In my three years at Hamline University, contrary to popular belief, I was never angry one time. Then again, I am not your stereotypical angry person. Yeah, I saw some stupid stuff, but hell – stupid stuff happens all over the place.  HU is about to get a long awaited, and overdue wake up call about how important ALL students are on a small campus. When one student is marginalized, displaced, obstructed or denied the right to participate on any level, it affects the whole student body. This social-university construct, a multifaceted flowering of benign neglect was misconstrued by many student leadership groups (HUSC), deans and administrators who have made themselves inconsequential by wallowing in the comfort of looking into a mirror reverse, only seeing themselves. It is true; there is enough stratification with nothing to undergird it to wrap around the campus several times…and then some.

Moving on…

This is the last time I will write a column in The Oracle, and for three years, it has been one of the most exciting adventures ever. I take this opportunity to thank those who ‘get it,’ and wish to send a warm heartfelt thank you to the many I cannot mention in my goodbye missive. Since I am an English major, it’s only fitting that I humbly thank the physics department for being there in the Hamline Plan of natural sciences. Dr. Ben Gold and Dr. Bruce Bolon opened my mind to the many possibilities of space (astronomy) and the physics of sound and music.

Never have I seen a group of professors (in layman’s terms: men and women), work so hard in making sure I understood the work necessary to put in and how simply following instructions can make you successful at HU. Thank you Dr. Verna Corgan and Provost Eric Jensen for making the reality real.

I have to thank my advisors in the English department, some who knew and others that did not. The ones who knew, Dr. Alice Moorhead and Dr. Jermaine Singleton, thank you for always having your open door and the time for any conversation, even when times got tough as I asked myself, time and time again, “why am I here,” your inspirational talks, comedy, critical analysis, motivation and keeping it real helped me to move forward. Even on days when I was ready to sink into a deep depression topped off with a little PTSD…words worked.  The professors who always had a smile and a hello, Dr. Gary Gabor, Dr. Mark Olson, Dr. Veena Deo and Dr. Mike Reynolds; if I could bottle the experience, I would share it with every new student that walked upon the grounds of HU.

On July 1, a great thing will happen for students at HU who have been here and new students arriving. A new legacy takes over, one that is student-centered, student friendly and outcome oriented. This legacy will give back the campus of HU to its students. While I sit back and watch the jackals run and the inconsequential folks still thinking they will survive because they went through this ten years ago, self-righteous beware, this new day at HU brings new people, places and things.  So while some of you are trying to figure out where the next exclamation point in the Hamline University logo will be placed, remember, the future has already happened and your history just has not caught up.

I was once asked if there was any advice I could share with students at HU. I usually keep my opinions to myself (right), but in this case I am glad to share some worldly knowledge from an old dog that has been around the block, it’s easy because I am closer to where I am going, than where I came from.

Remember, you are the controlling factor in the capitalistic infrastructure of HU; for without you, there would be no HU. The political power held by each and every student at HU can move mountains; you can replace the words ‘this is the way we have always done it’ to: That’s a great idea, we should look into trying it. You are the paying customer; the customer is always right, period. Do not bow-down and become defeated or intimidated by an overzealous administrator(s). Stand your ground…you are why that person is in front of you, use your power (wisely) and with liberty.

As a student at HU, your ideas, actions and education should never become a second-tier priority to HU. Standards of academic excellence must be maintained, nurtured and updated. Students at HU must be taught using real-time text, not a syllabus that has been reused for over five-years with an occasional date change.

I also have to thank Dr. Matt Morgan for giving me the opportunity to make some people at HU aware of its veteran student population. Most of us are nontraditional students with families, mortgages and jobs. It is nice to know we too can be successful on a campus like HU.

In closing, as I register for my summer and fall classes at HU School of Education to complete a Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT), I will be here and I will continue to be that person with an opinion.

#dropthemic