Education gone bad

[SpiralDragon]

4 years learning at my university and paying an average of $5,000 USD per semester only to find out that my friends and I have learned nothing, and i mean nothing, because of an internal power struggle that runes from the smallest staff member all the way up to the highest person at the university…. Keeping it on the local level at my department (Radio/TV/Film) two full time faculty members (out of 3) seem to know less about the major than the average of students……. And we are graded according to their favor……. The part time faculty are more skilled and informed but they are pushed aside and given low level classes…. With no student union or government in place the students of my department have finally rallied together to put an end to this…. I am a key player but my predicament is that I am on financial aid and I am also an employee at the university and I am at the end of my senior year…. If you where in my place what would you do….. Bear in mind that I am a key player because I have earned the respect of many students, faculty, staff and administration members because of my academic standing and because of my high achievements in the filed.

[Wombat]

Where are you going to school?

[SpiralDragon]

a university in lebanon... suposed to be the best in the midle east... it used to be one hell on an art school but they have ben siting on their buts for too long they lost track of what a university is for in the first place......

[Wombat]

No idea <I>what</I> to tell you. I thought you'd be here in the states, so I could ask public/private school, research/teaching school questions. But universities are riddled with politics - that combined with cultural differences, and I have no idea how to handle administration in such a different environment.

[SpiralDragon]

well the administration is prety much american styled.... considering that the board of trustees is american based etc... the only problem is that many freedoms such as the student government have been suspended since the war and have not yet been reactivated and the war come to an end 12years ago.... untill now the student representative ellections (and the reps hardly ever get a word to say or do anything) have been based on the political and secterian devisions of the country ... ie as long as the students are divided they can never agree on issues that matter.... the only devision that is non politicly oriented and that never votes for any one is the comm arts divison... my devison..... lets just say that a core groop has managed to get the political parties together and convince them to stand down in the intrest of fighting for our student and academic rights instead of scwabling over stupid and irelevent political issus ..... it has worked sofar and we have gone along way but now the heat has turned up and all who are not students have finaly showed thier true faces.... and considering that this is an election year (to determin the new uni president.... i gusse you get the picture.....

[BuddMan]

Is this a trick question?? If it were me I'd stay behind the scenes but work hard as hell. I'm not one to be in the limelight unless it's in front of a group of drunk people shouting for a song, hehe.

[Dilitante1]

ummmmm

graduate first, then SUE



put your education to work, expose the administration for what it REALLY is....once exposed (in the right way) the community should raise enough hate and discontent to put pressure on things (and hopefully fix some)

[SpiralDragon]

well the community will hardly budge that is for sure..... most of the students are to afraid to step forward...... out of 150 only 20 will stand up but the remaining 130 will sign any petition when the time comes.......

[Slougi]

Originally posted by SpiralDragon
a university in lebanon... suposed to be the best in the midle east... it used to be one hell on an art school but they have ben siting on their buts for too long they lost track of what a university is for in the first place......

AUB? Been there, done that. Stay low untill you are out of the uni and then start making one hell of a stir up On the other hand Lebanon is so corrupted I'd be surprised if anyone really cares. That's one of the reasons I moved away from Lebanon.

[SpiralDragon]

nice to know that i am not the only Lebanese here..... lol.... well, I may bee doing the same to .... I am waiting for news from the Canadian embassy regarding my application for immigration.... its not worth it here any more... and day by day it just gets worse.... there is too much apathy in this country concerning any mater.... Lebanon has become a cultural dead zone and it is partially the fault of our educational facilities.... too bad I spent so much here....

[Slougi]

I agree. One of the big problems is the politicians and people there are so completely inflexible, and not ready to do anything for their own country. Everyone expects to just sit there and earn their money that way. Another problem is that the country is culturally divided into christians, sunni muslims, shia muslims, druze etc.... And no one gets on with one another.
I think you'll be much happier in Canada, whatever the answer is I wish you luck.

[SpiralDragon]

i hope.. so caus i am fed up here honstly..... its so draning trying to get ppl to do something and feel good about it...... as far as the university thing goes i have been wroking behind the scenes for over a year now... i got most of the movement up and going on my own withoout any one noticing me..... i even brain washed a few people to stop thinking interms of political/religious parties and start thinking about us as students and academics only.... these ppl later preached about unity of students and got all the political parties at uni to step put their difrences aside and let the work be done the why it should.... and not acording to personal intrests.... this is the kind of blow the uni was not expecting and they have been shaken.... but now the plan is in its final stages.... as the saying goes "its all or nothing" .... things could get out of hand very easily and treachery is in the air .... the students are now in such a powerfull position it is easy to fall..... that is why i am woried... i want this to work for the coming generations it is to late for me and my freinds..... but we can nolonger sit ideal..... ... i hope our eforts have not been in vain..

btw i think you have realised by now that I am not talking about AUB....

[SpiralDragon]

although it is quite the same there i belive.....

[SpiralDragon]

i feel sooooooo down.... i have been betrayed by a person i felt i could trust... a person i respected... because of this person everyone knows now what role i have played in this mater ... there is no going back now... this is the point of no return... i dont have regrets but i do have one hell of an ulcer..... things are going to get really hot here... and i think i am afraid... not for my self ... but for all those whom have walked the long road with me... what am i to do?

[BuddMan]

Well, if there's no going back, you might as well go all out.