will hear the students but they won't do anything about it. They won't truly hear them. They will pat them on their merry little naive heads and tell them to run along and to not worry about "big people" problems.
The university undermines the power of the student. They belittle us and condescend us by telling us that our opinion matters and we get to shape the school and by giving those damn useless surveys to try to shut us up. How did we fall into this trap. We should have realized that the UC is a bureaucracy and anyone who has taken a general 8th grade course in US government knows how a bureaucracy works and how hard it is to get anything done. We can't blame anyone in a bureaucracy and we can't get what we want through 10 minute speedy meetings with the personal assistant of the Vice Chancellor of UCM. What the hell is a personal assistant going to do? Of course I am exaggerating about the personal assistant. Some students actually get to talk face-to-face with the Chancellor or one of the three deans, but they have so many other things to do, they could care less about a bunch of whiny kids.
Two very high profile people are leaving the university by the end of this year. Kenji Hakuta and the Chancellor. Was the university that bad that they had to leave? Maybe they had a hard time getting their opinion heard from the people who are even higher then them. It would of taken a lot to get them so fed up that they would just quit. These are two very strong, powerful, influential people and even they couldn't get what they wanted for the university. Maybe they were listening to us. Maybe. Maybe they tried really hard to get what the students wanted but has no such success. If they can't do anything, what hope is there for us students?
So what to do? That has been the question that has been circling my mind for the last few days or so. (1) Should I just transfer out? No, that won't work because they credits here are not accredited so they wouldn't transfer. That would be a waste of time and money. (2) Talk to the administration? Haha, I can't believe I even asked that question. (3) Talk to students and see what they say and try to rally them up and them talk to the administration. Power in numbers they say. The problem with that is that UCM students just don't care. They are a bunch of lazy ass dip-shits. Not all of them, but most of them. Most of them don't even know what is going on with the UC. All they complain about it the crappy food and trams being too slow. There are a few that do care and that would help, and they are actually doing something, but that is a very small group.
My conclusion is to try to get people motivated. I have to do something that sparks an interest in the students. In order for students to do something, they have to feel that it somehow affects them. This is going to be a very hard task and I am not sure that is it possible. I have to remember that I am just a freshman and there is only so much I can do. Do I even have the guts to go out there and piss enough people off that they would get up and do something. Anything! To tell the truth, none of this is going to work. I'll probably get sidetracked; there are only 5 weeks left of school, finals are coming up, I have a million essays due within those 5 weeks, I am getting backed up at my job, blah, blah, blah. I guess if I had a bunch of others students that were passionate about changing the school, then I'd do something. But everyone else is busy as well and it seems that enough people are content with the UC. Eh, I guess this is just the way the world works. The little guy always loses and gets stomped upon while the big guy wallows in his piles of money and power (use your imagination) that he got from screwing over the little guy. The proletariat should stand up against the bourgeoisie and get in charge but our generation just doesn't care enough to do so.
We are treated like children, our opinion has be reduced to a few "yes" or "no" answers, the administration is fed up, there seems to be no progress being made, there is corruption and scandal everywhere, and students could care less. This is disheartening and it makes me lose confidence in my generation. Well not only my generation but the ones before me. Most grads aren't doing anything. I should be criticizing them more then my peers. They are supposed to be older and more experienced, they should be the ones to "spark an interest in the students" and deal with the administration. Their opinion holds more weight then ours yet they don't do anything. They are too busy criticizing their students and perfecting the art of being pretentious. But my problem with the grads are a whole other story.
posted by rayana at 10:25 AM
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