FolaSteph’s Blog

Today, I got an email from GSU asking all graduates to leave sick relatives home. GSU does not want any outbreaks of swine flu to happen on our campus, so we, the graduates, are suppose to tell our sick relatives they can’t come. The email said anyone with a fever and upper respiratory symptoms should stay home. Now… how many people do they really think are going to pay attention to this message? I have a feeling sick people will come and watch their loved one walk across the stage regardless of the potential they have to spreading Swine Flu.

I would like to take a moment to ask GSU what they were thinking, renovating the library in such a way where at times students still have to wait to use computers or find a decent place to study. This gets even worse during the last couple of weeks of each semester. Yesterday, I came to the library at 7:30pm to meet for a group project. The library parking lot was full, the parking lot belonging to Veazey and Admissions was full, and parking on Sweet Heart circle was full! We had to drive around until someone came out of the library, and we took their parking spot. Seriously, I would rather not worry about where I am going to park when I have a huge final coming up. Once you get in the library you then have to wait to use a computer or check out a laptop. That’s just not right. I believe the school just didn’t anticipate the high growth in enrollment we experienced this year. Though I will no longer be here after I graduate this weekend, I hope they will build more parking so students can have easy access to the library. I hope they also find a way to put in more study desks in the open spaces in the library so everyone can have a place to study and get some homework done.

On a slightly different note: As a frequent user of the library, it just gets frustrating when I see so many people come to the library to cram for finals or projects. I come to the library practically everyday in the semester, and at the end of the semester my study location gets snagged away by somebody who has probably never stepped foot in the library. It’s just not fair! What are these people thinking?

So, graduation is right around the corner for me. I have been cleared for over a year now, but all of a sudden, I received an email from my advisor (forwarded from the registrar) asking about a specific course I was supposed to have taken. Mind you, I have already received a clearance, purchased a gown, and have been receiving emails about where to pick up my honor cord. Now they want to know about a class?

There was a class in my department that is only offered once a year and I was unable to get into the course considering there were only 20 seats for all the Journalism majors who are required to take this course! My advisor replaced the course with journalism practicum courses to make up the hours. She cleared me for it, and the registrar’s office cleared me. Now they wanted to act like they didn’t know what was going on when clearly the paperwork speaks for itself.

Fast-forward, my advisor said they got it all cleared. Then, I found out that people had already been getting their name cards for graduation. I was yet to receive mine, so I paid a trip to the registrar’s office. My graduation counselor couldn’t find my name on “the list.” I started to freak!!! She looked me up in the system, and it said I am indeed graduating in May. She then saw that she had to handwrite me onto the list.

Handwrite me!!! I don’t think so! I know what happens to people that get handwritten on to lists. Their names don’t appear in the graduation bulletin. That’s what happens! Doesn’t GSU know that this is a day that is very important? Why wouldn’t they check with all the parties involved before they remove someone from the list? It is so much better than assuming wrong, taking someone off the list, and then having to put them back on.

First thing Monday morning, I am going to the registrar’s office to make sure my name is typed on that list and will appear on the program. This is a memory I wish to share with my children and grandchildren someday. I have a bunch of family coming in to celebrate with me. I refuse to have them scrimmaging through the program unable to locate their celebrant’s name!

I wonder how much money the school is losing by having so many students live “off-campus.” After the university took down Johnson, Oliff, and Winburn, more students opted to live in apartment complexes surrounding the school. Even with the opening of University Villas, there was still not enough housing for students.

I recall university housing sending memos to all the students planning to live in University Villas. GSU asked students in the 2bd/2ba dorms if they would be willing to share a room. Were they that desperate? The School offered these students money to do so.

I guess most students staying in UV said no, because the number of students living off-campus is ridiculous. For Fall 2008, 49 percent of freshmen live off-campus, 85 percent of sophomores, 92 percent of juniors, 95 percent of seniors, and 98 percent of Master’s students. This was up from Spring 2008 percentages.

Isn’t the school losing a lot of money by having all these people live off-campus? How do they know some of these people will choose to live in the new dorms come fall? I wouldn’t move back into a dorm setting after living independently for at least a year!

P.S.—the fact that “everyone” lives off-campus is making it extremely difficult for me to sublease my apartment. No one wants to sublet because they already have their own place.

What was CNN thinking? This is too funny! Everyone know that if the president was white, not one would be joking about his/her dimeanor. Bush was country, but professional news stations were not mimicking his dimeanor. The anchor looks so silly trying to show “swagga” in her voice and movement. What will be interesting is the continued follow-up to this segment about Obama’s “swagga.” Some people will think it is absolutely funny; others will think it is a form of racist stereotyping.

I think it’s funny, but not really newsworthy. Sometimes you need some humor in the news though. We have been hit hard with the economy and swine flu. It’s nice that our president is cool and can make us laugh. (And not at him) I bet his kids think he is the coolest dad ever. He just seems to handle everything with ease, which I hope will rub off to citizens.

I would never expect CNN to actually do a whole segment about Obama’s “Swagga” and have an anchor woman impersonate him. What were they thinking?

I was watching Bill Maher the other day, and he was complaining about how the Republican Party has lost its focus. He said that the things the Republicans have been worried about since Obama took office include: “His birth certificate is fake, he uses a teleprompter too much, he bowed to a Saudi guy, Europeans like him, he gives inappropriate gifts, and his wife shamefully flaunts her upper arms…” Take a look at Bill Maher’s April 24, 2009 New Rules segment below.

I am in no way surprised that people seem to be worried about things that do not matter right now. With so much going on in society, people need to stop hating on the fact that Obama got elected. He’s the president now, and we must stick behind him whether we voted for him or not. The more we are divided, the less we will be able to accomplish as a nation.

Seriously, what are these republicans thinking? I respect the views of every party, and I won’t say which way I voted, but it is quite sad when grown men and women cannot get over their bitterness for the sake of their fellow citizens.

What are they thinking?

It is no secret that the economy is hitting every sector in the United States. An email notice was sent out to students, faculty, and staff at Georgia Southern University in March entitled Economic Hardship Information. The message highlighted services available to students currently battling economic hardship.

On April 14, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia announced the end of guaranteed tuition for Fall 2009 incoming students and an increase in fees for all students.

The increase in fees and end in guaranteed tuition will more than likely make economic hardship even greater in the future, but regents and GSU’s administration suggest there is no way around recent decisions.

Enrollment is increasing greatly at GSU and other universities because people have no other option but to attend school, but what is happening to the additional money being generated by the increase in students? The plain eye would think that more students equals more money, which means things should be great for institutions. Unfortunately, things are not that simple. Once funding is being decreased from higher-ups, budget cuts at individual institutions have to follow.

No student wants to hear that their tuition is subject to increase from year to year or additional student fees will become the norm. There are many unanswered questions concerning other options to assist in the maintenance of the university.

If students are paying more for their education, what sacrifices is the administration making. Yes, there have been budget cuts in the majority of departments on campus, but what about the salary of administrators? Are students the only ones who must suffer during this economic downturn?

At times when money is getting tight and people are experiencing individual hardship, it becomes important that everyone play their role. Every party involved must reach a level of understanding in order for life to run as harmless as possible. Knowledge and accurate information about what the university is being faced with should be out in the open.

Increased budget cuts in certain departments may lead to cuts in the programs that attract people to GSU the most or retain current students. Only students involved in departmental organizations have a good understanding of the effects of the economy on funding at GSU.

Take for instance the Minority Advisement Program. MAP is an initiative run out of the Multicultural Student Center, which has recently experienced a significant budget cut. The program groups students of similar majors with mentors called MAP Sponsors. Each sponsor is allowed to spend money for programs and activities for their mentees throughout the year. Within one semester, the money allotted to MAP Sponsors was cut in half.

With a decrease in funds, it is possible that students may lose interest in the program they once enjoyed, which would in turn take away the benefits of the program. One such benefit being the MAP student retention rate, which is 16.38% higher than that of GSU as a whole.

GSU’s administration has failed to effectively communicate the state of the school’s finances with those affected by it the most—students.

Perhaps it is too early to properly assess the situation, but not letting students and parents know what is going on and what will continue to take place can end in unwanted repercussions.

After high school, students are usually given the opportunity to experience freedom, especially when they go off to college. Once a student steps foot on the Georgia Southern University campus, he/she is expected to take responsibility for himself/herself. It is through college that students learn to cut the umbilical cord from their mother (or father). This newfound independence shows itself personally, socially, and academically. The latter tends to be the one which gives students the most trouble.

GSU passed a policy that places a limit on the amount of courses a student can withdraw from during his/her tenure at the university. The new policy will go into effect Fall 2009. Prior to this policy, students have been able to withdraw from however many courses they see fit. In other words, if students failed to plan their schedule appropriately, they could just withdraw from a course without academic penalty as long as the course was withdrawn from before a specified deadline.

What does being able to withdraw from an infinite number of courses teach students? Having no limit to withdrawal has allowed, or even encouraged, students to make poor decisions. College should be an environment in which students prepare to face the real world. A professional cannot agree to a contract, begin working on it, then later decide he/she cannot handle it and quit. A professional who acts which such carelessness on a job will not have a job much longer.

Withdrawing from classes develops a “quitting” mentality, which does not help students in the long run. Students should be aided through academic advisement and self-motivation to make wise decisions that they can stick to or suffer the consequences. The new five withdrawals limit will instill responsibility in the students at GSU.

Students who take the time to pick their classes by considering all factors tend to perform better than students who register for classes without engaging in critical thinking. Students who withdraw from multiple classes have lower grades than those who stick with a course and put forth their best effort.

What students sometimes fail to understand is that withdrawals do show up on their transcripts. Employers do not want to hire someone who has a history of bailing when things get tough. When employers see multiple withdrawals, or even one withdrawal, they may think the student has poor decision making skills and little motivation to work hard.

Graduate schools also view withdrawals in a bad light. Students looking to attend graduate school should keep in mind that multiple withdrawals on a transcript will not look appealing to an admissions committee. Why would a university want to admit a candidate with several withdrawals, when there are many more candidates who have performed well without withdrawing from courses?

GSU’s faculty senate and president should be commended for their decision to increase the potential of students by approving the new limit to withdrawals. The faculty senate and president are not insensitive to individuals with personal circumstances. GSU’s administration has outlined circumstances that can permit students to withdraw from more than five courses such as illness or military duty. There are also ways in which students can appeal because of individual circumstances.

The repercussion of withdrawing from more than five courses further prepares students for the decision-consequence reality of the “real” world. According to the policy for limiting individual course withdrawals issued by GSU, students will receive a “withdrawal-failing” grade for any course they choose to withdraw from succeeding their fifth withdrawal. The “WF” will be calculated as an F for GPA purposes.
Implementing consequences will discourage students from reckless withdrawal and will teach them that consequences can ensue from irresponsibility.

Students should not view this new withdrawal limit in spite, but rather as a favor that will prepare them to enter the professional world as responsible, cognitive adults.

Miss California, who competed in the Miss America Pageant, is more famous than the lady who actually won. Why? Because she exercised her freedom of speech and was plastered for it. A judge, Perez Hilton, asked her whether she agreed with same sex marriage or not. Miss California answered that she believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. Hilton was caught on camera putting his head down and shaking his head after Miss California’s answer. Obviously he did not agree with his point of view. She believes she did not win the Miss America title because she answered the question honestly.

None of us would ever know whether or not she would have won, but if the reason why the judge voted against her was because he didn’t like her beliefs, that is blatantly wrong. Different panelists on news shows are saying she shouldn’t have given that answer knowing the changes currently going on around the nation regarding same sex marriage. I believe suggesting she pull an answer out of her butt that is not what she believes is preposterous! In fact, that would be an infringement on her 1st Amendment right.

Isn’t that what America is about? Freedom! Given, she did not articulate her answer well; her opinion should not be knocked down solely because it is her opinion. My school, GA Southern, held a Freedom of Speech Food Festival today to make students, faculty, and staff realize how they exercise their freedom of speech daily. If a bunch of college students can understand this concept, how much more everyone else in society?

What was Perez Hilton thinking?

With today’s economy, many college seniors and juniors are having a difficult time finding jobs. Less employers are attending career fairs these days. It’s a sorry state of affairs for students.
I think the lack of job availability is leading students to reconsider going to grad school. Enrollment in grad school has definitely increased. This August, I will be attending law school. One university, I won’t name them, told me that 5,000 people applied during this application cycle just to fill 180 seats! I wouldn’t want to be on that admissions committee. Some people who are already in the workforce are deciding to go back to get higher degrees for job security or because they have been laid off. I was fortunate enough to be admitted at various institutions, but I know it is extremely competitive out there now.
I really hope that my fellow students who will be getting their diplomas next month will be able to obtain jobs in the area of their interest. I can’t wait until all of this clears up! Having an uncertain future isn’t fun. I hope that my loved ones will have jobs. I also pray that when I graduate from law school in 3 years, things would’ve picked up!
My school is promoting grad school to the students. I think that it is important for every university to do the same. Grad schools are going to be making a lot of money at this time. Other things need to be emphasized as well in order to inform students on how to beat the odds.