Column:
Sucks to suck, MU
Upon her goodbye, Eanet offers new rules for MU.
Published May 7, 2009
Before my last column of the year, I just wanted to take time to thank the five or six of you who actually read this. I hope you all learned something, or were at least entertained. I especially thank you if you read this column and found it abhorrent. If I didn't have haters, I wouldn't be doing my job.
Now, as my last act, with apologies to Bill Maher, I would like to offer some New Rules for MU and its administration as they take on the largest freshman class in history.
New rule: Sometimes, blizzards happen in Missouri. We must accept this.
The Intercampus Faculty Council voted to move Reading Day to Thursday, citing the issue of inclement winter weather conflicting with exams as the primary issue. This is problematic for a number of reasons, the very least of which is the imminent cancelation of anyone's Reading Day bacchanal, not to mention the fact that more than 60 percent of the students who voted on the referendum voted against it. The added stress on both sides would be ridiculous, worse than any sort of icy apocalypse Missouri throws at us. There has to be another way to accommodate the needs of both students and faculty. And let's face it. If you've been teaching or studying in Missouri for more than a year, you should know how ridiculous the weather gets and have a plan in action by now. Just sayin'.
New rule: These product placement shenanigans must end. Now.
It was announced last week on the University Bookstore Web site that journalism students will be required to either purchase an Apple iPod touch or iPhone. This further cements the notion that someone in the administration sees us not as students with budgets and loans, but as potential advertisements for Apple. Now, being required to buy the obscenely expensive MacBook sort of makes sense, because most newsrooms now do use Macs and Mac software, as does that ridiculous iLife Challenge, because it does teach you how to use the programs that came with that obscenely expensive MacBook. But this is just ridiculous. Even the cheapest iPod Touch is still $229, and when money is tight, most people can't afford to drop that kind of money on an apparatus that still seems incredibly unnecessary. With students (and many parents) struggling to meet the basic payments for college, this sort of move is a classist slap in the face. Unless the School of Journalism wants to provide more scholarships so students can afford to buy said iPhones and give a precise, detailed account of what they're planning to use these fancy new toys for, this policy should probably be reconsidered.
New rule: When the opportunity to make a positive change comes, seize it.
This isn't to say the administration is all bad. The Faculty Council has a terrific opportunity at hand to implement the diversity course requirement with the committee that is being formed to discuss general education requirements. There has been a grassroots student movement to make this happen for years. It has been a part of the Legion of Black Collegians' List of Demands and has potential to do a world of good in improving the atmosphere on this campus. It would be nice to see the council work to make this a reality and put the proposal into action.
My little brother will be attending MU next year, and I was obviously thrilled when I heard his decision. I still am. I want him to have the same feelings of pride and sense of community as I do here. But I also want to be assured that the administration — Chancellor Brady Deaton, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Cathy Scroggs, the heads of the School of Journalism, everyone — will actually pay attention to the needs of students like him instead of their own agendas. This administration needs to lend an ear to those it serves, especially as more voices are present to demand changes.
Thanks for reading, and go Tigers.
