Author: Kya Primm

At the beginning of the semester, we were supplied with our course epigraph, the quote that would guide the remainder of the class. Derived from Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild”, it reads, “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” After reading this, we began the first of many group discussions. To no real avail, we came to the realization that in order to get the full picture, we had to first put the quote into context. Spoken by the story’s protagonist, Gan, is a plea for T’Gatoi to give him transparency and respect within the partnership, even though she has power. It was from the epigraph that we bean to touch on the complexities maintained in partnerships. The epigraph remained crucial to our semester and served as roadmap for all our discussions and assignments, most recently the facilities and heating plant essay. Using the epigraph as a through line and changing our perspectives, we were able deepen the understanding of the relationships and the world around us. Similar to T’Gatoi, my new perspective on the world has changed me for the better.

Although I have grown throughout this semester, it is important to reflect on where the process began. Even before stepping foot into Room 212, I had already had an insight on Professor McCoy and the course itself. By calling on the precious experiences on upperclassman and my advisor, I learned that by the end of the semester they would have expected growth as a person and as a writer. But prior to this class, I believed I was already a strong writer, and therefore I had little room to grow. Being involved in clubs that depended on strong speeches like Mock Trial and Model United Nations put me in a closed mindset. Because I had always performed so well in both activities, I believed strong writers would always be strong and vise versa. I believed I had reached my peak, but after my first few assignments, I began to see how crucial growth mindset is. While I performed well on most essays, I kept receiving the same comments, “work to reduce wordiness” and “fix mechanical issues,” which was at times frustrating. In the beginning, I found that I wouldn’t take the time to properly edit my essays. After repeating my mistakes and seeing the comments enough times, I realized I needed a change in my perspective if I wanted to see real growth.

As the semester progressed, I found myself paying closer attention to the details and expanding my writing. I have to be honest, receiving the amount of comments from Professor McCoy was jarring at first but now I am in a place where I can thoroughly appreciate them. There came a turning point in my writing, and it happened during the Boodchild Essay rewrite. I used my growth mindset to not only fix my mechanical errors, but I really began emphasizing the “So what?” of my essays. I found in my writing that I would get close to relating the topic back to a real-world example, but I would shy away out of fear. Either fear of offending someone or receiving a lower score because I made it personal.  However, with my new perspective I found myself taking a risk, one that paid off in the end. In the facilities and heating plant essay, I stressed the importance on reducing the stigma of certain professions in our society and our perception of essential workers. It was time for me to address my perspective of the world around me and it would hopefully encourage someone else to do the same.

I find that in todays world, with a surge of information, it is imperative that we also add our own insight because you never know the impact it may have on someone. Being in this class has taught me that no one else in this world has your experience. This is a powerful tool because when you use a creative space, such as your writing to talk about your experience, you can be shaping someone else’s perspective on the world around them. I find that sometimes, we can underestimate the impact we can have on someone’s life. Ultimately, developing the growth mindset was crucial for me because I see that even our best skills can be improved, and I am grateful for the perspective change.

Throughout this course, we bore witness multiple perspectives concerning academic partnerships. These new perspectives were offered by some of Geneseo’s very own faculty. Having their perspective was important because it showed me that the complexities of academic partnership can be seen anywhere. We first had a conversation with robbie routenberg who acts as Geneseo’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. This conversation yielded insights on the balance between being “prosponsive” or “responsive.” The former calling for an open conversation about certain experiences on campus before an incident has occurred, while the latter is the response to an incident. robbie focused on striking the delicate balance on issues like your right to freedom of speech versus someone else’s freedom of religion. robbie explained that the best response is to have a meaningful conversation in which you try to educate and cast a new perspective. We also spoke to Joe Cope who acts as the Associate Provost for Student Success at Geneseo. His discussion opened our minds to the syllabus that frequently acts as a contract between student and professor. While some students may feel powerless in this partnership, he insures us that a Professor can be held accountable for making arbitrary decisions. For example, if a Professor never mentions an attendance policy but fails you for missing two classes, you can appeal your grade, this option maintains the balance necessary for academic partnerships. We lastly spoke with Dr. Sasha Eloi-Evans who acts as the Director of Multicultural Programs and Services. She provided insight to her navigation between the relationships of her students and colleagues where she emphasized the importance of open trust and consent. Successfully navigating consent, trust, and open conversations like the Geneseo faculty is imperative for every partnership.

At the beginning of this semester I remember hearing that Professor McCoy demanded greatness and growth from her students. But now, as my freshman year comes to a close the submission of this essay, what’s next? Who is going to help me grow, who is going to challenge my perspective every Monday and Friday? Well, this is when I pass on what I learned earlier this year called the Pygmalion Effect. It is the phenomenon whereby others’ expectations of a target person affect the target person’s performance, or more simply put, when you demand greatness out of someone, they perform greatly. I would then argue that this semester we were pushed to greatness by Professor McCoy, who made us revise essays and expand our perspective on a number of issues. But as time goes on, I think that we should demand greatness from ourselves. Geneseo’s GLOBE tells us as students we should, “gain practice in the ability to reflect upon changes in learning and outlook over time.” Being able to look back at my mindset and writing from January and compare it to now surreal. From this point on, we should begin assessing our own growth from time to time, in order to keep ourselves accountable for our growth. That’s why I hope you’ll join me by marking this date in your calendar to serve as a reminder to come back and re-read this essay every year. This course has given us the tools necessary to change our perspective, to grow and to ultimately never stop thinkING.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities frames integrative learning as “the process that benefits from unique perspectives and yields multiple solutions.” This process usually begins with reflective work or self-assessments, but it often goes beyond the paper to address real world examples like the Department of Facility Services at Geneseo. At first glance, the facilities staff only provides a beautiful campus, but when the focus is narrowed, it is revealed that without that facilities staff working behind the scenes, the students and faculty would not have the means necessary to develop and continue an academic partnership. The facilities website tells us that without the heating plant unit “regulating heat and water twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week”, most of the things that people consider necessities on a campus would cease to exist. How is a student expected to shower without access to hot water? And how is a professor expected to teach a lecture with no heat in the building? These questions are vital to understanding the campus dynamics at Geneseo, and yet they are ones I would not have asked if not for the process of integrative learning. Although a broad scope can be enlightening, it lacked the specificity necessary to develop more details about the staff’s dedication to the furthering of academic partnerships. Through T’Gatoi’s unseen role in binding Tlic and Terran together, Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” demonstrates how the value of members in our community may go unnoticed. Ultimately, integrative learning reveals the value of members within our communities.

T’Gatoi’s role in “Bloodchild” was essential to maintaining the relationship between the Tlic and the Terrans. Butler made the readers aware of an agreement that took place between the Tlic and the Terrans that was facilitated by T’Gatoi because of her role in the Tlic government. When discussing the importance of T’Gatoi on page 5 it says, “Only she and her political faction stood between us and the hordes who did not understand why there was a Preserve” and outlined on page 12, “the law still stood-for our protection… there were stories of Terran families being wiped out” This demonstrates that the agreement between the Tlic and Terrans had been long established, and although the members of the society were unable to take part in the agreement process, they were all protected under its provisions. It was only after Gan narrowed his focus that he realized the Tlic and Terrans coexisted because of the role T’Gatoi played. As readers we must follow Gan’s lead and look deeper at T’Gatoi’s role within her society. She was often misunderstood by not only Terrans who felt “caged by her” but by the Tlic who felt the Terrans didn’t deserve her protection. It requires going beyond our surface interpretations to see someone’s true value. That fundamental misunderstanding of T’Gatoi’s role was one that kept people from looking deeper and in turn, her role truly went unnoticed in her society. Although T’Gatoi’s role went unnoticed, she persisted and created a safe environment where the Tlic and Terrans could coexist.

T’Gatoi’s experience parallels the Geneseo facilities because without them working behind the scenes, the students and faculty would not have the means necessary to develop and continue their academic partnership. Located behind the MacVittie college union, the heating plant unit stands tall within their smokestack building. According to the heating plant website, their staff is comprised of highly trained engineers who are responsible for providing utilities in an efficient yet safe manner. This staff is “on site twenty-four hours, seven days a week,” so we may not have to see the emergency maintenance work done at three in the morning to know that the students have hot water every morning or that lecture halls are heated. This fact, provided by the heating plant website, displays the dedication of the workers. Sacrificing their nights and weekends so that students and faculty don’t have to worry about heat and hot water. The heating plant unit is essential because without them, students and faculty wouldn’t have the basics necessary to foster a health academic relationship. I must admit, prior to visiting their website, I was unaware of exactly what the heating plant unit did for the Geneseo community. But now I realize, even the people we don’t necessarily see can be working together for the betterment of our academic relationships. Although the heating plant staff “works behind the scenes” as stated on their website, their responsibilities impact students and faculty every day, mirroring the life of T’Gatoi who maintained the delicate balance between Tlic and Terran.

At this point, you may be asking yourself “How could all of this important work by the Geneseo facilities staff and T’Gatoi go unnoticed?” Well let’s begin with the facilities staff, whose work also consists of emptying the trash around our campus and general beautification. This part of the job closely mirrors that of your typical janitorial staff, a job that sometimes carries a negative stigma in our society. This negative stigma is one that was also experienced by T’Gatoi, who was seldomly liked in “Bloodchild” because of the tension between the Tlic and Terrans. When people have a misunderstanding of the importance of someone’s role, they may only look at the surface. It isn’t until we allow ourselves to look deeper and go beyond the surface that we gain a true understanding. So, how do we look deeper? Well, that’s the entire process of integrative learning, allowing ourselves to see a different perspective, put away our assumptions, and see how a member’s role in our society can impact our lives.

In a world where our distinguishing factors are essential or non-essential workers, the value of members in our communities have been called into question more now than ever. Let’s be honest, becoming a healthcare professional has always been sought out in our society because the job is well-respected by many. With their skill set, it did not come as a surprise when they were considered part of the world’s essential workers. But roles like cashiers, fast-food employees and warehouse workers have often been overlooked. Prior to the pandemic, these roles were sometimes only perceived as entry-level jobs that anyone could do. Jobs that were reserved for the people lower in our society, either because of the age of the workers or for socio-economic reasons. It wasn’t until the pandemic that we as a society were forced to truly put integrative learning into practice, take a step back and assess the value of the members in our communities. Narrowing the focus of what people need during this time only highlighted the role of these workers. That process forever placed a lens on how we view jobs like cashiers and fast-food workers. As a society, we realized that we can’t function without grocery store workers and the people who deliver our packages every day. I hope that from this experience, we stop the stigma surrounding certain jobs in our society, and we see the crucial role we all play to this world go round.

The Geneseo Code of Conduct, while not on its surface, portrays the ideal learning process for its students. The Conduct Board represents the best situation for learning as noted in Article 4, “The conduct proceeding requires an open discussion rather than an adversarial debate.” The conduct board reveals that Geneseo creates an environment where the students and the board can have an open discussion. Even if the student’s actions do result in a consequence, the conversation was had that will promote deeper thinking and deeper reflection on behalf of the student. To the naysayers that still see this as a burdening process, I implore you to consider the statement, “The College is committed to providing due process to all students involved in the College conduct proceedings.” Due process is defined as the right to be heard. If the college truly wanted to punish its students, they would not create a space for open discussion wherein the student is encouraged to convey their side of the story. The lesson here is that you must be willing to take the less convenient route in life if you want to develop a deeper understanding of your feelings and the world around you. After all, we aren’t here to do what is easy, we are here to do what is right. By the same token, Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” argues that it is important to never underestimate the power of a conversation in which both parties are listening and are willing to delve deeper.

The learning process for the student is comparable to that of Gan’s in “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler. Similarly to Gan, as students we must peel back the surface layers to gain a deeper understanding of a situation to eventually learn from it. Before we seek to understand the learning process of Gan, we must first understand the world in which he lived. Gan and his family identified as the Terrans, or humans. Although there was a presence of humans, the planet that the Terrans inhabited was not Earth. In fact, this planet inhabited an alien-like species known as the Tlic. The Terrans were desperate for a place to live and the Tlic were desperate to reproduce their species. In light of their situations, the Tlic government and Terrans entered an agreement. One that provided the Terrans with protection given that they would provide a child to act as a host for Tlic reproduction.

In this scenario, Gan was responsible for hosting a child and was partnered with a Tlic government official by the name of T’Gatoi. Initially, Gan was excited to be a part of T’Gatoi’s life, and even saw it as an honor. While this may have been true, Gan had a different interpretation of this situation compared to his other family members. On page 6 it says, “T’Gatoi’s limbs closed around her… I had always found it comfortable to lie that way, but except for my older sister no one else in my family liked it. They said it made them feel caged.” With this, Gan reveals to the audience that he didn’t feel trapped with T’Gatoi, he was actually accepting of his relationship with her and in turn was ready to become the host for T’Gatoi.

Gan’s belief that he was ready to be become “pregnant” with T’Gatoi’s children was short lived, as he bore witness to his first Tlic birth when he had to aid Bram Lomas. It was during the birth that Gan became aware of its gruesome and painful nature, “His body convulsed with the first cut… I had never heard such sounds come from anything human” (15) This process frightened and scarred Gan, “I knew childbirth was painful… but this was something else, something worse… closing my eyes didn’t help.” At this point, nothing could reconcile Gan’s feeling about the childbirth. Directly following the birth, he had an argument with his brother Qui regarding whether or not he had a choice in being a host for the Tlic. This argument resulted in anger surrounding T’Gatoi and childbirth to arise in Gan, an anger that wasn’t present before. Allowing that resentment to build, obscured and clouded the conversation’s original purpose. The original purpose being a discussion, where both sides could voice their concerns and heard, similar to due process. But when Gan allowed anger to enter the conversation, he made up his mind what T’Gatoi was, and at that point there was no longer a space for both sides to be heard. At this point he believed T’Gatoi was dangerous and would ultimately hurt him, just like he witnessed with Bram Lomas. No true resolve can be reached when you put up a wall, you must be willing to express your emotions and engage in an active conversation.

In the argument Gan struggles with the possibility of childbirth and considers allowing his sister to fill his place. Although Gan ultimately decided to have T’Gatoi’s children, he carries some of his reservations and resentment into the impregnation process. During the impregnation, he made an inadvertent movement that harmed T’Gatoi, “I expected to be caged… When I wasn’t, I held on to her again, feeling oddly ashamed.” (Butler 27) This reveals that even with no prior experiences of feeling caged by T’Gatoi, he was holding on to his perceived notions and fear which ultimately left him feeling ashamed of himself. So, this begs the question, are we allowing our preconceived notions and suppressed emotions to corrupt our life experiences? After this process, T’Gatoi and Gan have a conversation that reveals Gan’s true feelings. “It wasn’t hate. I know what it was. I was afraid.” (Butler 28) Upon further reflection, Gan was able to peel back beyond the surface, and it’s worth noting that Gan’s realization about his true feelings only emerged from a conversation he was having with T’Gatoi. This process bears a striking resemblance to Conduct Board hearings. The hearings open the door for a conversation to be had, and by actively listening, you may be able to understand why you acted the way you did. And it’s through understanding these actions that we can move forward.

Through Bloodchild, we were able to bear witness to Gan’s learning process which included the convenient measures Gan was willing to take. Regardless of its subconscious or conscious nature, by and settling for what emotions lied at the surface and not initially unpacking his feelings, Gan embarked on the easy path. Some of you may be asking yourself, “Can someone really be held accountable for their subconscious behavior?” The answer is yes, because when you plan to engage in an agreement, you owe it to yourself and the people around you to reflect on the emotions that guide your decisions. In this case, Gan exchanged the convenience of avoiding his true feelings with hurting T’Gatoi with his preconceived notions.

The sentiment of doing what is right, rather than what is easy is prevalent in today’s age more than ever. In a world where our opinions have become polarizing, is it important to maintain an open conversation that both parties can learn from. Today, it is very easy to surround yourself with likeminded people, listen to the same news stations and bury yourself deeper into your own ideas. But its here that I urge you to stay informed, branch out, and enter a conversation with someone who has a different viewpoint than your own and be open during the conversations. If we continue to avoid the important conversations, we will become rooted in our preconceived notions that may ultimately insight fear and resentment. Do I think that we will all share the same opinion one day? No, and we shouldn’t because our ideas and beliefs should be ever changing as engage in meaningful conversation. But I do believe that those conversations and a willingness to listen will change the world around us for the better.

In the course of our everyday lives, we as humans utilize the art of bartering. This daily exchange can range from the purchase of our breakfast to a prospective negotiation for a job promotion. As humans, it is common to makeexchanges for purposes of convenience. Convenience is defined as something conductive to comfort or ease. Some may argue that not all exchanges are an attempt to lessen a burden perhaps, if the exchange is completed out of necessity. Despite that fact, I encourage you to consider one of the leading industries in the United States, the fast-food industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture tells us that much of their revenue is from people who wanted easy and quick access to food, people who sought after convenience. While we could discuss the ins-and-outs of the agriculture industry, that example revealed how often people seek out convenience. A subset of people who are frequent to act out of convenience are students, for common cases such as plagiarism. Colleges are aware of student’s habits and to counteract inappropriate behavior, they create a rulebook to which students are bound and may face consequences for violations of these rules. SUNY Geneseo was no exception when they created the Geneseo Student Code of Conduct, specifically Article 4: Proscribed Conduct which outlines that if students violate the rules, they may face consequences up to suspension determined by the Conduct Board. So, this begs the question, “What are students willing to exchange for convenience?” Some may see the conduct board as a sort of punishment, but in Article 4 it is noted that, “a college conduct proceeding is not a trial; any attempt to make it similar would seriously impair its educational function.” Having a student take “The dangers of alcohol” course could reduce the risk of an excessive drinking habit or stop them completely. Thus, distinguishing it as a learning process for the student.

The learning process for the student is comparable to that of Gan’s in “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler because like Gan, as students we must peel back the surface layers to gain a deeper understanding of the situation to eventually learn from it. Before we seek to understand the learning process of Gan, we must first understand the world in which Gan lived. Gan and his family were identified as the Terrans, or humans. Although there was a presence of humans, the planet that the Terrans inhabited was not Earth. In fact, this planet inhabited an alien-like species known as the Tlic. The Terrans were desperate for a place to live and the Tlic were no longer able to reproduce their own species. Considering the situation, the Tlic government and Terrans entered an agreement. This exchange provided the Terrans with a home and protection among Tlic families. In return, the Terran families would give a child to act as a host for the Tlic children so they could continue their reproduction.

In this scenario, Gan was responsible for hosting a child and was partnered with a Tlic government official by the name of T’Gatoi. Initially Gan was excited to be a part of T’Gatoi’s life, and even saw it as an honor. While this may have been true, Gan had a different interpretation of this situation compared to his other family members. On page 6 it says, “T’Gatoi’s limbs closed around her… I had always found it comfortable to lie that way, but except for my older sister no one else in my family liked it. They said it made them feel caged.” With this Gan reveals to the audience that he didn’t feel trapped with T’Gatoi, in fact he was accepting of his relationship with her and in turn was ready to become the host for T’Gatoi.

Gan’s belief that he was ready to be become “pregnant” with T’Gatoi’s children was short lived, as he bore witness to his first Tlic birth. Gan and T’Gatoi had to aid the birth for Bram Lomas as his Tlic was not available. It was during this process that Gan became aware of its gruesome and painful nature, as noted on page 15, “His body convulsed with the first cut… I had never heard such sounds come from anything human” This process frightened and scarred Gan, “I knew childbirth was painful… but this was something else, something worse… closing my eyes didn’t help.” At this point nothing could reconcile Gan’s feeling about the childbirth. In fact, directly following the birth, he entered an argument with his brother Qui. An argument that allowed anger concerning T’Gatoi and childbirth to arise in Gan. An anger that followed him into a conversation with T’Gatoi.

Allowing anger to enter the conversation obscured and clouded its original purpose.

The anger that Gan felt clouded his true emotions in his argument wit T’Gatoi. In the argument Gan struggles with the possibility of childbirth and considers allowing his sister to fill his place. Although Gan ultimately decided to have T’Gatoi’s children, he carries some of his reservations into the impregnation process. During this process, he made an inadvertent movement that harmed T’Gatoi, “I expected to be caged… When I wasn’t, I held on to her again, feeling oddly ashamed.” (Butler 27) This reveals that even with no prior experiences of feeling caged by T’Gatoi, he was holding on to his perceived notions that ultimately left him feeling ashamed of himself.

Have you allowed your preconceived notions to corrupt life experiences?

After this process, T’Gatoi and Gan have a conversation that reveals Gan’s true feelings. “It wasn’t hate. I know what it was. I was afraid.” (Butler 28) Upon further reflection and allowing himself to think about his feelings, Gan was able to peel back beyond the surface to reveal his true feelings. It is also important to consider that Gan’s realization about his true feelings emerged from a conversation he was having with T’Gatoi. This process is strikingly similar to a student’s typical learning habits as we frequently engage in discussions with both students and our professors.

It is important to never understate the power of a conversation in which both parties are listening and are willing to delve deeper.

Through Bloodchild, we were able to bear witness to Gan’s learning process which included the convenient measures Gan was willing to take. Regardless of its subconscious or conscious nature, by not initially unpacking his feelings and settling for what was at the surface, Gan embarked on the easy path. Some of you may be asking yourself, “Is Gan responsible for his subconscious behavior?” The answer is yes, because when you plan to engage in an agreement, you owe it to yourself and your partner to reflect on every decision you make and every emotion you feel. In this case, Gan, out of convenience, avoided his true feelings inadvertently hurting T’Gatoi with his actions which were derived from his preconceived notions. Ultimately, as the consequence Gan was forced to have the conversation that he attempted to avoid earlier.

The Geneseo Code of Conduct outlines the same process that Gan and T’Gatoi embarked on. The Conduct Board represents the best situation for learning as noted in Article 4, “The conduct proceeding requires an open discussion rather than an adversarial debate.” The conduct board reveals that Geneseo creates an environment where the students and the board can have an open discussion. Even if the student’s actions do result in a consequence, the conversation was had that will promote deeper thinking and deeper reflection on behalf of the student. To the naysayers that still see this as a burdening process, I implore you to consider the statement, “The College is committed to providing due process to all students involved in the College conduct proceedings.” Due process is defined as the right to be heard. If the college truly wanted to punish its students, it would not create a space of open discussion where the student is encouraged to paint their side of the story. The lesson here is that you must be willing to take the less convenient route in life if you want to develop a deeper understanding of your feelings and the world around you. After all, we aren’t here to do what is easy, we are here to do what is right.

What is life without risk? Life is defined as “the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.” Experience: to encounter or to undergo. This definition, then makes the opposite true-without undergoing some physical or mental obstacle, you aren’t really living. The mental experience that comes to mind is risk. There is an inherent risk in everything that we do. From getting out of bed to driving to work every day-and yet we do it anyway. Not because we are all thrill-seekers, but because we want what’s waiting on the other side of the risk. When our lives are filled with risk, we are experiencing, learning… living. A life without risk, is a life without growth.

This idea of risk and growth is no different when considering the ins-and-outs of academic partnership and the role that our professors play. In order to help us to fully grasp this multi-faceted concept, Dr. McCoy supplied us with the course’s epigraph from Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild, “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” This epigraph will not only set tone for the class but will guide us in our journey of risk and growth. The first point to consider about the epigraph is not the content itself, but the person who supplied it to us. The role of the professor or teacher is to guide the students to higher level of understanding. And while it may seem new for most of us to be handed a course epigraph, we’ve been handed one all our lives, when a teacher would outline their expectations for the year to the class. A specific memory that I can recall, concerned my band lessons throughout my high school career. During lessons, my band teacher Mr. Rotello would lecture on how he expected that we practice outside of school and in return, he would supply us with techniques to support our musical growth. Our hard work in the end, facilitated and conducted by Mr. Rotello at our concerts would reflect the conjoined efforts of the students and himself.

That anecdote serves not to recall my memories of band in high school, but rather to emphasize the role of Dr. McCoy and any professor we encounter from now on. By supplying the course epigraph, she in part outlined her expectations or intentions for the class. And at the end of this class, through her guidance we will have made obvious advancements in our writing and as human beings. Similar to Mr. Rotello revealing his expectations, and quite literally conducting us to our peak performances. This expectation begins with what she expects her students to have completed daily like a specific reading, or described in even more detail in our class syllabus, under Community Inclusion when she includes, “We share responsibility for achieving these goals, to broaden understanding, heighten awareness, awaken empathy, and foster empowerment.” This message, along with essays and due dates was not put into the syllabus to scare the students, but rather to create an element of transparency and allow the students to accept the terms of the contract of sorts.

Transparency is imperative to the academic partnership because students deserve to know what exactly is expected of them.

This level of transparency creates a realm of trust. At any point during add-drop week, after reading the syllabus we could have dropped the class if we felt the demand was too high. But we didn’t. Staying in this class is a risk. We all have our different reasons for taking this risk, but regardless of that fact, by not dropping this class we expect that the due dates stipulated will remain the same, while Dr. McCoy will expect our work to be submitted on time. Despite that fact, she also includes certain caveats in the syllabus, like the one concerning our daily schedule, “Subject to change as class needs change” As the syllabus would suggest, Dr. McCoy has the ability to change class plans and due dates as she sees fit. This opportunity, however, is not one only Dr. McCoy has, but as students we also have the opportunity to request extensions on projects. The risk in this scenario faced by Dr. McCoy is receiving possible backlash from the students if we don’t agree with her decision. While the student’s face a risk of being denied an extension for a due date.  In academic partnership there will always be a give and pull in the relationship as in the nature of risk. However, it is without this risk that we gain nothing. As for the students in this instance, the only way they could be granted the extension is through taking the risk of asking the question.

Without risk, our ideas, our belief systems, our morals are not being challenged. And how are you supposed to grow when you are not faced with any level of adversity?

It is at this point, some of you may be saying, “Adversity and challenges can stop people from growing!” or even “Adversity is not necessary for growth!” But to those points, I want to demonstrate the consequences of deterring adversity – most prevalent in youth sports. It is common to see parents in an effort to do what’s best for their child, make comments such as, “My child should get an award regardless of winning” or “The child on the opposing team is too good to compete, are they really in this age bracket?” While these parents usually have good intentions, if the playing field is always leveled, if the children all get awards regardless of winning, the children may never develop the necessary skills to overcome and cope with these obstacles. The children may never learn different strategies or a proper work ethic in order to succeed. Worst case scenario these children grow up maintaining a sense of entitlement, that everything should be to their benefit. Or even have a fixed mindset, “My skill level will never change so why try.” On the other hand, parents that let their children have an experience unhindered will see a growth mindset. Their children will see an obstacle and through perseverance and practice they will overcome it.

So, it is with these challenges that the roots of character, learning, resilience, and creativity can be discovered.

Our epigraph serves as a marker for a transitional period in our lives as college students. This idea can be noted in the course epigraph, “…if these are adult things, accept the risk.” Even with days of class discussion revolving around the idea of establishing the time that adulthood begins, we have yet to conclude. I mean, the law tells us that 18-year old’s are considered adult offenders and can be prosecuted as such and yet we can’t rent cars – as our brains have not yet finished developing. How can it be that I can be prosecuted as an adult, but they also claim our brains have yet to fully develop? Possibly because there isn’t a pin-pointed age, or it happens at over a long period of time. This transitional period is important because as college students we begin taking actions into our own hands. Our teachers no longer serve as a middleman between us and our parents or act in loco parentis. The very idea of Dr. McCoy providing the FERPA act, “the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects your right to educational privacy, including your right to choose if you want your writing to be shared outside of our class, or if you want anyone to know that you are taking a particular class at a particular institution.” Between the summer of high school and our freshman semester of college, we have shed the idea of parents being responsible for our education at all, that now lies solely with us.

We are all taking a risk by being in this class, however it is a risk that I am excited to see play out. By accepting this risk, I expect my ideas, beliefs and morals to be challenged. By accepting this risk with open arms, I am in full understanding that it will be a difficult process. One that will require me to do enough thinkING for a lifetime, but it is one that result in me growing as a person. Adversity and challenges are worth the risk when you recognize that on the other side of the obstacle, you will be able to better navigate relationships and the world. At the other side of that risk, you will have grown.

What is life without risk? Life is defined as “the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.” Experience: to encounter or to undergo. This definition, then makes the opposite true-without undergoing some physical or mental obstacle, you aren’t really living. The mental experience that comes to mind is risk. There is an inherent risk in everything that we do. From getting out of bed to driving to work every day-and yet we do it anyway. Not because we are all thrill-seekers, but because we want what’s waiting on the other side of the risk. When our lives are filled with risk, we are experiencing, learning… living. A life without risk, is a life without growth.

This idea of risk and growth is no different when considering the ins-and-outs of academic partnership and the role that our professors play. In order to help us to fully grasp this multi-faceted concept, Dr.McCoy supplied us with the courses epigraph from Octavia Butler’s Bloodchild, “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” This epigraph will not only set tone for the class but will guide us in our journey of risk and growth. The first point to consider about the epigraph is not the content itself, but the person who supplied it to us. The role of the professor or teacher is to guide the students to higher level of understanding. And while it may seem new for most of us to be handed a course epigraph, we’ve been handed one all our lives, when the teacher would outline their expectations for the year to the class. A specific memory that I can recall, concerned my band lessons throughout my high school career. During lessons, my band teacher: Mr.Rotello would lecture on how he expected that we practice outside of school and in return, he would supply us with techniques to support our musical growth. Our hard work in the end, facilitated and conducted by Mr.Rotello at our concerts would reflect the conjoined efforts of the students and himself.

That anecdote was not to recall my memories of band in high school, but rather to emphasize the role of Dr.McCoy and any professor we encounter from now on. By supplying the course epigraph, she in part outlined her expectations or intentions for the class. And at the end of this class, through her guidance we will have made obvious advancements in our writing and as human beings. Similar to Mr.Rotello revealing his expectations, and to quite literally conducting us to our peak performances. This expectation begins with what she expects her students to have completed daily like a specific reading, or described in even more detail in our class syllabus, under Community Inclusion when she includes, “We share responsibility for achieving these goals, to broaden understanding, heighten awareness, awaken empathy, and foster empowerment.” This message, along with essays and due dates was not put into the syllabus scare the students, but rather to create an element of transparency and allow the students to accept the terms of the contract of sorts.

Transparency is imperative to the academic partnership because students deserve to know what exactly is expected of them.

This level of transparency creates a realm of trust. At any point during add-drop week, after reading the syllabus we could have dropped the class if we felt the demand was too high. But we didn’t. Staying in this class is a risk. We all have our different reasons for taking this risk, but regardless of that fact, by not dropping this class we expect that the due dates stipulated will remain the same, while Dr.McCoy will expect that we submit our work on time. Yet she also includes certain caveats in the syllabus, like the one concerning our daily schedule, “Subject to change as class needs change” In academic partnership there will always be a give and pull in the relationship as in the nature of risk. We all inherently rely and trust each other. As a student will cease to exist without a teacher, and vice versa. However, it is without this risk that we gain nothing. Without risk, our ideas, our belief systems, our morals are not being challenged. And how are you supposed to grow when you are not faced with any level of adversity?

The epigraph serves as a marker for a transitional period in our lives as college students. This idea can be noted in the course epigraph, “if these are adult things, accept the risk” Even with days of class discussion revolving around the idea of establishing the time that adulthood begins, we have yet to conclude. I mean, the law tells us that 18-year old’s are considered adult offenders and can be prosecuted as such and yet we can’t rent cars – as our brains have not yet finished developing. How can it be that I can be prosecuted as an adult, but they also claim our brains have yet to fully develop. Possibly because there isn’t a pin-pointed age, or it happens at over a long period of time. This transitional period is important because as college students we begin taking actions into our own hands. Our teachers no longer serve as a middleman between us and our parents or act in loco parentis. The very idea of Dr.McCoy providing the FERPA act, “the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects your right to educational privacy, including your right to choose if you want your writing to be shared outside of our class, or if you want anyone to know that you are taking a particular class at a particular institution.” Between the summer of high school and our freshman semester of college, we have shed the idea of parents being responsible for our education at all, that now lies solely with us.

We are all taking a risk by being in this class, but it is a risk that I am okay with. This is because I want to grow not only as a person, that through better understand the risk of academic partnership, I will grow as person and that I am able to better navigate different relationships in my life. I still find myself questioning what makes an adult, and maybe I’ll ponder that question for the rest of my life but I will ultimately never stop thinking.