FU
Fordham is a bizarre place. It is full of contradictions, haphazard associations, and absurd extremes.
It demands that its educators educate the whole person under the guise of “cura personalis” i.e. a Latin term for “creating multitaskers.” Yet, as an institution FU shields the students from so much: last year’s Vagina Monologue debacle is a prime example, the guest pass/visitation policy is another, and let’s not forget that you have to meet with an advisor every semester as if we can’t figure out what courses we need to graduate. Does FU allow the students to make mistakes and to learn from them? Or are the safety nets too tight, and too plentiful?
Even before we have this discussion in the interest of full disclosure, my job is possible because I serve the pleasure of the University’s Board of Trustees. Let’s look at that statement, I serve at their pleasure, my bosses serve at their pleasure, Fr. McShane serves at their pleasure. For all practical purposes if you hate an aspect of Fordham, PARTICULARLY an aspect of student life/affairs then it has to do with someone serving at the pleasure of the board of trustees.
The Dean of Student Affairs all but admitted this spring that the Vagina Monologues debacle was manifest because of the Board’s dislike of the material and it offends their version of Catholicism. As a private university FU needs money from private entities to survive, if the actions of the university offend the alumni – with pocketbooks – then the university finds itself in trouble. Anyone who said that this wasn’t about money? a liar in my book.
Let’s look at another policy, how about guest pass and visitation. People hate, and when I mean hate, I mean Klan-rally hate, the Office of Residential Life for this policy. For outside readers, essentially Undergrads can’t have guests of the opposite sex spend the night. Law Students can. Why the discrepancy? Let’s go over the long answers:
1. Undergrads have roommates, and roommates may feel uncomfortable with a person of the opposite gender spending the evening in their room.
2. By allowing guests of the opposite sex to spend the night together there is a “heightened risk to the students violating the ‘moral growth and responsibility code’” In non-Orwellian speak this would read. Since I can’t sign a lady guest into the building over night, I will just have to have sex during the day.
3. Law students don’t have roommates, therefore awkward situation avoided.
4. Law students are “more adult” and can “handle themselves with increased responsibility” (this is laughable, any one who thinks law students are grown ups belongs in business school. I have found many a L1 and L2s passed out in the hallway with penises drawn on their faces in sharpie.)
Now for the simple answer: A different Board of Trustees. Coming up next who are these people shrouded in enigma? Stayed tuned for the premier segment of Crusty Old White People Even Now Interfere in School or COWPENIS for short.
It demands that its educators educate the whole person under the guise of “cura personalis” i.e. a Latin term for “creating multitaskers.” Yet, as an institution FU shields the students from so much: last year’s Vagina Monologue debacle is a prime example, the guest pass/visitation policy is another, and let’s not forget that you have to meet with an advisor every semester as if we can’t figure out what courses we need to graduate. Does FU allow the students to make mistakes and to learn from them? Or are the safety nets too tight, and too plentiful?
Even before we have this discussion in the interest of full disclosure, my job is possible because I serve the pleasure of the University’s Board of Trustees. Let’s look at that statement, I serve at their pleasure, my bosses serve at their pleasure, Fr. McShane serves at their pleasure. For all practical purposes if you hate an aspect of Fordham, PARTICULARLY an aspect of student life/affairs then it has to do with someone serving at the pleasure of the board of trustees.
The Dean of Student Affairs all but admitted this spring that the Vagina Monologues debacle was manifest because of the Board’s dislike of the material and it offends their version of Catholicism. As a private university FU needs money from private entities to survive, if the actions of the university offend the alumni – with pocketbooks – then the university finds itself in trouble. Anyone who said that this wasn’t about money? a liar in my book.
Let’s look at another policy, how about guest pass and visitation. People hate, and when I mean hate, I mean Klan-rally hate, the Office of Residential Life for this policy. For outside readers, essentially Undergrads can’t have guests of the opposite sex spend the night. Law Students can. Why the discrepancy? Let’s go over the long answers:
1. Undergrads have roommates, and roommates may feel uncomfortable with a person of the opposite gender spending the evening in their room.
2. By allowing guests of the opposite sex to spend the night together there is a “heightened risk to the students violating the ‘moral growth and responsibility code’” In non-Orwellian speak this would read. Since I can’t sign a lady guest into the building over night, I will just have to have sex during the day.
3. Law students don’t have roommates, therefore awkward situation avoided.
4. Law students are “more adult” and can “handle themselves with increased responsibility” (this is laughable, any one who thinks law students are grown ups belongs in business school. I have found many a L1 and L2s passed out in the hallway with penises drawn on their faces in sharpie.)
Now for the simple answer: A different Board of Trustees. Coming up next who are these people shrouded in enigma? Stayed tuned for the premier segment of Crusty Old White People Even Now Interfere in School or COWPENIS for short.
posted by Godot at 5:53 PM
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