they wanted to know...

byu sent me a survey in the mail recently. it was rather large and dealt with my overall experience as a student. mostly it was a bubble sheet, and i answered as honestly and objectively as could. i felt it was worth my time. at the very end of the survey there was a page with three questions that were intended to be answered as a free-response. this is where i decided to help them out a little.

Q1: Describe the most significant ways in which your experiences at BYU benefited you personally.

I think socially, it helped me open up a lot more and appreciate the diversity of personalities there are in the world. My major also benefited me greatly in expanding my thinking (intellectually).

Q2: Considering all aspects of your interactions with faculty--such as in-class instruction, work as a teaching or research assistant, research participant, creative activities, informal conversations, advising, etc.--how did these interactions affect your educational experience at BYU? Describe a specific experience which had special impact on you.

I would have to say that my overall impression among the faculty in the Communications department was that I didn't matter. I would say the negative interactions far outweigh the positive, and that many students felt this way.

Q3: How could BYU improve the experience students have while at the university?

In my case, I was funnelled into a major I did not choose because of (ironically) poor communication and poor planning. Because of having too many credits, and in spite of my excellent score on the entrance exam for the advertising program, I was told I had to finish my degree in Communications Studies. I found this unbelievable, especially since many of my credits were because of AP credits from high school. I feel I was actually penalized for excelling, in that respect. My appeal was denied, and I continued my education, completing my degree in Communications Studies. While I feel I was greatly intellectually enlarged, and very much enjoyed the material, I still greatly resent the fact that I was not able to choose my own major.

In fact, when people ask me what I plan to do professionally or what I majored in, I have to explain what it is and that there actually isn't a tangible use for my field of study unless I were to pursue a Ph.D. and become a professor. I feel that type of degree is one that should be conscientiously decided upon by the person who plans to get it.

Truly, that event changed the course of my life. I really have no choice now but to pursue a higher degree in something else in an effort to obtain some tangible skills. While I still have some options, I am currently unemployed and find it difficult to place myself anywhere, being seemingly over- or under-qualified for any position.

I recognize the need for the attitude the Communications department seems to have. I understand that it's a crowded school and the demand is high for entrance. I also believe, however, that the impersonal, almost unfriendly attitude I felt from staff and faculty is detrimental to its students. More specifically, the feeling that individual students don't matter really does have an effect on them. If someone would have taken the time to answer my questions and help me understand the process, I may have entered the program earlier. Or I may have been able to finish the degree I chose by taking one more semester than I was allowed.

damn the man

yes. it has been awhile since i have said anything about anything. well now you're about to get it. i'm going to say everything i've been keeping pent up inside all this time.

i was going to write a detailed account of my new job as a mail carrier, enlightening all of you mail recipients about just how the mail arrives, and how mail carriers spend their mornings and afternoons. however, i was promptly fired (within 30 days of my 90 day "probationary" period), which focuses my attention on some other issues.

i messed up. i didn't deliver a package on time. that's what happened, honestly. i admit it freely, but the fact is that i was new, and inevitably would have made some other mistake if not that one. as most of you already know, if i hadn't been fired for that, i would have been fired for being bit by a dog. i thought i would quote the text from the union manual that aided in my decision to not pursue anything more with the post office:

"article 12 of the national agreement states that during this 90-day period, management may separate a probationary employee for any reason, or for no reason, and the employees cannot constest the action through the grievance-arbitration procedure."

i also thought, for good measure i would quote my favorite part of the letter i received from the byu communications department after my attempt at appealing when they funneled me into a different major. (see "and exactly what are you planning to do with that?")

"while you may feel you are not in a hurry to graduate, there are numerous students waiting to be admitted to the university and lengthening your stay would not be fair to those waiting for admission."

luckily byu recently sent me a survey. to see the results check the next blog.