Column: Invest in faculty relationships
Early on, I learned that the key to success in college is talking to your professors.
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Early on, I learned that the key to success in college is talking to your professors.
Once again I’m (reluctantly) stepping onto my soapbox to talk about USC’s presidential search scandal. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it until the sun explodes: USC’s presidential selection process was crooked through and through.
At the order of President Donald Trump, the U.S. government carried out a drone strike against Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani on Jan. 3. Mere hours after Soleimani’s death, the U.S. mobilized 3,000 troops to the Middle East, alarming the public and signaling that the U.S. might once again be on the brink of war.
South Carolina defeats Alabama (2010)
A month ago, I wrote a column summarizing the USC presidential search scandal and charging the student body to take action and to “[d]emand better.” Response was immediate and overwhelming.
In July, it was difficult to be neutral on the Caslen controversy. Today, it’s impossible.
Conventional wisdom says it is good to spend time with people different from you. The rationale is if you spend more time with someone (or a group of people), you will grow to understand them better and be less likely to retain stereotypes about them.
There’s no sugar-coating it: President Caslen has been out of touch with students, faculty and donors — and he has missed several opportunities to establish a connection.
Isn’t it good to be back? The summer has finally simmered down, you’ve moved into your new place, and you’re ready to tackle a new semester. But while you’re thinking about how excited you are to see your friends and maybe even hit up Five Points a few times, let’s get real for a second: do you know why you’re here? If you’re not sure, you should probably drop out.
If you've checked your student email account in the last few weeks – it’s summer break, so you probably didn’t – and happened to peek into your “Clutter” inbox, you were greeted by a little email from Student Health Services. When I first saw the email myself, I was puzzled, and the opening line seemed to echo my confusion. “What is happening?", it said in an unnecessarily bold font.
Finances are always a sore subject — especially among college students. For many of us, our budgets are pretty tight with very little money to spare at the end of each month. (If I had a nickel for every time I said I was “having sleep for dinner” instead of paying for a meal, I probably wouldn’t ever have to do that again). Keeping up with regular bills (rent, insurance, groceries, etc.) is difficult as is; having to deal with random, irregular expenses can be a nightmare.
It’s the end of the semester and, if you’re anything like me, you’re calculating the minimum score you need on each final to preserve your GPA. You’ve given up on your perfect grades and have decided that napping is preferable to graduating. Instead of studying for your exams, you’re probably re-watching a show you’ve already seen a dozen times through (*cough* The Office *cough*). In short, you’re burned out and lack the adrenaline that got you through the rest of the semester. Needless to say, now is probably the worst time to ask for your opinions on your classes and professors (or anything for that matter), but it’s course evaluation season all the same.
Several weeks ago, Angela Bogni, a third-year biology student here at USC, tweeted that a professor in the political science department had made a derogatory comment towards her in class. Bogni had received a phone call in the middle of a lecture and she claims that the professor said, “that may be the welfare office calling you now.” Bogni, who is black, believes that the professor was referencing an earlier portion of the lecture about minorities disproportionately receiving government benefits. In a video the Bogni posted, the professor claims that that wasn’t how he intended the joke and that it was just an unfortunate coincidence.
The summer semester program is simultaneously one of the most valuable and most underused resources that the University of South Carolina has to offer. It is crucial to many students for a range of reasons. For some students, it’s an opportunity to catch up and retake a course they need in order to graduate. For others, it’s a way to take classes that conflicted with their schedule in the fall or spring. And, for the overachievers, it’s a chance to get ahead so that they have more time to concentrate on their major program and research in the regular school year. For a motivated student, the summer can be a highly productive time. Unfortunately, this time often goes to waste as financial obstacles prevent students from participating in the summer semester.
I knew last week that I wanted to write about reforms necessary for effective student health care on campus, but, when I finally sat down to write, I drew a blank. What programs really need to be reformed? I think that the University of South Carolina actually does a pretty good job of keeping its students healthy, both physically and psychologically. Whether it’s free flu shots or the 10 complimentary counseling sessions — or the new multi-million dollar health center — the university has showed its firm commitment to comprehensive care. That being said, even good systems can be improved. There is still a sore spot that the university has been hesitant to deal with: alcohol.
American students are plagued with nearly insurmountable student loan debt. The most recent estimate placed the amount at roughly $1.48 trillion dollars. To put that in perspective, Australia’s GDP is only $1.2 trillion dollars. But what makes these loans dangerous is not just their size, but their permanence.
We hear a lot about the importance of work/life balance for maintaining health and happiness. And it makes a lot of intuitive sense; making sure that you pair structured work time with an adequate amount of personal time to relax and recover can help you minimize your stress and maximize your productivity. The challenge is finding the line between the two.
On Valentine's Day, Parkland, Florida, was hit with one of the deadliest shootings in U.S. history; 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School lost their lives. Unsurprisingly, this tragedy quickly stoked the flames of the never-ending debate about gun control. Thousands took to social media to make their voices heard.
We have all had a tech-averse professor who, for one reason or another, makes a point to avoid the online resources available to them. Those professors tell their classes straight away “I don’t post grades” and they leave their class Blackboard pages blank — without even a syllabus. While the use or avoidance of online resources has generally been regarded as an issue best left to professor preference, it is my contention that the university needs to hold them accountable to a more hardline standard.
Are you a good old-fashioned country boy or girl tired of getting burned by these city folk? Do you want to make sure you never spend another Valentine’s Day without that down home tall drink of water you deserve? Or are you, like me, single and just looking for anything to distract you from all the photos of happy couples on your Instagram feed? If you answered yes to any of those questions – but especially the last one – look no further than FarmersOnly.com!