A Semester’s Reflections…
A first year student has a lot to learn at Centenary College of Louisiana. And it’s more than just how to juggle the ebb and flow of homework, papers and midterms, but about independence, self-discovery and the process of choosing who you are now and who you will become.
Upon expressed interest in Centenary, the admissions staff makes it pretty clear to prospective students: Centenary is more than just a college; it is an institution that will help you achieve your goals and prepare you for the life you will lead after college in a remarkable way. Although the office of admissions neglects to explain the school motto, “Work Conquers All,” to fresh faced and bright eyed prospectives it is evident enough that Centenary is a place for academics!
My first semester at Centenary has been riddled with challenges, adjustments and uncertainties, yet it has also been liberating, exciting and fun! During the 2007 Fall semester two experiences stand out in particular: the new rigor of Centenary Academics and the trials of a new room mate.
Balancing the quick pace of homework and studying requirements, and sometimes struggling with the higher standards of college work, and the even higher standards of Centenary, was a new challenge for me and many others in the first months of school. Although there are always those classes, and those professors, and those assignments (you know what I’m talking about!) it has become clear to me that hard work is really necessary, the habits of procrastination must be broken, and a sincere desire to apply learned knowledge is key. And although Centenary encourages students to be highly independent and responsible, the professors genuinely care about their students, the subject matter and the pursuit of knowledge.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, student life satisfies a different need in a student’s life. Adjusting to new living situations requires time and effort; it involved much more energy than I ever thought it would. I thought two fairly normal people could co-inhabit a space with harmony and ease. I soon came to the understanding that even the smallest behaviors and attitudes have a substantial impact on other people. I quickly became keenly aware of my actions and reactions and how I affected those around me. Learning to respect personal space, feelings and ideologies has proven during my time at Centenary to be essential to truly gaining insight and understanding into the heart of another person.
This semester is only the beginning of several more years’ worth of vigorous academic work that will ultimately provide me a future, and learning to understand a new room mate has provided me an amazing new friend. Although those are just a few representations of the new – sometimes bewildering – experiences college life brings, many more will soon follow in the next four years at Centenary. Many of the events of college will be taken in stride with my life experiences and will continue to shape my life and my future.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Apparently Centenary Set New Standards?
Apparently Centenary Set New Standards?
The female population of Centenary’s campus has been dealt a nasty blow. In a witty document titled “Centenary Sets New Standards” written by a Centenary swimmer the women on campus were insulted and offended by a series of declarations, graphs and opinion based data.
Men have proven themselves again as brainless creatures. This is a factual statement supported by “Centenary Sets New Standards.” The very document that had malicious intentions of offending Centenary women has in fact indicted men as a species. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The overwhelming majority of students on Centenary’s campus are female. It is senseless to offend the ladies who are the only opportunity for men to interact with members of the opposite sex.
2. It is a gross error to say that the women on Centenary’s campus are less attractive then the men. This is a very true fact: one that most females weigh in comparison to other larger institutions that offer more variety.
3. Men have made a fundamental error when trying to estimate the minds of women: unlike men, women often think of more than just sex. Therefore it is ridiculous to say that women are at an advantage because of the lack of options for men, referred to as “LOO”. While the author clearly thinks that women merely want to “get laid,” the majority of women are more concerned with the increasing trend of regression¹ witnessed in the male species.
4. Women are statistically overpowering the workforce. According to Al Gini, author of My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual the workplace is now made up of 49% women (Gini 90). Not only are women prevalent in the workforce but they are becoming increasingly more successful. If men put as much effort into work as they did into “Centenary Sets New Standards,” (although offensive, very well written and thought out) they would be more successful in life and women wouldn’t have to pick up their slack.
5. Finally, most likely the biggest mistake the author of this document made: Administering a piece of work so hideous around campus mere days before a prospective student open house! If any females had seen that document it is probable that they would have made the logical choice NOT to come to Centenary in the Fall Semester. Although a disclaimer at the top reads that the ideas do not reflect those of Centenary it still makes the school and the students look bad. Chasing off prospective women is not the way to get cuter girls to come to campus.
And thus, while “Centenary Sets New Standards,” is not rooted in fact, my thesis is: Men are Idiots.
¹Regression – defined by the American Psychiatric Association Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms as “a return to earlier, especially to infantile, patterns of thoughts or behavior, or stage of functioning.”
Gini, Al. My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual. New York: Routledge, 2001. Excerpt: “Women in the Workplace” 89 – 107.
The female population of Centenary’s campus has been dealt a nasty blow. In a witty document titled “Centenary Sets New Standards” written by a Centenary swimmer the women on campus were insulted and offended by a series of declarations, graphs and opinion based data.
Men have proven themselves again as brainless creatures. This is a factual statement supported by “Centenary Sets New Standards.” The very document that had malicious intentions of offending Centenary women has in fact indicted men as a species. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The overwhelming majority of students on Centenary’s campus are female. It is senseless to offend the ladies who are the only opportunity for men to interact with members of the opposite sex.
2. It is a gross error to say that the women on Centenary’s campus are less attractive then the men. This is a very true fact: one that most females weigh in comparison to other larger institutions that offer more variety.
3. Men have made a fundamental error when trying to estimate the minds of women: unlike men, women often think of more than just sex. Therefore it is ridiculous to say that women are at an advantage because of the lack of options for men, referred to as “LOO”. While the author clearly thinks that women merely want to “get laid,” the majority of women are more concerned with the increasing trend of regression¹ witnessed in the male species.
4. Women are statistically overpowering the workforce. According to Al Gini, author of My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual the workplace is now made up of 49% women (Gini 90). Not only are women prevalent in the workforce but they are becoming increasingly more successful. If men put as much effort into work as they did into “Centenary Sets New Standards,” (although offensive, very well written and thought out) they would be more successful in life and women wouldn’t have to pick up their slack.
5. Finally, most likely the biggest mistake the author of this document made: Administering a piece of work so hideous around campus mere days before a prospective student open house! If any females had seen that document it is probable that they would have made the logical choice NOT to come to Centenary in the Fall Semester. Although a disclaimer at the top reads that the ideas do not reflect those of Centenary it still makes the school and the students look bad. Chasing off prospective women is not the way to get cuter girls to come to campus.
And thus, while “Centenary Sets New Standards,” is not rooted in fact, my thesis is: Men are Idiots.
¹Regression – defined by the American Psychiatric Association Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms as “a return to earlier, especially to infantile, patterns of thoughts or behavior, or stage of functioning.”
Gini, Al. My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual. New York: Routledge, 2001. Excerpt: “Women in the Workplace” 89 – 107.
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