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Wed 7 May, 2008 03:22 am
Hello, I have been a member of A2K for a couple of years now, and I have found it to be a very interesting community composed of many interesting people.
For whatever perverse reason, I care about this place. Just enough that I thought I'd share something special.
In 10 days 7 hours I will graduate from college. As I count down each day, I thought I'd share a memory from college with you each day until graduation. I will try to give you my 10 most significant.
MEMORY #1: The Yard Stick Man
I arrived at my college as a transfer student with two years already under my belt at a local community college. I walked in to greet who I thought would be a student advocate, my first Advisor. Instead I met Dr. Fannin. I remember how he rejected the math credits I earned at CC and how he made me retake a year of math. I pleaded with him to reconsider. He looked me in the eye and told me the following words.
"Every school gives their student a yard stick in which they can use to reach out to their goals. Your Community College, [name omitted], gave you a 2ft yard stick."
He proceeded to tell me how I would not be successful at this school.
I remember the rage a felt at his smug arrogant look. I felt my nails dig into my palms. I remember the betrayal I felt. I had never met an academic professional who so directly displayed such blatant elitism.
I went to the store that night and bought a yardstick. I hung it in my room by my desk that first year to remind myself of the goals I set for myself and how I would not let a petty old man stomp on my dream. the next day, I filled out the necessary paperwork to get a new Adviser, and met a nice man with a lot of knowledge about my department.
I still have the yard stick, and on next Friday (the day before grad) I plan to go to the store buy him a yard stick. Cut a foot off of it. Then take it to his office where I will proceed to tell him what I think of his yard stick. I worked hard and exceeded my own expectations, I want him to know he was wrong. I'll look him in the face and tell him to "never tell another student that again."
More memories to come.
T
K
O
excellent
looking foward to hearing more
(p.s. you made me think of my own 'yardstick man'....thanks)
Excellent thread. I am enjoying it immensely.
Book marking, TKO. Interested in how you like Falls Church, Virginia. Incidentally, Dr. Fannin sounds a tad insecure.
Congratulations and best wishes for your future.
TKO, this is way more than a good story...you owe this SOB a big thanks. His mean-spirited Victorian pronouncement (you'll never make it), and his making you repeat a course you'd already taken, got your hackles up in the best possible way.
Why not go see him and plant a big kiss on him, and thank him for introducing you to the non-credit course A-hole 101.
The kiss will really get him confused.
Your initial advisor might very well be a 1st class A-hole and a crappy advisor but you should also think him for giving you some motivation. If nothing else, he seems to have convinced you to prove him wrong and it sounds like you have.
Congrats on your impending big day!
Wow! This is like a fast-forward version of The 1,001 Nights!!!!
You go git Mr Two Foot!!!
This is a great idea. Love the first story, looking forward to more, and congrats!!
This is such a nice idea for a post. Keep going and congrats on getting as far as you have
Woot Woot!
Congrats!
This is a major accomplishment; enjoy it!
Bella Dea wrote:Woot Woot!
Congrats!
This is a major accomplishment; enjoy it!
For this major accomplishment, you get a major award....
we all chipped in.
Congratulations, TKO . . . you've got a good grip on reality in my experience, and i have no doubt that you'll do well.
Congrats TKO!!
Looking forward to hearing more.
Great yardstick story; looking forward to the rest. Congratulations!
Great personal achievement TKO - you've done yourself proud.
Countdown: 9days, 15hours, 10minutes until graduation.
MEMORY #2: The Palace
I was a resident assistant for a few years while in college. I'm sure many memories to come will perhaps also have to do with that fact. The second memory is the community I lived in my second year.
I was originally supposed to live in a new building on campus, but when China bought up all the steal back in 2004, the construction stopped and the campus had to find an alternative location to place all the displaced students. Some RAs and their communities were put into a hotel for the first semester. I on the other hand was put into a off campus location for the entire year.
It would become "The Palace." Originally abbreviated as "TP" for "Tenth and Pine," the corner it was on.
It was the second floor of a building in downtown that had been renovated to accommodate extended stay visitors to the area. Below it was a salvation army thrift store. For any college student, living above a thrift store meant an endless supply of vintage clothing and an immediate excuse for putting off laundry another day.
$8 to wash my clothes, or $2 to buy a suit that only my grandfather would wear. The choice was often obvious. We proudly would parade around campus as the most fashionably challenged, but were strangely confident in our uniqueness.
I lived there from August 2004-May 2005, so I was there during the election and I got to see the dynamics of young academics trying out their ideas with each other. I saw them come together to form a very tight knit group.
In January, I was stuck in traffic on I-44 on my way to St. Louis when I received a phone call from my supervisor. She informed me that one of my residents had died. he had died on his way home to St. Louis, and it was at that time I realized that the traffic I was in was the result of his accident. With no real way to exit the highway, all I could do was inch forward in the stop and go traffic, and after some 20 minutes, I was able to see the wreckage. As I drove by I cried and was overwhelmed with sorrow. It would be the closest thing I would get to a "goodbye."
I was sad that day not because I lost a good friend, but because I realized that I had become caught up in the excitement of The Palace and had supported those who were really into the community while perhaps not giving more back to those who were more introverted. You see, I didn't know Ryan that well, and I had not really taken advantage of the opportunities I had been given to know him.
I had not even been that great of a RA to him. He would come by and complain about noise, and I would rarely act on it because the noise was being made by my most active residents; the ones who endorsed my idea of community there.
I was troubled with guilt, and when I returned the next day, I gathered all of the community together and told them what had happened. the guilt I experienced for not being better, was shared amongst the group as many felt similar feelings.
After a few solemn days, Ryan's parents came to collect his belongings. they left his couch and TV because they said that the idea of making room in their house for these items would be too painful. The day after that, a letter appeared on the wall. It was written by Andrew, one of Ryan's roommates. It was an honest and forward letter about who Ryan was for those who didn't have the chance.
For me this letter let me forgive myself in many ways because what I was punishing myself for at the time was that I had not taken interest with him like I had the others until it was too late.
The community came together in a new way after that, and to this day have found ways to live together.
In fact, in May, when I move, I will be living with two of them in NoVA.
Our life in that building was full of many unique things, and I know that I can never look at a Salvation Army Store the same again.
T
K
O
Not quite sure re the SA ref in the last sentence, re how you feel - not so much about the student, but re the sight of a Salvation Army store.
A reminder of the unique almost clique that can shut someone out? I've something of a thrift shop maven, off and on over years, so not digging at you here, looking for clarity.
TKO, I like these notes and look forward to more.
I see a SA army now and I always think of the good times I had. I think about how good it feels to connect with others. I think about my duty to be inclusive.
9days 14hours...
T
K
O
I have just read your initial post about the Yardstick Man.
He provided you with the perfect spur to prove yourself, and you did.
Don't condemn him, thank him.
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