(First Draft)
When I left home for B.U. I was searching for a great many things. I was searching for a personal intellectual renaissance, a chance to forge strong bonds among friends and lovers, and failing those, at least an easygoing social scene. Instead, like that old girlfriend whose funny quirks quickly became unbearable , B.U. has systematically let me down in every regard. Academically, socially, creatively, Boston University might as well be a black hole of apathy. The only thing B.U. seems to do well is it’s continued skill in selling itself to prospective students who don’t know better.
Let’s not kid ourselves, fellow peers. We came to B.U. knowing that the reputation of our university met that our diploma would mean more than those from State School U. It’s a shame then, that BU’s academic core is hollow. I can count the classes I’ve been intellectually engaged in on one hand. Grade deflation is rampant in intro freshman courses that are harder than upper level junior-year coursework. Tests are designed less on intellectual argument than rote repetition of key terms. Most professors are all too ready to head out the door in a burst of their only energy, seemingly as bored with themselves as we are. The intellectual renaissance of upper education seems to be little more than the Dark Ages at BU.
Socially, BU’s student body is “diverse” in every worst possible way. We’re diverse if you want overly rude New Yorkers, local Massholes, privileged internationals, and scattered nobodies all wrapped in the fine package of apathy. At first, I thought that my difficulty in making close connections was my fault alone. The more I talk to others here, the more a pattern emerges. Countless friends have spoken about the difficulty in making close friendships with an uptight, exclusive, and generally unfriendly student body. About the only way to make lasting friendships is either by sticking with the first connections made back in freshman year when we were naïve and full of hope or through extracurriculars. By the way, the only clubs or groups that seem to last are those that succeed in spite of, not because of, Boston University.
The other great BU selling point outside of the usual blend of academics is their uncanny devotion to this notion that “We’re in the city”. Oh sure, classrooms are in the Boston zip code. Despite Boston’s high amount of college-goers, the city holds a stubborn belief that they are most definitely NOT a college town. This War on University has turned Boston into a place that might as well put up signs that read “Those that are Under 21: Go Away”. Just getting into a club underage is a sisyphean task that borders on the impossible. Clubs, concerts, and just about anything that makes Boston interesting in the slightest is off limits to the largest segment of it’s population.
Defeated in every way, we retreat back to the Allston ghetto in hopes of at least pretending our parties will give us a True Collegiate Life. Instead we’re accosted by entrance fees, overbearing police who break up parties at midnight, and the most apathetic and dull student body the world has ever seen. My most recent “killer party” memories have primarily consisted of hiding in a friend’s attic while the cops systematically checked everyone’s ID downstairs, watching friends get slapped with alcohol violations for a six pack of Bud Lite in their Dorm mini-fridge, and frantic 10:50 pm runs to replenish fridges.
As for the other college “experiences” that BU provides, they’re about as vacant as the rest of our school. One nice arena does not make up for terrible audience participation in athletics. One half-functionating television station does not a vibrant community make. And that famed admissions process that’s meant to at least make us feel like we’re somewhat more qualified than those who didn’t get in? I worked in the admissions office for nearly half a year, and I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s a joke. From aggressive marketing of the richest international students (who will almost always pay full tuition) to designating CGS as the place for athletes and low grade legacies to “reconsidering” applicants who just so happen to know trustees, it’s all one huge farce. It’s like we’re in some bizarre approximation of a university that some drunkard scrambled on his bar napkin at closing time.
I know that I’m not saying anything particularly new or noteworthy here. Many have voiced their complaints more eloquently or forcefully than I. I want to add my voice to the chorus, and to warn all those who haven’t fallen into the administration’s sales pitch. Freshmen, it doesn’t get magically better. Prospective students run far, far away. Fellow upperclassmen, let’s get our degrees and spread the gospel.
Comments? You can reach me at steveti9@bu.edu
Monday, November 12, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
Feeling the Flames Again
Even as I struggle to keep myself from feeling completely downtrodden and in despair there is at least a good portent of things to come. For the first time in a very long while, I've got things to write about. In fact, I've got a backlog of subjects and opinions and rants and ravings to put down on record. Don't mistake me, I'm still sinking deeper down but at least I feel comfortable ranting about it.
1) On a serious and somewhat political note, there was this little nugget at http://thefire.org/index.php/article/8555.html
In short, the University of Delaware forces students to go through an "ideological reeducation" that teaches them "[a] racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality.”
Yes, you read that right. There's also talk of point blank discussion with RAs about "discovering your sexual identity", and forced "competencies" for "citizenship" that teaches the "benefits of dismantling systems of oppression".
I'd expect this from a hippie private school up in the woods, but this is a tax-payer funded university. Luckily, the program is apparently being forced into review once the interwebs caught on and started to protest about that little thing known as "personal choice". I've been trying to explain for years why I firmly believe that those that lean to the left are more akin to well meaning but ultimately disastrous censorship under the banner of "public welfare". A smoking ban in Chicago earlier this month also triggered my Orwellian paranoid senses because it was passed unanomously by bureaucrats.
Scary, scary stuff.
2) Speaking of scary stuff, how about that 2008 Presidential Race? Golly gee gosh, we're fucked. I've tried to straddle the center for quite a long time now, and I still haven't the foggiest idea who I'd vote for or what party I'll register for. A small read through of the candidates goes like this:
Republican Candidates
Rudy Giuliani - Domestically speaking, I've got very little problems with Rudy. He's a bit too pro-gun control for my tastes, but I don't think he'd kneel to the religious right on every issue and instead actually seek to build a "consensus". However, there are two issues with Rudy. The first is that his foreign policy is BATSHIT crazy. He mapped it out in a recent Foreign Affairs article and it might as well be called "What we didn't learn in the last eight years". While I have no doubt that the islamofascists pose a threat to american lives, there are about a billion other pressing items on our agenda. Iran will soon join Pakistan in the ranks of the unstable nuclear regimes in the middle east, and both will pose massive diplomatic challenges to Bush's successor. My second and larger issue with Rudy is that he has shown fascistic tendencies in his governing policy before. He essentially turned Manhattan into his own political and police state and used that to springboard him to the candidacy. Civil liberties might as well not exist to Rudy Giuliani. Given that it's a probable statistic that the islamofascists will strike again, possibly with nuclear or chemical weapons, I certainly do not want Rudy Giuliani telling us to stop whining about wiretaps and waterboarding while he further castrates the constitution.
Mitt Romney - I've got several politically minded friends who absolutely despise Romney, and for good reason. He is nothing but a giant panderer to whoever will pay for his campaign and vote him into office. While I'd hesitate to call him unscrupulous, he'd certainly be the type of President to follow public opinion closely. And frankly, I've got no problem with that. Idealistic Presidents can certainly be nice, but right now I'd settle for plain old competency.
Fred Thompson - Not happening. Reagan nostalgia begins and ends with Reagan.
John McCain - Or as I like to call it "the incredibly imploding campaign". He's too politically compromised on too many issues to play the maverick card he once held so effectively.
Mike Huckabee - I don't like him, but I want to respect him. Time will tell if he's worthy of a closer look.
Ron Paul - Oh, Ron. I love that you're out there preaching the libertarian gospel in all it's glory. From legalization of damn near everything to a realistic foreign policy... you've got it all. It's a shame that you're not more charismatic, but we libertarians will take what we can get.
In closing:
I would love to vote for - Ron Paul.
I could possibly vote for - Romney, Huckabee.
I would never consider - Rudy, Fred.
I'm too busy laughing at - McCain.
Democratic Candidates
Hillary Clinton - I have no idea why I have such strong distate for Hillary. She'd probably govern from the center, and she's politically astute enough to avoid any massive errors. And yet... she gives me the willies whenever I see her. Maybe it's because her moral core is so well hidden under pragmatism that it might as well be a black hole. Romney has a similar problem, but at least Romney has changed positions several times. If you're going to try and run the Presidency on logic, make sure it allows for changes of opinion. Heck, maybe it's because we've already had eight years of a Clinton presidency. Maybe it's because she's from New York. Regardless, she's the challenger that everyone has their eyes on knocking off the pedestal.
Barack Obama - I'd love to see an Obama presidency. It might fail spectacularly, but goddamn it'd be fun to watch. He's just so genuinely full of optimism and hope and honesty that I have a hard time imagining him as President in such a polarized landscape. His lack of experience doesn't worry me, although his personal disgust with the political landscape and the nature of whoring yourself out on the campaign trail means that the chances of an Obama Presidency seem slimmer by the day. All talk, no substance? Perhaps. Or maybe youthful vigor is the answer America is looking for.
John Edwards - I disagree with him on so many, many issues. His campaign message of an Us against Them class mentality scares me to no end. Despite that, I wouldn't be entirely unhappy with him in the White House. He's got a nice guy charm to him that would serve him well as America's face abroad.
John Richardson - Go away. You've shown you'll make a good cabinet member. Now take your campaign and watch CNN for the results.
Joe Biden - A fantastic politician who will unfortunately never be President. Even though he'll never be a serious contender, his presence at every debate has made them watchable and dare I say, occasionally enlightening.
Dennis Kucinich - Aww. I used to hate the little peacenik. Then I saw that he's got a great sense of humor about himself and he's also got a gorgeous wife. Seriously. Even if he loses every office he'll ever seek, he's found true storybook romance. And ultimately, isn't that more crucial than another round of Washington circlejerk?
I'd love to vote for - Biden, Obama
I'd reluctantly consider voting for - Clinton, Edwards.
Have you seen his wife - Kucinich
Whoa, he's running? - Chris Dodd.
3) How much BU sucks. Objectively. Subjectively. Completely. More on this later.
1) On a serious and somewhat political note, there was this little nugget at http://thefire.org/index.php/article/8555.html
In short, the University of Delaware forces students to go through an "ideological reeducation" that teaches them "[a] racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality.”
Yes, you read that right. There's also talk of point blank discussion with RAs about "discovering your sexual identity", and forced "competencies" for "citizenship" that teaches the "benefits of dismantling systems of oppression".
I'd expect this from a hippie private school up in the woods, but this is a tax-payer funded university. Luckily, the program is apparently being forced into review once the interwebs caught on and started to protest about that little thing known as "personal choice". I've been trying to explain for years why I firmly believe that those that lean to the left are more akin to well meaning but ultimately disastrous censorship under the banner of "public welfare". A smoking ban in Chicago earlier this month also triggered my Orwellian paranoid senses because it was passed unanomously by bureaucrats.
Scary, scary stuff.
2) Speaking of scary stuff, how about that 2008 Presidential Race? Golly gee gosh, we're fucked. I've tried to straddle the center for quite a long time now, and I still haven't the foggiest idea who I'd vote for or what party I'll register for. A small read through of the candidates goes like this:
Republican Candidates
Rudy Giuliani - Domestically speaking, I've got very little problems with Rudy. He's a bit too pro-gun control for my tastes, but I don't think he'd kneel to the religious right on every issue and instead actually seek to build a "consensus". However, there are two issues with Rudy. The first is that his foreign policy is BATSHIT crazy. He mapped it out in a recent Foreign Affairs article and it might as well be called "What we didn't learn in the last eight years". While I have no doubt that the islamofascists pose a threat to american lives, there are about a billion other pressing items on our agenda. Iran will soon join Pakistan in the ranks of the unstable nuclear regimes in the middle east, and both will pose massive diplomatic challenges to Bush's successor. My second and larger issue with Rudy is that he has shown fascistic tendencies in his governing policy before. He essentially turned Manhattan into his own political and police state and used that to springboard him to the candidacy. Civil liberties might as well not exist to Rudy Giuliani. Given that it's a probable statistic that the islamofascists will strike again, possibly with nuclear or chemical weapons, I certainly do not want Rudy Giuliani telling us to stop whining about wiretaps and waterboarding while he further castrates the constitution.
Mitt Romney - I've got several politically minded friends who absolutely despise Romney, and for good reason. He is nothing but a giant panderer to whoever will pay for his campaign and vote him into office. While I'd hesitate to call him unscrupulous, he'd certainly be the type of President to follow public opinion closely. And frankly, I've got no problem with that. Idealistic Presidents can certainly be nice, but right now I'd settle for plain old competency.
Fred Thompson - Not happening. Reagan nostalgia begins and ends with Reagan.
John McCain - Or as I like to call it "the incredibly imploding campaign". He's too politically compromised on too many issues to play the maverick card he once held so effectively.
Mike Huckabee - I don't like him, but I want to respect him. Time will tell if he's worthy of a closer look.
Ron Paul - Oh, Ron. I love that you're out there preaching the libertarian gospel in all it's glory. From legalization of damn near everything to a realistic foreign policy... you've got it all. It's a shame that you're not more charismatic, but we libertarians will take what we can get.
In closing:
I would love to vote for - Ron Paul.
I could possibly vote for - Romney, Huckabee.
I would never consider - Rudy, Fred.
I'm too busy laughing at - McCain.
Democratic Candidates
Hillary Clinton - I have no idea why I have such strong distate for Hillary. She'd probably govern from the center, and she's politically astute enough to avoid any massive errors. And yet... she gives me the willies whenever I see her. Maybe it's because her moral core is so well hidden under pragmatism that it might as well be a black hole. Romney has a similar problem, but at least Romney has changed positions several times. If you're going to try and run the Presidency on logic, make sure it allows for changes of opinion. Heck, maybe it's because we've already had eight years of a Clinton presidency. Maybe it's because she's from New York. Regardless, she's the challenger that everyone has their eyes on knocking off the pedestal.
Barack Obama - I'd love to see an Obama presidency. It might fail spectacularly, but goddamn it'd be fun to watch. He's just so genuinely full of optimism and hope and honesty that I have a hard time imagining him as President in such a polarized landscape. His lack of experience doesn't worry me, although his personal disgust with the political landscape and the nature of whoring yourself out on the campaign trail means that the chances of an Obama Presidency seem slimmer by the day. All talk, no substance? Perhaps. Or maybe youthful vigor is the answer America is looking for.
John Edwards - I disagree with him on so many, many issues. His campaign message of an Us against Them class mentality scares me to no end. Despite that, I wouldn't be entirely unhappy with him in the White House. He's got a nice guy charm to him that would serve him well as America's face abroad.
John Richardson - Go away. You've shown you'll make a good cabinet member. Now take your campaign and watch CNN for the results.
Joe Biden - A fantastic politician who will unfortunately never be President. Even though he'll never be a serious contender, his presence at every debate has made them watchable and dare I say, occasionally enlightening.
Dennis Kucinich - Aww. I used to hate the little peacenik. Then I saw that he's got a great sense of humor about himself and he's also got a gorgeous wife. Seriously. Even if he loses every office he'll ever seek, he's found true storybook romance. And ultimately, isn't that more crucial than another round of Washington circlejerk?
I'd love to vote for - Biden, Obama
I'd reluctantly consider voting for - Clinton, Edwards.
Have you seen his wife - Kucinich
Whoa, he's running? - Chris Dodd.
3) How much BU sucks. Objectively. Subjectively. Completely. More on this later.
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