<body><script type="text/javascript"> function setAttributeOnload(object, attribute, val) { if(window.addEventListener) { window.addEventListener('load', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ object[attribute] = val; }); } } </script> <div id="navbar-iframe-container"></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> gapi.load("gapi.iframes:gapi.iframes.style.bubble", function() { if (gapi.iframes && gapi.iframes.getContext) { gapi.iframes.getContext().openChild({ url: 'https://www.blogger.com/navbar.g?targetBlogID\x3d7732413\x26blogName\x3dM\x27s+home\x26publishMode\x3dPUBLISH_MODE_BLOGSPOT\x26navbarType\x3dBLACK\x26layoutType\x3dCLASSIC\x26searchRoot\x3dhttps://mariagr.blogspot.com/search\x26blogLocale\x3den_GB\x26v\x3d2\x26homepageUrl\x3dhttp://mariagr.blogspot.com/\x26vt\x3d-13098647480081737', where: document.getElementById("navbar-iframe-container"), id: "navbar-iframe", messageHandlersFilter: gapi.iframes.CROSS_ORIGIN_IFRAMES_FILTER, messageHandlers: { 'blogger-ping': function() {} } }); } }); </script>

M's home

Sort of a diary, a place of rants, likes and dislikes


My Photo
Name:Maria
Location:Crete, Greece

A student leading a boring life

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Maria took her gun

I'm entering my 5th year in university, but I can count on my fingers, using just one palm mind you, the number of emails I've sent to the undergraduate mailing list. Just the fact that more than 700 people are listed as undergraduates is intimidating enough to make you think twice before posting anything. So far all my posts have focused on issues related to our department and studies and today's email was no exception.

A flame started a few hours on said mailing list. A student started it using the following line subject: "They're killing us". It was about a couple of "new" measures adopted by our department that make our studies even harder. More specifically the first one is about losing a course's mark when you decide to take it again to improve it and the second one is about the introduction of more prerequisite courses. While I agree that the measures are against the students's interests they are not new. The first was in effect when I entered the department and the second was decided almost 2 years ago, but apart from a few students who disagreed openly the rest just didn't react. I'm guilty of being in the latter group and I have no excuse for that. I was fully aware of the consequences. However, some of those who didn't react have just found out how they are affected and cry "Foul".

In my answer I pointed out how old the second rule was and said once again that the best way to deal with such problems is to bring them in discussion in the students's assembly and not through a flame war. The only gap in my logic is that we don't have students's assemblies. In order to have one there must be a certain number of students present, I believe it's close to 90 now, and we usually don't have more than 10. Why? Because they don't care, they don't bother. The last 2 years I haven't missed more than 3 assemblies of which only one took place. I think we've reached a dead end. Students don't bother to protect their rights and only react when it is already too late. If the younger students don't react, I don't see why the older should, especially if they are close to graduation.

By the way, I did get an answer to my email by one of those who started the flame and he claims that he's one of the few who attend all assemblies. I'm so tempted to ask "Will VF please stand up?" in the next assembly.

A humorous note:
As I was trying to include all the mail addresses of the persons who had till that moment responded I mistyped one and sent a copy of my email to a graduate student (I think he has finished his grad studies) who hasn't checked his emails since 2003.

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know what you mean. Students are usually too lazy to attend assemblies, yet they cry "foul" when they realise that they have to face problems on their own. Protesting on a board won't help in the least. It's the easy way out. They are either not brave enough to do so publicly or they are just too lazy to get moving.

Seniors hardly protest for younger or future students. That's just how uni life works. It's the young one who have to take part in this.

Btw, I have no idea how to sign my comments. I'll adopt my LJ name. So it is...
Cashima ;)

10/13/2004 05:50:00 pm  
Blogger Maria said...

What I find frustating is that I care for my department more than the young students. I'm graduating, hopefully, and whatever happens now won't affect me.
Sadly the whole "I don't care" attitude started with our year. Our department was famous for taking actions. In my first two years I admired older students who were active, had opinions and weren't afraid to express them. These were good examples for us. My class is not a good example for the young ones. I don't know what went wrong, but that's how things are now.

So Cashima it is. You can sign your comments any way you want to. I only have a couple of readers and in case you haven't noticed you're the only one who comments.

10/14/2004 10:59:00 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why is it always our class? I was so frustrated when I graduated from secondary school that my class was the first one that had the famous ball at the end in the gym of the school (and not in a club or some other posh place). After this my graduation things went even further downhill. The same happened in university. I guess most people of our age are just lazy brats. *sigh* Unfortunately I am not one to start a revolution. It seems that this is always someone else's job. :p

I know, maybe I am the only one commenting because I have scared all the others away.*lol*

10/14/2004 07:43:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

10/14/2004 07:43:00 pm  

<< Home