Gaming policy makes it hard to take BC seriously
“NO GAMING: Games (Chess, Checkers, Cards, Dice, Dominoes, etc.) are not allowed within the Cafeteria or Campus Boundaries. Anyone violating this regulation may be subject to removal and prosecution and the game may be confiscated.”
Look familiar? This sign is posted at the north and south entrances into BC’s cafeteria. I can understand prohibiting dice and cards, as they are usually associated with gambling – I don’t agree, but I understand. Chess? Checkers? Seriously! I’m tempted to start a chess club on campus just so I can receive a formal letter from BC security and administration telling me it is prohibited to play the game on campus. Does BC’s administration realize how ridiculous that is?
I often see improvements on campus that attempt to pull us away from the “high school with ashtrays” feel, and make BC seem more like a real college.
We allow smoking but no checkers. Secondhand smoke has been shown to cause cancer!
I think I’d rather suffer the evils of checkers than the thousands of carcinogens in cigarette smoke.
How many other colleges and universities ban checkers and chess? Our own AmeriCorps program teaches chess to first- and second-graders, but we’re not allowed to play such a horrific game at BC. Students elsewhere in California think that this policy is pretty funny.
BC is becoming a very impressive institute of higher education, but this silly policy really makes it hard to take this institution seriously.
Marc L. Miller
BC student
Student protests English testing
High ho! High ho! Off to take our finals, high ho! Yes, it is that time again! I am referring to students who will be taking the English Final Essay Exit Exam (FEE) held by the English Department every semester in Academic Development 68, English 60 and English 1A classes. Students often grumble, and complain, about this policy, yet we have not seen anything written on or spoken on about this except when it comes from the English Department and you probably will not hear anything from them. It is such a good moneymaker for the school. Also, we the students want to know why our student body elected officials have not investigated this policy and tried to change it. So much for elected officials!
Bakersfield College is the only community college that requires this in the state of California. Is this true? Now think about this, Rip. How many students have enrolled in the English courses above this semester? $11 at four units a class, that adds up to money. Now out of the number of classes that is offered in a semester, how many drop, and when do they drop? Now how many students are left to take the final essay exam? The course catalog states we must pass the class with a grade of “C” or better. These classes are a pass/fail class. The final essay exam is not spoken of anywhere. This is misleading to the public and to students who are consumers of education for the betterment of themselves to gain knowledge along with skills for job advancement or whatever their goals be.
We as students believe that the FEE in its present form is wrong and unfair along with being a yoke around the neck of students and consumers of education for the following reasons.
Instructor’s view: Can he or they convey or reflect on how the panel of graders will evaluate the intent of the student rather than content.
Lack of topics: Not having a selection of topics hinders the thinking ability and creativity, along with logic, to state one’s case.
Intent vs. content: Grade on students’ intent along with applying grammar rules, not what they feel.
People learn differently, think differently and live in different environments and are exposed to different life experiences.
The use of computers: The college has made computers to be used by the student body. The students use the spell and grammar check. They turn in their paper, getting high grades on their paper, but due to the requirement to write out the FEE by hand in a one-and-a-half-hour requirement, they are not able to see their mistakes, therefore leading to a false sense in their ability of their true performance in writing. People who do get to use the computer in writing for the reason of a disability are truly misled for the reason the spell check and grammar check are turned off, by the order of the English Department. Is this allowed under the disability act as far as accommodations?
Timed test at an hour and a half: Having a timed test is not fair to the above average, average, bilingual and those with a learning disability. Each responds to stress differently which interferes with logic, focusing ability along with creativity and thinking ability.
Panel grades pass/fail: The panel is said to be fair, but we as students have been taught by one instructor, who thinks differently as to intent and in content from those of the panel. A student can perform well in the class, writing essays along with getting high grades on them, giving a false sense or feeling that they are doing well, then they flop the essay exam. This panel is based on assembly-line thought. How many FEEs does each member read of the same topic and become bored wanting to hurry to get through for school break, maybe failing a essay on a trivial little rule?
Fail, get a D, drops GPA, must repeat until passed: Pay more money again to get stressed out again to hope to pass, if not, do it all over again. By repeating this class over after a number of times leads to a spirit of hopelessness, defeat and feeling inadequate and that one cannot write.
Instructors require students to buy books that they prefer. We need a set standard of material for instruction. In closing, $11 times four units equals fail, repeat to do all over again, again, again, again and again. Something needs to be changed.
Floyd W. Grimes
BC student