Thoughts on Budget Cuts September 24, 2009
Ah, September. Time of dying trees, mysteriously persistent heat, and uhh….there was something else I forgot…
Oh, yeah. School.
So I’m back at the good old University of California Los Angeles and there’s lots of fun to be had all around. Unless you’re a teacher, or an administrator. I dunno if you’ve heard, but our state is run by The Governator. And he doesn’t believe in giving money to support education.
You know, the last thread that keeps our society from ripping itself apart. No big deal.
Anyhow, in my first class, English 4W, we were discussing this same issue. The professor passed around a copy of an e-mail that I will reproduce for you here. All the identifying information was removed.
“I am aware that some of you have received notice about a walkout planned for Thursday, September 24, the first day of classes. I am sympathetic with the feelings of frustration that many faculty members have with respect to the furlough program [in which teachers are forced to take days off without pay]. Nevertheless, I must remind everyone that the beginning of the quarter is an important day for our students, many of whom are concerned about their enrollment status in their classes. Accordingly, it is my responsibility to inform you that we expect all Thursday classes and sections to meet as scheduled.”
We discussed this e-mail in depth…the speaker’s choice of words, his/her formality and apparent dismissive attitude. To me it was a futile sort of vibe. But it’s only their “responsibility” to inform us…they “must remind us.” So I guess you can’t fully blame them. In the last 5 minutes our professor asked us to write a poem about what we felt about the e-mail…it was one of those strange moments where thoughts pour out as if from a dam exploded.
It’s not much, but I thought I’d share it:
Futility is easy
when you’re straddled at the top
between mute responsibility
and something you must stop.
But when the bullshit hits the fan
who’s to say what’s right or wrong?
Who’s to see through ambiguities
and actually get things done?
The answer’s lying suffocated,
tied in thick red tape–
the victim just a student
who never wanted to escape.
–nicky p–
