As one signs a contract or makes an agreement, they want to be as specific as possible, as well as transparent. However, in society today, it is very easy to be vague and unclear which means that the one being unclear will benefit the most in the end.Transparency is also something a student wants when attending a university, whether public or private, since they are taking the risk of spending a lot of money on education, which could provide amazing rewards at the end. This is seen through both the Geneseo Mission Statement and The Citadel Mission Statement. As one looks at the Geneseo Mission Statement, it is rather short compared to the mission statement from The Citadel. As it states in Geneseo’s mission statement, Geneseo is a public, liberal arts college that is committed to education and that Geneseo is a community that helps inspire students who are ready to take on the world when they graduate, which is shown at the end of the statement, “The entire College community works together to advance knowledge and inspire students to be socially responsible and globally aware citizens who are prepared for an enriched life and success in the world.”As well, Geneseo is very broad and unspecific. Geneseo’s statement being transparent leaves a lot up for interpretation when a student is reading, and may cause confusion among the student body and faculty.According to the Citadel’s mission statement, they are a college who has a mission to “educate and develop our students to become principled leaders” through the implementation of their core values. The Citadel Mission Statement also highlights something that makes them unique, which is their South Carolina Corps of Cadets program, which gives the students structure through the military lifestyle that the college has. The Citadel also states how they want their students to leave with the best skills and prepare them for leadership positions they may receive in life, which is through the use of their four pillars. The explanations provided help show how The Citadel is very transparent and specific of what their goals are for their students,This is very important, especially when agreeing to something that is going to affect several generations in the future, which is shown in Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler. As Butler develops the story, she argues for transparency through the use of Gan and T’Gatoi, as Gan states that people should not be in the dark about things that are happening to everyone, but rather be involved and taught about it in every stage of life in clear and explicit details, which can be argued for today in the real world, especially as the world faces many situations that the details are being hidden from us.
The story of Bloodchild, was a way to help Octavia Butler face a fear of hers as she was to adventure into the Peruvian Amazon, which she mentioned in her afterword. Also, she states that the purpose of this story is that “…it’s a coming-of-age story” that takes all the information available and helps Gan “…make a decision that will affect the rest of his life.” This can also be applied to when a student makes the decision to attend an institution or university, they make a decision that affects how four years of their life is going to play out. This can be seen as a major risk because students are becoming adults while in college, which is also seen in the story since Gan is becoming old enough to make the decision on if he wants to become pregnant or if he wants to not be pregnant. This can change Gan’s life forever since it includes becoming implanted with an egg by T’Gatoi and give birth to new Tilcs. This is a tough decision for Gan because he had witnessed the trauma of a Tilc birth gone horribly wrong, which leaves him in fear. The decision that Gan has to make also plays into the partnership that him and T’Gatoi have with each other because Gan is supposed to be seen as an adult, however, is not allowed to make adult decisions in the partnership that him and T’ Gatoi have. This leads to Gan pointing out to T’Gatoi, that there is a risk in every partnership that one is a part of, which is shown when Gan states, “‘If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.’” (Butler 26) This makes T’Gatoi realize that Gan is finally thinking for himself and is ready to make the decisions that will impact him for the rest of his life, which allows her to come to terms that Gan is ready for implantation. This connects to universities since administration expects the student to act as adults, however do not give the students enough space to fully grow into adults and take on risks, which will allow students to experience the world.
Also this story can connect to how society expects several things that seem unreasonable to many people and populations.This can be shown in both current day society and in the story of Gan and T’Gatoi. is because everyone in society expects that high school graduates go to college, while Gan’s family expects him to serve T’Gatoi, because that is what has become normalized in society, which is shown in Bloodchild, when T’Gatoi states “‘We wait long years for you and teach you and join our families to yours.’” (Butler 24). However, this expectation of the Preserve leaves many Terrans in the dark about the process of birth the males must go through, as well as can cause more fear and hesitation to those who want to be hosts. Gan realizes this when he himself witnesses a live birth of a Tilc, that had gone terribly wrong, which left him feeling fearful. This also leaves Gan feeling that he does not want to participate in this practice, however, he changes his mind to make sure that his sister does not have to go through this. To T’Gatoi however, she feels that Gan has no reason to be feeling fear and hesitation since T’Gatoi has been explaining the process to Gan his entire life through both diagrams and lectures. The diagrams and lectures however, are not enough for Gan since it leaves him in the dark and leaves him asking for more in the partnership. These demands are made towards the end of the story when Gan states that Terrans should be, “‘Shown when we’re young kids, and shown more than once.’” (Butler 29) To many, they feel that this is how society should be especially when it comes to the national government, corporations, and especially institutions, such as colleges, since students do not want to enter into a institution and pay for it if they do not know everything that they are paying for as well as they do not feel that the university is being transparent with them about everything that is happening on the campus.
As students, continue to fight for transparency on campuses, they use stories such as Bloodchild, to give them inspiration and show that as society expects the students to act as adults in this stage in there life, let them have the opportunity to take risks, make adult decisions, and allow them to grow as a person in the several ways they have to.