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Activism at college

Started by Kara, July 15, 2009, 12:03:30 PM

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Kara

This has nothing to do with transgender issues, but I thought you guys might get a kick out of it anyways.

I posted a new blog today and here's the summarized version:

I'm sick of the things going on here at this college and I'm meeting with the university president to see if they can't get changed. Or, at the very worst, at least have him explain them to me so that I don't feel quite so bad. However, my expectation is that this will not happen and I will have to take further action to get a change made.
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Hannah

So I read through your blog, and I have to agree with you on the on-campus dining. I live off campus, so I'm not faced with this situation BUT I have night classes and I see what the kids are being fed. What is it, about $900 a term for food? I spend a lot less than $300 a month on groceries and live a much healthier lifestyle than that place inflicts on them, so it can be done.

As for the rest of it, it just kinda looks like troublemaking to me. I'd pick my battles if I were you, and arguing over parking is just going to make you look like a stark raving nut and cost you credibility on the dining hall thing. It sounds like you are at a bigger university, so why not join the lgbt club and spend your efforts on something productive?
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Kara

The parking problem here is pretty ridiculous in the fall and spring. I'm not really at a big university, but a smaller one I guess. It just really bugs me that they should have let this slide for about a month and a half, but when students start coming in again, then all of the sudden, the rules matter. As it is, they told me to park in a spot I'm still not supposed to be in if this were the fall. I'm definitely voting against buying a parking decal for the coming school year, as it's completely ridiculous, some of the things they get away with. If you're going to enforce the rules now, then you should enforce them all the time. Springing it on me like this seems really wrong.

I have been thinking about making a major issue out of the food thing....it's definitely not right that they should force people living on campus to carry a plan for the stuff they churn out on a regular basis. And I'm pretty sure I could spend a lot less on groceries and lose weight too.

As far as the bookstore thing...it's just one of those random things that irks me. My intention is to publish a comparison article in the school newspaper so that students get a good idea of how much the university is overcharging. I personally don't believe small issues should be ignored just because they're small.
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tekla

Good luck on the parking deal, of course the summer session is not a problem, because no one is there.  But when I did the faculty senate deal I'm sure we spent far more time on parking than we ever did on education or students.

And the reason that they couple the room and board deal (which is often coupled like that) is they don't want you cooking or storing food in your dorm room, so do what everyone else has done throughout time, move off campus.
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Kara

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 02:04:59 PM
Good luck on the parking deal, of course the summer session is not a problem, because no one is there.  But when I did the faculty senate deal I'm sure we spent far more time on parking than we ever did on education or students.

And the reason that they couple the room and board deal (which is often coupled like that) is they don't want you cooking or storing food in your dorm room, so do what everyone else has done throughout time, move off campus.

It's funny you should say that because they actually do have community fridges and kitchens here that people can use.

As it is, most college students I know have a fridge and a microwave, so if that's their intention, it's not really working.
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Hannah

Ha, faculty parking. That reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with a friend, we were discussing this very thing. At every other business we frequent, the employees park out back or away from the buildings. At school, where I have so far spent roughly 30 thousand dollars, I have to hike.  ::)
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tekla

Big difference between a dorm fridge and a microwave and what is required for just say two people to do three meals a day.

And my university had a free lot, halfway to Siberia (and it was Iowa, so in the winter it really was Siberia) and the faculty had to pay $200 a year to park in close, and that was 10 years ago. 
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Kara

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 02:18:04 PM
Big difference between a dorm fridge and a microwave and what is required for just say two people to do three meals a day.

And my university had a free lot, halfway to Siberia (and it was Iowa, so in the winter it really was Siberia) and the faculty had to pay $200 a year to park in close, and that was 10 years ago.

Really, is there a difference?

I was just going to have cereal for breakfast, a PBJ for lunch and then soup for supper. They already prohibit the use of portable grills and things like that so I'm not really sure that I see where all this is coming from.
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Mister

If all you're going to eat is PB&J and soup, have at it.  I prefer a little protein in my diet.
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Hannah

Be realistic. Soup and sandwiches will get old, you'll want a salad or some chicken or whatever eventually. You won't win this fight, so why start it? Aren't there better uses for your energy than butting heads with educrats over nonsense? You could possibly campaign for better alternatives in the dining hall, but that's about as far as I think yer going to get.
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Kara

Quote from: Becca on July 15, 2009, 02:27:54 PM
Be realistic. Soup and sandwiches will get old, you'll want a salad or some chicken or whatever eventually. You won't win this fight, so why start it? Aren't there better uses for your energy than butting heads with educrats over nonsense? You could possibly campaign for better alternatives in the dining hall, but that's about as far as I think yer going to get.

No actually, I've been on that sort of diet for a while now. I could mix up what type of soup I have and I could also have a turkey sandwich with barbeque sauce or something if I wanted. Or ravioli. You know, just whatever.

The point isn't so much that they serve out bad food- I don't think there's a way around that; the point is students living on campus are forced to pay for it whether they want to or not.
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tekla

Oh I bet I know where it coming from.  Exactly.  Since those rooms are rented/leased/sold, they are commercial.  And that brings into play the commercial fire code, which is very strict.  At any theater in SF if you are going to light as little as one candle on one table it has to be signed off by a fire marshal. Any sort of catering with chafing dishes, visit from the fire marshal.  Xmas tree, fire marshal.  The commercial fire code exists because of the likelihood that any fire event would fast become a major death event.  So, no gas stoves. And then the wiring becomes a problem too.

I doubt that the electrical system - no doubt pushed to the edge as it is by stereos, TVs, computers, and everyone charging everything else (not to mention hair irons, rollers and dryer - amazing eaters of current) could not handle it.  Again, fire danger.

Third.  So, you want to cook a burger.  You think the floor vegan is going to love that smell?  How about some members of minority groups, say traditional Chinese cooking, or Filipino food?  Again, people would object - no doubt even you if I started cooking some bok choy up every night in the room next to you.

Oh yeah, people are storing and cooking all that food, now you've got the Department of Public Health in on the game.
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Hannah

I don't have a particularly high opinion of the people who run these places, and I guess it might show a little bit. The dean of my school has to wear an especially snug necktie to keep the foreskin off his face. The thing is, nothing is going to change. You aren't the first person to be dissatisfied with these things, and they have heard it all before, and are experienced with the arguments. I looked at on campus options, and decided I didn't want to live within those boundaries, so I didn't, plain and simple.
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Mister

you nailed it, tekla.

not to mention a bunch of oh-so-responsible 18 year olds leaving stove burners on (fire) making drunken food experiments and GOD DAMNIT WHO ATE MY CHEESE?!?
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Kara

I'm not sure if some of those objections apply, as it's impossible to actually cook something on a grill like a burger without violating the electronics usage code for college or whatever they call it.

There is no specific prohibition on the amount of watts that are used, but there are about 8 outlets in my room right now and they allow surge bars with an on/off switch to be used, so if every surge bar has 5 outlets, you've got 40 cords going in right there. And this is not counting that bathroom, the light fixtures, and so on. I'm not sure how much a fridge and a microwave would contribute to that, but these are things that are already present in most rooms.

I am not a believer in the idea of "nothing is going to change." Things change because people make them change. Things stay the same because people do nothing. If I'm dissatisfied with anything in the university, how is it that I'm not supposed to voice my opinion and see what can be done about it?
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tekla

If you are drawing current from 40 sources on an eight box circuit it's going to blow. I would assume that not all draw at the same time,  But fridges draw heavy current I bet two of them (and we're talking dorm fridges here, not even real ones) would take out the circuit when you hit the hair dryer or CPU.
FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Kara

Quote from: tekla on July 15, 2009, 02:47:25 PM
If you are drawing current from 40 sources on an eight box circuit it's going to blow. I would assume that not all draw at the same time,  But fridges draw heavy current I bet two of them (and we're talking dorm fridges here, not even real ones) would take out the circuit when you hit the hair dryer or CPU.

I've never come across anything like that here. I can't say that I know anyone who uses a hair dryer, but right now in my room, there are two computers, a fridge and a fan going. If it gets dark, we'll add the overhead lights and a TV. I've never even heard of a power overload here. :P
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Mister

Desktop Computer    60-250 watts
Laptop                      15-45 watts
Floor or Box Fan          100 watts
Microwave                   1440 watts
Television                      75-200 watts
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tekla

OK, I'll try to work this out for you.

First.  If I let you do it, I'm going to have to let everyone do it.  Lets just assume that a dorm room hold two and they can get along well enough to do joint meals between them.  (which is about the most awesome assumption I've ever made, hell, we couldn't even agree on what kind of beer to stock.)  And speaking of beer, as I recall my dorm fridge (and I have one in the crew room at work, so I know this is still true) can hold a little bit over a 12 pack, but not quite a case of beer.  Which is not enough 'fridge space for two people to live on.  I am going to assume too - and this is not a reach - that most college kids don't know much about cooking, hell, its all they can do to get the laundry done. So, if you're going to do a heavy microwave deal, you'll need a real freezer, so now, I'm putting a full fridge in every room.  And a microwave, and some sort of hot plate.

Since people are conditioned - like Pavlov's dog - most are going to eat about the same time, so the peek usage is going to be heavy. The peek is going to come in two ways.  First, everyone is going to open those fridges at about the same time, hence all the motors and compressors (very heavy draw) are going to all kick on about the same time.  Which is also the same time that all the hot plates and microwaves are going to go on.  That draw is huge.  HUGE.  (and I am a certified electrician, so I think I know what I'm talking about)  Though the electrical works can handle a lot, I bet they are not near enough for this level of draw.  And the requirement of electrical power require it to be able to handle the peek (with a little headroom) - so for me I have to calculate how much juice I'm going to need if (and when, and there will be a when) the sound system is pushing max and the amps are on full draw, and all the stuff on stage is going to be on, and all the lights are going to be on 100% power.  If I can't do that with a 10% headroom, then I need to bring in a jenny and use it to cover.  At one theater its never a problem.  At the Fillmore, if we're going to be shooting a DVD and using the TV lights too, its jenny time.

So, that's the power deal.

But, where are you going to wash all that stuff?  How are you going to dispose of the excess food material, which if left to its own is going to draw ants, roaches and rats like a panty sale at VS draws CDs.  Major health issues there, hence the involvement of the health department, who can be just as bad as the fire marshal.  (both have the absolute power to shut down something until a major problem is fixed - that's everyone in the dorms out in the streets just because the hippie philosophy majors down the hall thought they would live out Alice's Restaurant in their dorm room and not take out the garbage for a long time.)  Sure, you are responsible, but is everyone?  No.

Do you even have the room - much less the cash - to equip even a minor kitchen?  The pots, pans, tableware and implements of kitchen destruction.  Plus you need all of them other items - including, but not limited to: salt, pepper, sugar, baking soda, baking powder (not the same things) flour, pancake mix and spices.  Even for crappy stuff, your looking at a couple of hundred dollars - and for the good stuff, a thousand easy. 

Oh, and cooking is messy.  Are the rooms vented for this?  No.  Is all this stuff going to stick the the walls and get into the carpets and drapes?  Yes.  So I'm also going to hit you with like a $500 clean up charge.

So, how much you saving now?

I'll leave you with the immortal words of Frank Zappa - the inventor of the burnt wennie sandwich, which I guess you'd be eating a lot of...

The dangerous kitchen
If it ain't one thing it's another
In the middle of the night when you get home
The bread things are all dry 'n' scratchy
The meat thing
Where the cats ate through the paper
The can things with the sharp little edges
That can cut your fingers when you're not looking
The soft little things on the floor that you step on
They can all be dangerous

Sometimes
The milk can hurt you
(if you put it on your cereal
Before you smell the plastic container)
And the stuff in the strainer
Has a mind of it's own
So be very careful
In the dangerous kitchen
When the night time has fallen,
And the roaches are crawlin'
In the kitchen of danger
You can feel like a stranger

The bananaes are black
The got flies in the back
And also the chicken
In the dish with the foil
Where the cream is all clabbered
And the salad is frightful
Your return in the evening
Can be less than delightful

You must walk very careful
You must not lean against it
It can get on you clothing
It can follow you in
As you walk to the bedroom
And you take all your clothes off
While you're sleeping
It crawls off
It gets in your bed
It could get on your face then
It could eat your complexion
You could die from the danger
Of the dangerous kitchen

Who the ->-bleeped-<- wants to clean it?


It's disgusting and dirty
The sponge on the drainer
Is stinky and squirty
If you squeeze it when you wipe up
What you get on your hands then
Could un-balance your glands and
Make you blind or whatever
In the dangerous kitchen
At my house tonight

FIGHT APATHY!, or don't...
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Kara

What you're overlooking (and what I've said already) is that people already have microwaves and fridges in their dorm rooms. You're not bound to one meal plan or other, you can choose what you want. For instance, you can choose a plan that gives you like 10 meals a week or something. So if you need 21 and if you stay at college the whole week through, where do the other 11 come from? Not to mention the fact that the dining halls have very limited hours and someone who gets hungry at 11 PM and wants a burrito or something really can have one.

Also, I didn't say this part, but my particular university is "dry" meaning that possessing alcohol on campus or showing up drunk can result in disciplinary action. Most people just sling 2 or 3 things in the fridge and drink that through the day and then put more in when they're done. There's no chugging contests going on here.
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