I may only be a fourth semester Bearkat, but months like this one have made it seem as if I’ve been here for years. And I can’t wait to leave.
Transferring here has been both the bane of my existence and a smart move, but I’ll wait a few months to decide for sure. I’ve made friends, built my resume and clip files, and conquered all kinds of challenges – it’s hard to be angry for everything I’ve achieved in the last two years. Yet, I can’t quite conquer my anger at everything around me.
It’s been incredibly difficult, and not in good ways. Trying to get the Registrar to properly file seven hours has been an undoable feat, and trying to find the right French class has inspired epic levels of stress. I hardly ever get to leave campus at a normal hour (at least for longer than it takes to eat), I write ten thousand pages of fluff a week and my phone rings at 8 a.m. for work related honky. I’m now terrified to take out my trash or walk across campus. I can’t stand most shades of orange. I’ve grown disillusioned at the learning process, and quite frankly, several of my core requirements made me feel dumber upon completion. Most days are a struggle to get out of bed, and when I do, more often than not my days feel wasted on some level. That said, I’ve met and made friends with some of the greatest people ever. Christi, you’re so calm and sweet and understanding. You’re incredible, and don’t forget it, ever. Addison, the Notorious PDA – you’ve kept me together the last few weeks (months), whether through fording the mighty Congo or gossiping about my tragic romantic life. I’m going to miss having you around all the time more than you can ever know. For everybody else – the amazing supporting cast of friends new and old – I love you too. I don’t want to lose touch, so please, let’s stay in touch. You know who you are. And Kevin, I didn’t like you much at all, until I started listening to what you SAID. You’re cool now. Points. Dr. Young – you’re my hero and you’ve put up with so much from me. You’ve earned my everlasting respect.
For everybody else: just because you yell louder, you’re not right, or even make much sense. Just because you want it, it’s not owed to you. Just because you understand the surface, you don’t understand the undercurrent. Just because you don’t like it, it doesn’t make it wrong. So, get over yourselves. Your ability to drink more beer than the other doesn’t make you superman. Your skin color doesn’t make you any better or worse than I am. Stop being dumb, put down the illegal substances, and try being a real student for a little while. Every single one of you has in your hand an opportunity to grow and learn that so many elsewhere don’t – waste it at great cost. Earn the right to graduate – it’s not one anybody ‘deserves.’
At that thought, the same goes out to all the uselessness I’ve encountered. Professors: push your students to strive for new heights – even in the easiest of classes. Dare I say, we students tend to achieve precisely what you expect of us. Admin: instead of trying to conceal problems, why not try to fix them? On the record, the advisement process here has cost thousands upon thousands of dollars of student dollars, not to mention hours of everybody’s lives better spent elsewhere. For that matter, why do we have student activity fee increases for sports, when the police are still understaffed and underfunded? Has protecting the student body become less important than conference rankings? That explains why I’m now terrified of campus after dark.
I wish I could honestly say that I’m proud to be a Bearkat. I’m proud of groups like the Kat Krazies for their audacity and spirit, as well as those who actually go to games or performances. I’m proud of the incoming SGA administration – I wish you the best in actually accomplishing something not based in your own narcissism. I’m proud of a lot of the work produced within the Dan Rather building – in all mediums. I’m proud of President Gaertner, who has been amazing ever since that first fateful interview. Keep it up, everybody, and perhaps one day I’ll return with nicer feelings of wearing orange.