Friday, April 02, 2004
Yesterday after class we were asked to stay seated so some third-year officers of a student organization could "talk" with us. The three girls got in front of the class, and not knowing how to start, eventually told us that we do not participate enough in said organization, and that they understand school is hard and all, but we really need to step it up and get involved.
Funny, I think our class is plenty involved in said organization, as well as other student and professional organizations and vet school sporting and social events. The ladies clarified that they came to this conclusion based on the fact that nobody from our class is running for the three or four offices that will be vacated this semester. Their conclusion was also based on things they had heard from third year members of other organizations.
Here we go, back to seventh grade--where gossip is queen, people are labeled, and drama is created out of thin air.
So to clarify my own personal opinion on the matter, and to vent and rant (I didn't want to be
too rude to these ladies in front of the class, so I have to do it now) I've created a little list of the. . .
Top 9 myths relayed by the student representatives of a certain "professional" student organization:
9. No one in our class has run for class offices. When these same, or similar people came to our class last semester to help us elect a Clothing Rep, Speaker Rep, and Some Other Rep, no one ran, no one voted, and no one in our class currently holds those positions.
8. Telling us we are not as involved as we should be and subsequently calling us defensive and argumentative when we try to explain really helps us respect these ladies as professional individuals.
7. An hour-long slide show about Symposium depicting drinking on the bus, drinking in the hotel, drinking in bars and candid shots of the officers' close friends drinking, without any mention of the types of lectures and wetlabs and professional opportunities available to us, really gives the impression that we are dealing with a professionally-run student organization.
6. Mocking us and labeling us the "goody-two-shoes" class when a few people politely request a non-drinking bus for the 5-hour ride to Symposium demonstrates that our opinions are taken seriously. Having our whole class judged by one meeting and a few e-mails about said topic really makes us feel respected and ready to get involved.
5. We can't wait to become officers so we can spend our free time and energy whining and spreading rumors about the "personalities" of the other classes. (I've personally heard one of the three talk negatively about our class as a whole and about people in our class she doesn't even know-when asked to explain she said she "heard it form someone else.") We first years can't wait to have such a thrilling social life!
4. We're just a bunch of uptight kids obsessing about our grades; our "lack of involvement" has nothing to do with the fact that we may have hobbies (theatre productions, University athletics etc.) personal lives, jobs, other club memberships (complete with meetings, responsibilities, wetlabs), significant others, research projects, or real social lives outside of school.
3. We truly believe that the opinion of the officers accurately reflect the opinions of the members of their class and their organization, and not just their own personal gripes.
2. It was a worthwhile use of both our time and the officers' to tell us who we are and what we should be doing with our vet school careers and our lives. We wouldn't know what to do without their insightful guidance and advice.
1. One's level of involvement in extracurricular activities is NOT a matter of personal choice.
