The Risks and Rewards on a College Campus

The short story Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler has been a text we return to throughout this semester in the course INTD 105 . In Bloodchild,Octavia Butler wrote, “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” This is the INTD 105 course epigraph.  This quote is the perfect epigraph for the course because risks and rewards has been the subject of our course discussions all semester. Being a part of a college community and taking courses has academic risks and rewards. This quote can be connected to many of the discussions we’ve had as a class. 

The story Bloodchild, where the epigraph is from, tells the tale of two completely different species that are dependent on each other for survival on an alien planet. Tlics are centipede-like creatures and Terrans are humans. Gan and T’Gatoi , human and Tlic respectively are partnered. They have familiarity and trust between them, Gan has known T’Gatoi his whole life. The preserve is the place they live on this alien planet, in a society where both species are reliant on the other. The Preserve was made by a political faction that T’Gatoi is a part of. Some Tlics did not want to treat the humans well, and saw humans more as surrogates. At the preserve Terrans are safe. Gan grew up knowing he was expected to carry T’Gatoi eggs, in return his whole family can safely live at the preserve. He was okay with this until he witnessed a Human give birth. Gan was so traumatized from the birth he no longer knew if he wanted to be a host for T’Gatoi. T’Gatoi had spent a long time working to ensure humans are treated well, knowing one day a human would carry her children. The quote that is the epigraph comes in when Gan decides he wants a gun. He feels if he is expected to take the risk and trust T’Gatoi , he should be able to have a Gun. Both characters have limited options in this situation, and have to take the risk for the reward of survival. 

The risks and rewards the Gan and T’Gatoi face relate to our college community, and the limited choices we have within it. The community includes students, professors and administrators, all working together to make choices and hopefully be successful together. The similarities between the dire situation in bloodchild and the everyday decisions made on our campus, has been the center of many conversations in our class. There are many different partnerships at play both in the story Bloodchild and in our class. I have been reliant on both Professor McCoy, and other students for feedback. These are both partnerships with risks and rewards. In the course syllabus, Professor McCoy said students will be sharing their work and providing feedback to each other. This was a risk for some students, like myself. The risk that comes with sharing work is trusting my peers have good intentions and that we are all here to become better.  I never have felt I was a good writer, so sharing work with the whole class can be scary.  Professor McCoy said in the syllabus “Remember that growth will be difficult if not impossible if work is not presented consistently for feedback;” Despite how risky sharing work can feel, the reward of growth and stronger writing abilities was worth the risk. The more feedback I have received , the more beneficial it has been to my writing skills. 

Another partnership in a college community where there is risk in dealing with a partner is between administrators and students. Because of INTD 105 I have a new found appreciation for the administrators at Geneseo. I have to trust that they are acting in good faith and making decisions best for their students.  We did a reading of the Geneseo student handbook. The administrators make the rules in effort to keep students safe and successful,and students follow the rules to keep campus running smoothly. As a student I rely on the administrators to make sure the rules are fair and just. That’s why I found the”Article XI – Interpretation and Revision” section of the student hand book interesting. It says that the Dean of Students will review The Student Code of Conduct every two years. I think that is important because new problems can arise and there could always be improvements made. This is one of the things I like about Suny Geneseo administrators. 

Because of our discussion with the suny administrator Joe Cope,I was able to learn a lot about what Joe, and all Administrators at Geneseo do.  Joe explained that like Gan and T’Gatoi, the school had very limited options when it came to COVID . He said the administrators had to balance the reward of monetary gain and the risk of student safety. Not wanting students on campus because of the pandemic, but needing students on campus to take in money to be able to afford all the new changes COVID has brought. He explained that some schools decided to take as many students on campus as possible, despite the risks. He explained Geneseo still offers so many asynchronous classes and online classes despite losing money from students not on campus. The students have to trust administrators have their best intentions in mind for the student administrator partnership to work, and the conversation left be feeling trusting in our administration. Much like Gan must be trusting in T’Gatoi , T’Gatoi in Gan.

The different partnerships on college campuses each have their own risks and rewards. The course epigraph is perfect because it connects to almost every conversation we have had as a class. As with the decisions making that Gan and T’Gatoi must face in Bloodchild, students, professors and administrators must make choices when part of a college community. 

The Impact of Risks and Rewards on Goal Setting in a College Preserve

You wouldn’t typically think of taking a class as inherently risky. However, I think that all choices we make, including taking a class, come with inherent risks and rewards. Some of the risks that come to mind when talking about taking a class, are embarrassment and failure. Some of the rewards associated with taking a college class are growth and success. Going beyond the choice to take a class, are all the choices that will take place during your time in that class. Students taking Intd 105 will learn  how to give and take feedback. Students will be given the freedom to choose what they write about and be offered the responsibility of self-assessment. Thinking about these choices I will have to make, and the short story Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler, helped me develop my goals for this course. 

In Bloodchild, by Octavia E. Butler, impossible decisions are made, and risks and rewards are realized . In the book Tlics are a strong, alien centipede-like species described by Butler as having “three meters of body” they are also described as having “bones–ribs, a long spine, a skull, four sets of limb bones per segment.” Humans are referred to as Terrans. Both species co-habit on the same planet and are reliant on each other for survival. The Tlics provide food and protection for humans, and the humans in turn provide a host for the Tlics eggs, as the Tlics cannot reproduce on their own. This symbiotic relationship creates power struggles that define the risks and rewards of the main characters’ decisions. A single class in a college course of study can similarly be viewed as a symbiotic relationship for the professor, the college as a whole,  and the student.  In Bloodchild, here are many decisions that carry risks and rewards for the main character Gan. Although it may not seem like he has many choices, at one point Gan gets told, “Would you really rather die than bear my young,” by the Tlic he is expected to be a surrogate for. For anyone, choosing between dying and letting your family down,  or being implanted with alien eggs, is a tough one. Although it could be argued there are no real decisions to be made, because the Tlics seem to hold all the power and the Terrans are at whim to whatever the Tlics want, there is still agency for the humans.This theme of choice and power struggles runs throughout the story of Bloodchild. Likewise, the professors and college bureaucracy seem to hold all the power, but students always have a choice in their actions. 

Gan must analyze the choices he has and choose the best one while considering quality of life, and his family.  Gan makes the decision to agree to being impregnated with alien eggs, even after seeing a traumatizing surgery to remove the centipede offspring before it ate a man inside out. When weighing his choices, consenting to being a host is the best decision for Gan and his family. Though Gan doesn’t have many choices, he can choose his attitude towards his situation, and he does. Gan chooses to trust in the Tlics, unlike his brother, who has a bitter attitude towards the Tlic. Gans’ brother is described as having grown up to “fear and distrust the Tlic ”. Gan understands that everyone is dependent on each other.  Thinking about Gan and his tough decisions helped me to think about the choices I had to make for this semester. Although none of my choices are anywhere near as severe as Gan’s, I do have to make choices, and face the consequences of those choices, both positive and negative.  

One risk students will take in  INTD 105 Risk and reward course, is facing fears. While taking this class the syllabus will provide students guidance on the way the class will work throughout the year. In the course syllabus, Professor McCoy informs students that they will be sharing their work and providing feedback to each other. I feel like this is a risk for some students, like myself, who don’t feel strong in their writing abilities. Professor McCoy said in the syllabus “Remember that growth will be difficult if not impossible if work is not presented consistently for feedback;” Sharing written assignments with the class, and opening yourself up to feedback definitely can feel like an academic risk. However, without feedback I know I will never improve my writing skills. Feedback is extremely important especially when it comes to honing in on a skill. Sharing work with each other and giving and getting comments from our peers, is rewarding and productive. The more people with whom work is shared, the more beneficial it can be to the students’ writing. The fear of putting work out into the world is outweighed, in my opinion, by the great reward of experience and enhancement. Writing skills are life long, so any chance to improve on them is a success. I’m delighted to share my work and receive feedback from my peers, because it will help me grow. My first goal for this course is to overcome any reservations I have about presenting my work with others 

The choice of what we write about is another decision that carries risks and rewards in any class. The writing prompts found in the syllabus leave the choices up to the writer. Professor McCoy wrote in the syllabus , “You have considerable leeway in interpreting the epigraph and focusing your essay,”  under the prompt for the final reflection essay. Being able to have a choice in what you’re writing about, as opposed to extremely limiting essay prompts, is both a risk and reward choice for students. This requires students to think critically, analyze important texts, and be able to form their own arguments and opinions to write about. Developing the skills to navigatie the process of  creating, and writing assignments with no direction, is another objective of mine for this course. Perhaps the most notable decisions students will make during this course is self-assessment. Students will have to honestly judge themselves and their work. I think this is a skill everyone should have and practice. For some, it may feel odd to assess their own growth because they may feel biased, and be too hard or easy on themselves. It can be very difficult to calibrate when it comes to yourself. But the more accurately you can assess yourself, the better for you. That’s why practicing self assessment is another goal of mine this semester. 

 Reading Bloodchild by Octavia  E. Butler helped me to create several goals for me  this semester. The short story got me thinking about decisions, choices, and the risks or rewards that can come with taking any class. As with the decision making that Gan must face in Bloodchild, students must make choices when part of a college community.  My goals are to work on developing strong writing skills that will help me long after this course. I would like to be able to confront situations where I have to use my analytical skills, apply feedback to my work,  and be able to confidently share work with peers. I care about meeting my goals because it will help me reach the rewards I seek. 

The risk of Failure for the Reward of Success

You wouldn’t typically think of taking a class as inherently risky. I think all choices we make, including taking a class, come with inherent risks and rewards. Some of the risks that come to mind when talking about taking a class are embarrassment and failure. Some of the rewards associated with taking a college class are growth and success. Going beyond the choice to take a class, are all the choices that will take place during your time in that class.. Students taking Intd 105 will learn  how to give and take feedback. We will be given the freedom to choose what we write about and be offered the responsibility to self assess  ourselves. Thinking about these choices I will have to make, and the short story Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler helped me develop my goals for this course. 

In Bloodchild by Octavia E. Butler impossible decisions are made, and risks and rewards are felt out.  Tlics, centipede-like creatures and Terrans, humans, are reliant on each other for survival. Humans live on this alien planet and aliens take care of them, in return humans must choose 1 male to be impregnated with the Tlics eggs.  The decisions, risks and rewards the main character, Gan, faces are very intense. Although it may not seem like he has many choices, at one point Gan gets told “Would you really rather die than bear my young,” by his Tlic that is taking care of him. Choosing between dying and letting your family down or being implanted with alien eggs, to protect them, is a tough one. Although it could be argued there are no real decisions to be made, because the Tlics hold all the power and the Terrans are at whim to whatever the Tlics want. Gan must analyze the choices he has and choose the best one while considering quality of life, and his family. So instead Gan made the decision to agree to being impregnated with alien eggs, even after seeing a traumatizing surgery to remove the centipede offspring before it ate a man inside out. Though Gan doesn’t have much of a choice about if he has the eggs or not, he can choose his attitude towards his situation. Gan chooses to trust in the Tlics unlike his brother who has a bitter attitude towards them. Gan understands that everyone is dependent on each other.  Thinking about Gan and his tough decisions helped me to think about the choices I had to make for this semester. Although none of my choices are anywhere near as severe as Gan’s. 

One risk students will take in  INTD 105 Risk and reward course, is facing fears. While taking this class the syllabus will provide students guidance on the way the class will work throughout the year. In the course syllabus Professor McCoy informs students that we will be sharing our work and providing feedback to each other. I feel like this is a risk for some students, like myself, who don’t feel strong in their writing abilities. Professor McCoy said in the syllabus “Remember that growth will be difficult if not impossible if work is not presented consistently for feedback;” Sharing written assignments with the class, and opening yourself up to feedback definitely can feel like an academic risk. However, without feedback I know I will never improve my writing skills. Feedback is extremely important especially when it comes to honing in on a skill. Sharing our work with each other and giving comments from our peers is a great thing. The more people to share our work with the more beneficial it is to write.  The fear of putting our work out into the world is outweighed, in my opinion, by the great reward of experience and enhancement.  Writing skills are life long, so any chance to improve on them is a success. I’m delighted to share my work and receive feedback from my peers because it will help me grow. My first goal for this course is to overcome any reservations I have about presenting my work with others 

The choice of what we write about is another risk and reward of this class. The writing prompts found in the syllabus leave the choices up to the writer. Professor Mcoy wrote in the syllabus , “You have considerable leeway in interpreting the epigraph and focusing your essay,”  under the prompt for the final reflection essay. Being able to have choice in what you’re writing about as opposed to extremely limiting essay prompts is both a risk and reward choice for students. This requires students to think critically, analyze important texts and be able to form their own arguments and opinions to write about. Developing the skills to navigatie creating and writing arguments with no direction  this is another objective of mine for this course. 

Perhaps the most notable decisions students will make during this course is self assessment. Students will have to honestly judge themselves and their work. I think this is an ability everyone should have and practice. For some, it may feel odd to assess their own growth because they may feel biased, or feel like they are reversed biased and too hard on themselves. It can be very difficult to calibrate when it comes to yourself. But the more accurately you can assess yourself the better for you. That’s why practicing self assessment is another goal of mine this semester.  Reading Bloodchild by Octavia  E. Butler helped me to create several goals for my course this semester. The short story got me thinking about decisions, choices and the risks or rewards that can come with taking any class. My goals are to work on developing strong writing skills that will help me long after this course. I would like to be able to confront situations where I have to use my annalysiszing text skills, applying feedback skills to my work,  and being able to confidently share work  with peers. I know I will grow and hope I will meet my goals.