For me, the best place to be is right here at Tech. A gorgeous, well kept, modern yet historic campus nestled in the world’s best little city in beautiful Putnam County. I am blessed to be a freshman here and go to class with the coolest, most honest, most well-behaved students ever assembled. I am being taught by the most pedagogically proficient teachers in the profession. I appreciate and am thankful for everyone I have encountered here, including the nice ladies that work at the Wild Greens salad bar, the uniformed employees, the library workers, yoga instructors and all the staff in Derryberry Hall.
Traditionally, I have been a student, first K-12 in West Haven, Connecticut with never missing a day of school ever, then Syracuse University in upstate New York for two years on a full tuition Army ROTC scholarship. Next, I took a few science and gym classes when I was a full-time employee right here at Tech. I then graduated Med Vance with a 4.0 average in the Pharmacy Technician Program. I am now a full time student here taking 17 credit hours and am determined to become a secondary science teacher.
Thank God it’s Sunday as I’m writing this, and I can’t wait to go to class on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I am pumped about going to the Homecoming game with my two sons (I also have two daughters), and I know the Golden Eagles will win because they have a great passing game and some breakaway runners. I voted for the Homecoming queen, and I am announcing my candidacy for Homecoming King next year. Let’s all be loyal fans and root for our team all the way until the end of the game.
As a veteran student, I have some solid advice for my younger peers. It’s basic Economics 101: you should get what you pay for. If you pay for a class, attend it, participate in the discussions, do the homework, ask any questions, get extra help , do extra credit and don’t drop the course. If you don’t, you are just ripping off yourself.
Everyone working here is ultimately paid by you, the student, “the customer,” and the customer comes first. The administration and the faculty are here to serve you, and you must let them know your needs.
Many students have complained to me about having teachers they can’t understand and miss important lecture material. Demand good communicators be hired that cater to your way of speaking.
To the administrators, I have to say great job so far, and I truly appreciate being part of this highly-rated university. Yet there are two issues I insist that you address.
One, as I mentioned earlier, is that you must consider the communication skills of any faculty members before you hire them. Most of the students live here in Tennessee, and teachers should be chosen to share dialogue with ease. The other issue is that I have heard from reliable sources (Pastor Bobby Davis, Cookeville First Assembly) that there is an anthropology or sociology professor here that is making anti-Christian stances in the classrooms.
Naturally the Christians here will turn the proverbial other cheek to this nonsense, but you as the leaders must investigate, terminate and prevent this atrocity on this campus.
As for the Information Technology Department, you all get a big F- for always having technology problems. As I write this, there are no working printers in the library, and no one is being sent to fix them. Half the computers are always broke or unavailable. There has been Giga problems across campus all semester, and I never see one soul working on anything.
You have caused frustration throughout the entire campus and are the one big flaw in a near-perfect college.
