The following was written by Elizabeth Henningsgard, a senior at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, just outside of Oakland, CA. She has been involved in Occupy Oakland and Occupy Cal.
UPDATE FROM ELIZABETH: Thanks to this story, several angry emails, and student complaints in the Provost’s office my professor sent me an email this morning allowing me to leave. I do not think she expected us to organize the way we did as quickly as we did, but if we have learned anything from our involvement with Occupy it is how to organize.
Source: Saint Mary's College of California
I go to St. Mary’s College of California where, as part of the curriculum, students take a course called January Term. This one month course allows students to “take courses outside of their majors and is designed to step outside of the constraints of academic disciplines and standard curricula”. This year for Jan Term I am taking a course called “Eyes On The Prize: Civil Rights and Social Change,” because, as an occupier, I wanted to know more about organizing and the leaders that made the Occupy Movement possible.
I realized it would be possible for me to attend Occupy the Dream and Occupy Congress in D.C. a few days before the class started. I hoped this trip would give me the opportunity to relate the Civil Rights Movement to the Occupy Movement, and to experience first hand what a national movement looks like. The first day we numbered off and unfortunately I was assigned a group that would present on the day I planned to miss.
I approached my professor ten days before the event and asked to attend and to change my presentation date. She told me she would think about it Friday, and by Monday told me that two days was just too much class to miss. I offered to do extra work, switch presentation day with another classmate, and to attend the class remotely. She told me she could not make an exception for me because it would be unfair to others in the class.
The next day I spoke to the director of Jan Term about the issue and she responded by saying two days was too much class to miss and she would support the decision my professor made on the issue.
So I tried one more time to appeal to my professor. I printed off articles about the Occupy the Dream in order to describe how the events in D.C. directly correspond to the course. She made it clear she was not willing to negotiate with a student and that my offers were in vain. No “special treatment” would come my way and if I were to leave she would “fail me in the course”.
Occupy SMC, our occupy group on campus, met and formed a letter to President Ronald Gallagher who said he would not get involved in how a professor conducts their classroom. He also said, “Lasallian means ensuring that students get the education they sign up for” even though on the website it clearly states, “Our approach to education is rooted in the life of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, and our commitment to social justice and serving the underserved is woven into the entire Saint Mary’s experience, both inside and outside the classroom”.
This leaves me with a dilemma; do I stay and miss out on a life changing experience or do I leave and receive the first F of my college career?
It’s unfortunate that you have this dilemma. I am very surprised by your professor’s initial response to it considering that she led a discussion last night after the viewing of the “Freedom Riders” documentary. She brought up the point that many students who were involved in that civil rights movement in the 60′s consciously dropped out of school in pursuit of something they deemed important. She seemed to applaud their bravery in doing so. In this regard, I think your circumstances are very similar to those of the “Freedom Writers.” I am happy to hear that your professor is allowing you to go. Best of luck!
Linda has a great point. Keep the F or W, as long as you go. Keeping the F over a W however, would be gracefully accepting the consequences that come in activism. For me, it is more a ‘turn the other cheek’ kind of activism. Not necessarily my gut reaction, but maybe yours.
However, classes are 5k a piece about, according to the way Chad Arnold, an English 4 professor, who broke down the importance of attendance.
I think asking for a refund would be the backhanded way of handling it..
Go. Go. Go!
St. Mary’s is terrible at dealing with worthwhile dynamic issues as they come, and does better under pressure after they have already taken place. Your professor knows she has every right to run her class this way, but is taking the ‘no special treatment’ further than is applicable, and only when faced with the reality failing you might she reconsider.
But besides this, the way you speak of social justice and activism is something rare to you. Many think or hope in these ways, but fail to put in to action the type of education and awareness you are teaching yourself into. I’m not sure if this issue is something severe enough to ask the student body to stand behind you on, because this is something unique to you; however, I think you would have an extremely good case in your defense if you keep re-appealing. Possibly ask for the class as a Pass Fail or bring work back with you pertaining to the class anyways, to show you did what was necessary and went above the standards of the class and of SMC by attending.
P.S.
Weren’t we told we are paying for, ‘special treatment’: smaller class sizes, an intimate Lasallian experience, and the ability to establish relationships with our professors.
What relationship tells you, you are not special, an individual, and I refuse to support your related endeavors outside of SMC in constructive ways?! Tell her to to go “deconstruct her mental one way so she might see your avenues of change.” ..
P.P.S.
I have done two semester abroad. The opportunity to go abroad is something I know SMC gloats about to entering freshman and parents. They bullshit all the obvious ways in the world how stepping away form the college and into other cultures, languages, socio-economical issues, and lifestyles is foundational to SMC values..Ironic, because the only thing I can see different from your attempted experience, beside administrative crap, is money…..Perhaps you might point that out. “ya I get it, no one is getting payed for my attendance to the events; even though, it is here, in this community, these classes, my experiences that have supported my choice.”
And stick with:
“Our approach to education is rooted in the life of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, and our commitment to social justice and serving the underserved is woven into the entire Saint Mary’s experience, both inside and outside the classroom”.
That’s perfect!
Good luck!