Are you serious?

I probably shouldn’t write blog entries when I am angry/frustrated. I just don’t seem to write my best. I just seem to ramble, complain, bitch and moan. But this time, I felt compelled to write this out because well, as the title suggests, I could not believe what happened earlier today.

Most of you who read this should already know this but in case you don’t, I have a minority scholarship here at OU that pays for everything and even gives me an overage check each quarter. So in essence, I get paid to go to school. Scary thought I know. Anyways, it’s our program’s usual Tuesday roundtable meeting where we are to discuss some topic. It could be anything, ranging from global warming to universal health care to any scholarly subject.

For this meeting though, we had our program’s leaders in the meeting with our GA and our usual professor who leads our discussions. For today’s roundtable, we were going to discuss the direction of the program. Let me give you a quick snapshot of what we have to do to keep our scholarship:
1. Maintain a 3.0 average w/ minimum 16 hours each quarter (fair enough, I mean, it is a scholarship)
2. 6 hrs of community service each quarter (not asking too much)
3. Attend weekly roundtables (more on these later)
4. Write a 1-2 page personal reflection paper each quarter (usually takes me 15 min on a weekend to finish)

That’s honestly about it. Not much huh? Well, you wouldn’t be able to tell that from our meeting tonight. Here are some quotes from people and my feelings. Feel free to gasp, moan and get mad. I sure did.

“I think the UC classes are pointless…they told us to make a collage for an assignment. It was simply busy work. I mean, I have real classes with real papers and real reading and don’t have time for busy work” (Freshman)

Two things here. The freshman must take three UC classes over the first year. UC 115 (First-Year Experience), UC 169 (First-Year Seminar, and a UC Class TBA. Also, these UC classes might be the easiest classes on this campus behind the recreation classes such as bowling, swimming, etc… The are designed for students to succeed. They are not a lot of work. They are made to make sure there is a good transition between high school and college. Got it? Now, look at the quote.

Are you frickin serious? You’re telling me you think a class that is an easy A is pointless? And then you’re complaining about a collage? WTF! You could just have a third “real paper” in another “real class”. The sad thing is that most of the freshmen agreed with this guy, all agreeing that the UC class doesn’t challenge them. It’s like they want more work, more papers, more thinking. The sad part is that since they are freshmen, they don’t know that everyone else in that room would DIE for a UC class right now. Classes get harder and more time-consuming. If they are complaining about a class being too easy, then they’ll be downright excited when junior year rolls around and all that free time they have now turns into study time at the library or in your room. Oh, and they’ll want a collage then no doubt. Frickin naïve frosh.

Oh, and just for fun. One freshman threw out a comment about how they only used one page in her $40 book for the first UC class. Well, cry me a river. You get a refund check ranging normally from $300-$1000 your first year. I think that’ll make up for it. So don’t give me a sob story about $40. Take away this scholarship and then come crying to the moon.

“I don’t need a ‘cushion’. I don’t mean to be rude but who are you all to say I need a ‘cushion’”. (Freshman)

The “cushion” I refer to here is the UC classes I talked about. One of our program directors called those classes something to kind of fall back on, lighten the load on a hard quarter, in other words, a “cushion” for freshman. So who is this guy to tell our director he doesn’t need that cushion? Is he offended that he is being forced to take a class that is created to give you a GPA-boosting A or A-? I just don’t get it. These freshmen all felt like they were too good for a UC class, as if they were supposed to be for dumber freshman, not “scholars” like us.

This is what I say. Stop whining, take your A, and move on. I have never heard more people complain about such an easy class. It’s like saying to your advisor that you hate your psychology class because attendance is optional and not mandatory. It just doesn’t make sense. You pay ZERO dollars to go here. You have no right to complain about a class you have to take. You aren’t paying for it. Just do the work, no matter how little of a “challenge” it is. Get rid of this attitude that all classes HAVE to be hard. If you wanted that, then go to Harvard. If you want to succeed in school and still have somewhat of a life outside of academics, then stay here. Oh, and did I mention it’s FREE here. Ugh…

Oh, and his blurb about who do they think they are? I don’t know if he knows this but he was talking to three people with doctorate degrees. All have dealt with students and managing students their entire career. So shut up because they know more than you. You may think you know what’s good for a freshman like yourself but guess what, you don’t because you ARE A FRESHMAN NOW! Even I know what’s better for you as a first-year student. So get rid of that “too good for this” attitude. You don’t know what is.

“I feel like you all (the program directors) always look at us (students) as if we are stupid kids trying to get out of work. There is a huge disconnect between us and the program. I just want you all to treat us like adults.” (Senior)

This one fired me up too. Not as much as the UC class subject because this one has some merit to it. There is a lack of communication between our program heads and the students but again, more on that later. I want to address this quote.

The senior says the program thinks we are stupid kids who are trying to get out of work and that we should be treated as adults. The sad part is that as the senior says this, he/she looks like more of a child. The program gives us all this money to do only those 4 things I listed earlier. Then, all we do is complain. Oh yeah, that’s mature on our part, especially since we signed a contract agreeing to the terms above. So when I hear argue about community service or class hours, I get a headache. We have literally 4 requirements. THAT’S IT. 4 requirements to keep a scholarship worth just under $80,000 over four year. If we were true adults, we would listen and do what is asked of us. Also, if we had a problem, we wouldn’t bring it up in front of everyone, but instead do it in front of the program directors, face-to-face in their office. This is more informal and makes for better conversation. Instead though, we start petty arguments about trivial things and argue for hours at a time since we can’t act like the mature adults I thought we were.

“I never came to see you because I didn’t know who you all were. I feel like there was never an attempt for you to meet the freshman so it was kind of intimidating to come and ask you a question” (Freshman)

First of all, my rule of thumb when it comes to getting to know someone is that if you care that much, then you’ll go and introduce yourself and get to know them. If you don’t care, you’ll worry only about yourself and other things. This is important because in this situation, the freshman complains about all these classes and other crap YET has never gone to talk to our director face-to-face and talked about their problem. Instead, she felt intimidated by a director that all year has said her door is always open. Not only that but why should the director have to carry all the burden to met the freshman. Why not flip that situation? It seems to me this was just another way for the freshman to complain since obviously, they have more time to think of complaints cuz their UC class doesn’t keep them busy from thinking of complaints.

If the freshman really cared, she would’ve gone a long time ago and talked about these problems. But nope, instead she just waits for the right moment to pounce on the directors as if her suggestion in front of them and 30 of her peers will carry more weight then a one-on-one meeting. Yea, that’s mature. Crap like this fires me up. If you have a problem with me, tell me. If you have a problem with something I’m a part of, tell me. Don’t beat around the bush. Don’t stay quiet. Just tell me. We are all big boys and girls. We cannot lose our scholarship simply because we are speaking our minds. So being afraid isn’t an excuse…well unless of course, you’re a kid.

The last point I will bring up is our roundtable discussion. Yea, they can be boring but sometimes, they can truly be intellectual. Problem is though, normally we talk about one of two things:
1. What needs to be fixed in the program (and it ALWAYS goes long)
2. What we will talk about in next week’s meeting (just one big circle week-to-week)
I’m not a big fan of these, especially this quarter because I feel like we talk about nothing relevant to a group of 30 minority students with homework and books to read after the meeting. Yet, I go for two reasons. The first is that I have to. The second is that it’s the least I can do to thank the program for giving me this scholarship.

MY FINAL TAKE:

So what do I really think? I think that now even people with full scholarships are getting stuck-up and spoiled. The program provides them with all this money. Actually, an excess of money. And instead of properly thanking the program by simply following its wishes, it challenges and questions them. And not the good challenge and question that brings about change. No, the kind of challenge and question that shows how lazy and arrogant the scholars have gotten. The program started on very shaky roots. There was a lot of opposition to it. People had to fight hard to make these scholarships and the least these freshman and others could be in grateful. They could be like other students I know who are paying their way through college, with or without Mom and Dad’s help. They could be paying for books with money made from all that work over the summer. They could be taking 20 hours of hard material.

But instead, they are getting paid to go to school. They have money left over to pay for books. They get to take classes that give you an early A to pad the GPA. But most importantly, it gives you a support system in 30 other people just like you. So, with all due respect, shut up. Don’t start thinking you are too good for things such as community service and UC classes. Too good for professional dress or etiquette dinners. You are part of a distinguished group of students. We have a great opportunity. Don’t screw it up by complaining with your big mouth. You don’t have the right…especially when you’re a freshman. I am glad they were honest and forthright in their opinions but I am NOT happy that their opinions leaned toward the side of arrogance and not humility. We are NOT better than anyone. We were just given an opportunity and a damn good one if I may say so.

If I hear anyone else complain, I’m gonna flip. Either go the directors or don’t talk at all because if not, there probably won’t be any change because you’re not mature to understand the true reason for this scholarship and its requirements. Just go to class and do what needs to be done. No more whining…leave that for kids.