Of all the thingsthat irritate me about today, the credit situation is by far the most frustrating. The fact the my screw-up with work was my fault and easily remedied makes it easy to get past, but I find myself rather insulted that, once again, the system at FAMU doesn't want to let me do more than what they think I should do.
I am trying to double major in theatre and philosophy. Because I didn't realize it was feasible until this summer, I'm finding it necessary now to cram in all of the classes I need for my philosophy credits. I don't mind taking a bunch of classes in philosophy and religion. On the contrary, I' rather excited about it. The problem with it, and the thing that kept me from taking philosophy classes for two semesters, is that they contribute to the cap in my alloted amount of credit hours. The established maximum a student can take in a semester is 18 credit hours. That's six over the 12 hour minimum required to be considered a full-time student, and not a problem for most of us. As a scholarship recipient, I have my classes covered up to those 18 hours, after which I'm on my own. Additionally, there is a surcharge in place for anyone who graduates with more than 120% of the credit hours needed to graduate, which I consider to be a punitive education tax. I doubt I'll go that far, but the 18 hours cap has presented a problem to me more than once.
I currently have 17 credit hours, a consequence of my not getting my language classes out of the way earlier and deciding belatedly to ad philosophy to my piece of paper. I can ponder the wisdom of that decision later. My schedule is pretty packed, but what isn't there right now, is a vocal class. I've been enrolled in voice lessons every semester since coming to FAMU as it's my only way to maintain some kind of consistent vocal trainig level in light of my schedule. I can never join a choir because it conflicts with my shows and my jobs and I had previously considered music my minor, of which I would need 18 credits by graduation to count. Unfortunately, my voice class counts as two credits, which would put me over the 18-credit limit. I was all set to drop my French class and lab, which would take me down four credits, but I actually feel like I'm in good classes this year, and I don't have any guarantee that the situation will be as god next semester. I settled on dropping my theatre lab instead.
Theatre lab is both useful and benign. I consider it important for any theatre practitioner to have a baic understanding of what goes on behind the scenes, and it's especially useful in a B.A. program where students tend to have varying focuses. However, after my semester of electrics, I didn't know how to bench focus a light. After a semester of set and props, I didn't really know how to build anything (though I did learn how to handle that power tool whose name I've forgotten). After a semester of management, I wasn't any more capable of putting on a production. This is probably part of the reason the class only counts for one credit msot of the time. However, my suspicion is that the other reason they make the class only count for one credit is to ensure that they have a labor source available to work backstage for their shows. For that reason, I've gotten past the point where I take lab seriously. For that reason, I consider lab the most sensible class to drop.
I have no problem missing a term of lab. In truth, no one would probably miss me if I wasn't there. But to graduate, I need to have eight credit hours. A friend of mine suggested I simply take the class for two credits. I knew it sounded too easy, but I went ahead and inquired about it. The answer was hardly satisfactory. At first, my professor seemed genuinely bent on finding a way that I can get two credit for the class. Then, when she understood why I'm taking so many credit hours, her sincerity turned to scepticism. She concluded that I "don't really need that class," that I was "just asking for something extra" because I wanted to. Her final judgement was that, while I can still try to get an override to take the class and end up over the 18-hour credit limit, I would not be able to just swap out one class for another and make up the difference later. She explained that, because I don't really need the class to graduate, because I'm not required to take it, there would be no provision for me.
Her conclusion essentially rested on the idea that FAMU has lain out for me exactly what I need to know in order to recieve a degree that deems my time at this school, and, indirectly, my person as a product of my time at the school, valuable. No credence is given to the idea that I might want to retain a minor in addition to my two majors, nor does anyone consider that the information conveyed in the classes set for me may not be enough. I'm not just here to get a piece of paper. I'm also here to acquire a strong skill set that will make me employable, and singing is a major part of that. Of the eight productions I've been in since being enrolled at FAM, seven have been musicals. Lessons give me a chance to build my repertoire, get feedback on my choices, and perform for an audience. I lose that when I'm pushed out over the number of credit hours. My professor intoned that I don't "need" the class, implying that the class does not hold any particular value for me. In truth, nothing could be farther from the truth.
This isn't the first time I've taken a class outside of my base curriculum that's been questioned. My advisor wondered at my decision to take Mock Trial during my sophomore year, back when I still had aspirations of going to law school and wasn't enrolled in any pre-law or poli-sci classes. I often get raised eyebrows when I introduce myself in a philosophy class and mention theatre as my major. There seems to be this idea among us that no one should go beyond what's been handed to him, that students shouldn't take initiative, that our choices can't be trusted. Who is she to tell me what I need? Why isn't my ambition to do more than just what's required of me being stonewalled instead of being supported? Not only is it frustrating, it's insulting. I have a degree of loyalty to FAMU because, if I'm a student here, there are bound to be other students like me who are not just the things that people know no better spew in newsrooms and on webpages. But I'll be glad when I'm done having my efforts undermined.
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