As a wise man once said, “Fair warning that because I’m dumb I could totally be wrong about all of [this].” That man was me two weeks ago, and while it’s undoubtedly a foolproof defence against any sort of academic scrutiny or questioning of journalistic integrity, I do feel the need to mention it again because some might have characterized my complaints about the CCR program (in all its American Lager-style glory) as factually wrong.
I’ve been informed that the fact is, while reflections are a required field, whether they are an essay or not is up to you. I guess I’m just naturally ambitious. Also, CCR coordinates with not only SUS (and how they manage to get an email or response back in time is a testament to either their dedication or magic) but also some external organizations such as Big Brothers / Sisters, Chilliwack Chiefs, the Reach Gallery, and hopefully sometime soon with Pacific Sport. I always give credit where credit is due, and that is really awesome. Never heard about it from the student promotion teams or table sessions though.
The rest of the complaints I received are either schematic or up to interpretation; when I said “people putting up chairs” I wasn’t knocking volunteers — I was knocking self-described leaders on campus. Not every club and association on campus is created equal, not everyone has the capacity (and therefore the opportunity to gain meaningful skills, to do identifiable good for the community, and match university learning outcomes) of the Computer Science Student Association (CSSA), Amnesty, Circle K, or Pride to name just a few. I’m not part of the validation process, but I’d hope the distinctions are as stringent as my general irritability demands.
I guess this would be a good time to explain the general frustration that lead me to write the original article. I was wrong in singling out a sole resource and service because it might have come across the wrong way. Campus recreation (which I will begrudgingly support with a Health and Wellness fee even though I’m still not impressed by how that whole thing went down) is cool and important, so are opportunities to partner with external organizations and gain valuable work and volunteer experience (shoutout to to the Career Centre and Co-Op program). However, I’m sick of seeing so much attention and energy given to programs tangentially focused on student engagement and no communication sent my way by the university or SUS that there is a plan for the issues that the majority of students care about and could benefit from.
While it is a bonus, and better than nothing, I don’t (and I think this applies to most students) need something like the My Campus Life platform, or a new app, or a slip and slide down the green from the Tim Hortons to the pond.
What I need and want is more professors, more class sections, and a greater variety of courses (especially if you’re going to offer a major *cough*). What I want my money to go towards is supporting a system where student feedback is sought out and complaints against professors are treated seriously and fairly with definitive outcomes. My health, wellness, and general learning experience would be better served if $80 an academic year went to better professional development and instructor training for staff and faculty. We are a university that celebrates the benefits of small class sizes; why do we still have people here who don’t take advantage of that environment and instead continue to dictate powerpoint slides or show VHS tapes to disengaged students? (Having had a class recently in a room with a whiteboard wall, I’d pay to have it installed in every classroom — it added a lot to the learning experience and group dynamics.)
What I’m getting at is I’m not saying some departments and services aren’t well intentioned; I think everyone working here at this university has a goal and vision for a better campus and better student experience. What I’m frustrated with is not hearing what the plan is for the top priority of many people here: graduating on time. I don’t hear enough about student consultation or the university being held accountable; everything I do hear comes off as a distraction. We’re juggling a hundred things at once, and I don’t know where this unicycle is going to end up.
If nothing else, I guess I’ve left a few people frustrated and a few more aware that the CCR even exists. I’ll take it if it also means we’ll take a better look at the what were doing, and the effectiveness of what we’re communicating.
