Critical Writers

Why have a mission statement? Mariam-Webster defines a mission statement as something that states the purpose or goal of a business or organization. That seems like a great idea, a simple document to outline the values of an institution. Geneseo’s mission statement highlights the importance of education and how the entire college is routed in that goal. The mission statement states that “[the communitty] 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.” However, Biola University’s mission statement is much more pointed. Biola’s statement suggests it is “to be identified among the world’s foremost Christ-centered universities — a community abiding in truth, abounding with grace and compelled by Christ’s love to be a relevant and redemptive voice in a changing world.” Biola’s mission statement is much more poignant in terms of a grander world goal. When reading Geneseo’s mission statement in context, it appears incredibly bland. Of course, an institution of higher education would be focused on learning. This line of thinking is incredibly similar to how the character Gan thinks in Olivia Butler’s Bloodchild. Through Gan’s growth, readers can see just how important it is to reflect on the agreements we make between academic institutions.

Before it is possible to understand the role of reflection in Gan’s journey, one must understand the world Gan lives. Gan is a Terran, a group of human-like individuals that migrated to a different planet in order to escape prosecution. The planet is already inhabited by the Tlic, a people that have been having problems reproducing. Eventually, an agreement was made that the Tlic government would handle keeping then general Terran population safe and the Terrans would allow some of there children to be given to the Tlic for reproduction. Gan is his family’s side of the deal, he is the child that is given to the Tlic, specifically T’gatoi.

Originally, Gan is pretty happy to be with T’gatoi. He discusses a working relationship where he would describe how he was treated to other Terrans. He would talk about his own upbringing “when they ask whether I was ever afraid of her.” This also goes both ways, as he would talk to other Tlic about making their choice. From these interactions, it can be deduced that Gan has some knowledge about what he will be doing. He must know that he is will be fulfilling some sort of contract. This is similar to the SUNY Geneseo Mission statement. The vague language is important. It is to entice you into a basic understanding of what the university is about: learning. You can also see why the specifics seen in Biola’s mission statement can be offputting to some. If your goal is to better society through partnership -as the goal is between the Terran and the Tlic – you would not want to the separation that is inherent in a strong message. By discussing the partnership in terms of gaining mutual benefits through working together, you’ve just explained to goals of any partnership. However, things change when the partnership breaks down.

Gan is unfortunate enough to watch T’gatoi perform emergency surgery in order to save

an impregnated Terran named Lomas. At first, Gan is not concerned. He recalls that T’Gatoi “  had shown me diagrams and drawings. She had made! sure I knew the truth as soon as I was old enough to understand it.” Those diagrams and drawings are like the Geneseo Mission statement. They are pieces of premade propaganda that are made by the institution. They were designed to be looked at once, vaguely understood, and never questioned. However, Gan is about to see what the partnership really looks like.

The simple diagrams turn out to be incredibly incorrect. He says that “I have never heard such sounds come from a human.” Throughout the experience, Gan witnesses some appalling things, such as T’Gatoi licking blood vessels, Lomas getting torn open down the middle, and Tlic larva crawling out of Lomas. Gan was clearly not prepared for this, as he immediately vomits afterward. This shows how the partnership has broken down. The defined terms of the agreement were clearly broken. Gan demonstrates this later when he talks to his brother, Qui.

Qui does not respect the agreement between the Terran and the Tlic. Gan describes his brother as someone “who had grown up to fear and detest the Tlic.” From that description, Qui does not see the point of the agreement between the Tlic. Part of an agreement is mutual respect and understand, clearly not seen in Qui. Gan talks with Qui after T’Gatoi sent them both out. During the exchange, Gan repeatedly thinks to himself that he may have been lied to. After every exchange, Gan thinks to himself a variation of uncertainty, such as “was it?” This is similar to when a student begins to start classes at Geneseo. The Geneseo mission statement claims to value a liberal arts education, but there are barely any art, music, or performance classes. This seems to violate what Geneseo stands for. Similar to most Geneseo students, Gan was incredibly angry. 

Gan rather quickly feels the betrayal. He proceeds to grab a gun, load it, and “brought the barrel up diagonally under [his] own chin.” He has to now make a choice. The only way out of his partnership is death. However, he begins to truly think about his decision. Can he go back to the partnership knowing that the terms are different now? He ends up deciding to go back to the partnership on one condition that Terrans know the truth about the procedure. This goes back to the idea of accountability. This is seen often at Geneseo. Students request knowledge. They are requesting the whole truth. The partnership needs to be defined more than just a partnership, it needs to define how it will function.  Does that mean Geneseo should adopt a mission statement similar to Biola? Should all institutions make rigid statements about what they are about? I don’t believe so. Then ending of Bloodchild makes it clear that partnerships are fluid. The dynamic is forever changing in order to meet the goals of all parties. It would be neglectful to make strong definitions. But what does this mean to a college student? I believe it means to focus on communication and honesty. That way terms and conditions can be free to adapt and change, giving everyone the best benefits.

Since the beginning of our time in INTD 105 we’ve sought to understand the interactions and elements that make up a good academic partnership. I believe trust’s importance in any relationship can’t be understated, this includes academic partnerships like those formed by students and their universities. I believe a good example of what happens when this trust is breached is shown in the situation described by Drew Harwell in his article “Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines, tracking the locations of hundreds of thousands”. Harwell’s article focuses on schools tracking their students via their cell phones. The article identifies the service in question as SpotterEDU; SpotterEDU is a tracking service developed by Rick Carter, a former basketball coach, as a way to track the attendance of student-athletes. The service functions by using an array of short-range Bluetooth phone sensors and campus Wi-Fi networks and is currently used by several universities to track student’s class attendance, their time in common spaces, time in their room, etc. Harwell writes how the school’s then use this data to develop personal “risk scores”, which schools can then use to arrange real-world interventions. You’ll see this situation can be related to that of Gan and T’Gatoi in the story blood child. Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” demonstrates the importance trust, more specifically in the process of letting a someone become the adult their trying to be.

A sentiment expressed throughout Harwell’s article is discontent with schools that have implemented the SpotterEDU system and several students explain how they feel it’s an invasion of privacy. On the other hand, those who favor the service may claim that it increases the motivation of students, citing the quote “Rubin, the Syracuse professor, said once-thin classes now boast more than 90 percent attendance.” However, this increase in the ability to track attendance is overshadowed by the distraction it creates in the classroom. Harwell demonstrates this when he writes “a freshman athlete at Temple University who asked to speak anonymously to avoid team punishment, said the SpotterEDU app has become a nightmare, marking him absent when he’s sitting in class and marking him late when he’s on time.” The Freshman later commented that they’d missed out on lectures while fumbling with the app in an effort to be marked present while being berated by frustrated professors. I believe this incident demonstrates how a lack of trust weakens a relationship. Another concern raised is that the increased surveillance placed upon students is stunting their development into independent adults. Joanna Grama, an information security consultant and higher-education specialist, encapsulates this when they state “At what point in time do we start crippling a whole generation of adults, human beings, who have been so tracked and told what to do all the time that they don’t know how to fend for themselves. This presents the possibility that colleges are not only harming students’ ability to learn in the classroom but also growth into independent adults as a result of their lack of trust in students’ ability to self-motivate such as attending class without being monitored. I believe this article by Drew Harwell demonstrates the Importance of trust in maintaining a healthy academic partnership.

In Bloodchild Gan and T’Gatoi have a relationship that is constantly evolving as a result of their trust in one another. In the beginning Gan and T’Gatoi appear to be fairly close; This is demonstrated by when Butler writes “T’Gatoi and my mother had been friends, all my mother’s life, and T’Gatoi was not interested in being honored in the house she considered her second-home”.(Butler 4) T’Gatoi is clearly very close to Gan’s family and views herself as a part of the family. The close relationship between T’Gatoi and Gan is again expressed when Gan says “I’m told I was first caged within T’Gatoi’s many limbs only three minutes after my birth. A few days later I was given my first taste of egg. I tell Terrans that when they ask whether I was ever afraid of her.” (Butler 8) Here Gan explains how T’Gatoi has been in his life since the beginning and so he has never been afraid of her, thus demonstrating his trust.

 However, their relationship is complicated when Gan gets more information about what awaits him, which causes him to develop distrust of T’Gatoi because of the withheld information. Gan’s views can be seen shifting when he states “I had been told all my life that this was a good and necessary thing Tlic and Terran did together—a kind of birth. I had believed it until now. I knew birth was painful and bloody, no matter what. But this was something else, something worse.” (Butler 16-17) Here Gan witnesses the harsh reality of the task he is being guided towards by T’Gatoi. Shortly after this Gan is also affected by a statement his brother makes “I saw them eat a man”. (Butler 20) Here Gan’s brother explains how he witnessed a Tlic sacrifice their Terran companion so they didn’t lose their grubs inside him. This distresses Gan triggering what appears to be an existential crisis during which he argues with his older brother whether the process has any greater meaning than Tlic just taking advantage of Terran.

These events affect Gan’s relationship with T’Gatoi which is demonstrated by his reaction “‘I don’t want to be a host animal,’ I said ‘Not even yours,’”(Butler 24) at this point Gan refused to be impregnated by T’Gatoi because of what he’d learned. Then T’Gatoi suggests replacing Gan with his sister, this causes Gan to retract his statement because he didn’t want to hide behind his sister. Gan then accepts T’Gatoi’s egg and then explains how he was afraid which leads to an important conversation between Gan and T’Gatoi “‘Terrans should be protected from seeing.’ I didn’t like the sound of that—and I doubted that it was possible. ‘Not protected,’ I said ‘Shown. Shown when we’re young kids, and shown more than once…’”. This leads to the revelation that for a relationship to be successful, there must be trust. Gan demonstrates this because he won’t accept the egg until he has all the information on what he’s in for. He also advocates for the birthing process to be more comprehensively taught so others can make an educated decision.

                In Both of these situations the main problems stem from a lack of trust in one’s ability to act like an adult. However, the solution is demonstrated when Gan says “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” Here Gan explains that the only way that his and T’Gatoi’s relationship can work is if she can trust him to act like an adult. Another way of looking at it is that Gan can only truly becomes an adult once T’Gatoi can put her trust in him. This compares to the idea presented by Joanna Grama in Harwell’s article where she claims that universities that force their students to be less independent are preventing students from truly becoming adults. In regards to the academic partnership I think this teaches us that if you want someone to become an adult you have to be willing to treat them like one first.

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. 

Sarah Wicks
3/9/2020
INTD 105

In the short story “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler, we learn through the protagonist Gan how the world works around him. We are exposed to the fact that Gan will eventually have to carry the eggs of the creatures that are in charge of the planet that Gan and his family live on. We read the way that Gan is exposed to the idea of how the process works. This is eye-opening for both the reader and Gan. Gan has lived with the idea that he will eventually do, this the first time that he is seeing what it looks like. In a way, we are like Gan in going into colleges. It was expected of most students in high schools that we will go to college. The majority of people who do go into higher education do not read things like the mission statements or the code conduct. These are forms of writing that indicate a college’s missions as well as how they want their students to act. Because many people do not read these statements, they may be surprised by certain rules that are enforced throughout their four years. However, even though many students are unaware of what these writings colleges are often enforcing them. This is like how Gan is unaware of how the eggs are being carried although T’Gatoi is continuing to enforce the tradition. This could also be seen when colleges started to make WiFi checkpoints to help take attendance for large lectures. This is done by taking a student’s location relative to a “checkpoint” This could be argued that this is an invasion of students’ privacy and that it is a form of Loco Parentis. This is because colleges are forcing students to download an app on to their phones that then take their locations at all times. The students who were having their locations tracked found that it was an overstep by the university because of the fact that it seems like the freedom that they had gained by going into college was now being taken away. In Bloodchild the humans are reservations and have restricted freedoms. This can be seen in the fact that because of rebellion that had happened between the Tilc and the humans. The humans now have no access to weapons. They also have to help the Tilc populations reproduce. The fact that humans have been placed in a position of submission is similar to how students on campuses in the modern world are being tracked and controlled. The humans in Bloodchild have no way to properly protect themselves and have no way to gain independence from the Tilc. In the story despite the fact that Gan understands that if he shoots the animal that their family would lose the last form of protection that they had. He chose to give that up in order to appease T’Gatoi. This shows how Gan is willing to take the risk of losing protection for his family for the sake of someone that he seems to be submissive to. When we look at this through that lense it can be seen that some students are like Gan accepting the loss of their privacy in order to keep the university and their professors happy. When looking at Bloodchild we understand that for Gan his life and his purpose were planned before he was born. His mother throughout the story was hesitant to leave Gan alone and is often animosity toward T’Gatoi. This could be seen as our parents looking out for us despite the rules that our colleges impose on us. The fact that Gan has blindly followed anything that T’Gatoi told him to do, even if it meant that there would be a lack of protection for his family is a way how students will blindly follow what is expected of them and never question what they are being told to do. They will let themselves be tracked by their universities without saying anything because of the fact that they see themselves in a submissive position. Due to the fact that many students are often unwilling to stand up for themselves and when they do they are often faced with disciplinary actions. Universities feel that they have a right to control students. They do not understand that they may see a repocution for their actions. When the humans rebelled they were defeated by the Tilc but, for the first time they saw that humans have a power that they were unaware of. In order to reestablish control they had taken their guns away. Despite the fact that they were able to regain control they had to maintain that position and they saw the way that they would do that is through restricting freedoms. Because of the fact that they humans had been defeated they were unwilling to stand up to the new restrictions that the Tilc placed on them. The humans live with the fear of what the Tilc might do if they rebel again. Because of this Gan’s mother is hesitant but ultimately compliant to what T’Gatoi wants. She understands what had happened when the humans had first rebelled. Although she does not want to give up her son she understands that she must. In conclusion, when you look at Bloodchild you can see similarities to the risks we take when we are compliant to someone in higher powers authority. We gain a better understand that despite the fact that we often go blindly into situations because of the fact that it was expected of us to do.

Sarah Wicks

            In the syllabus for this class, there is an epigraph that is part of a short story by Octavia Butler named “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.” This made me think about how this could be related to the idea of risk and rewards. One of the things that I thought of was the idea that in order to gain a reward we must, in turn, take a risk. By taking a risk in people or in institutions we are assuming that there will be an outcome that will benefit us in some way. Humans naturally make moves that will give us the outcomes that we desire. But, in making those decisions we also risk losing an unforeseen outcome which may have a greater negative input.

            One example that could be discussed is college. In going to college, you are taking a risk with the desired outcome that it will help you get a job and will make you more successful. However, if you are to fail in completing your degree you may end up in a situation where you have debts and no way of paying them back or you may find that the field that you have studied in is not an applicable job field and has very few spots. Although, the risk in going to college may for some outweigh the benefits, others may not see that as a deterrent and instead are will to choose majors and are willing to sacrifice many things in order to get the job or opportunity that they desired.

            This idea of people making decisions that they deem worth the risk may also be seen in “Bloodchild” when T’Gatoi needs Gan to kill an animal to help save someone’s life, Gan chooses to shoot the animal even though the possession of firearms in banned for the humans. “I would have to use it to shoot one of the biggest of the achti. Then T’Gatoi would probably confiscate it. Firearms were illegal in the Preserve. There had been incidents right after the Preserve was established—Terrans shooting Tlic, shooting N’Tlic. This was before the joining of families began, before everyone had a personal stake in keeping the peace. No one had shot a Tlic in my lifetime or my mother’s, but the law still stood—for our protection, we were told. There were stories of whole Terran families wiped out in reprisal back during the assassinations.” (7) In this moment Gan deems that losing the gun is worth the risk in order to save the man’s life. Another thing that could be seen as someone who is accepting a risk with an outcome that they desire could be seen in Gan’s mother when she refuses the egg. Gan’s mom dislikes the feeling of consuming the egg even though it could keep her young for a significantly longer amount of time. She is so reluctant to have the egg that T’Gatoi has to go far as to sting her so that she would be able to relax. Another outcome that is presented to Gan’s mother when she is not consuming the egg. She able to stay more aware of what is happening to her family and the world around her. In the world that Gan and his family live on they are not seen on the same level as the Tilc. In the past there has been conflict between the two races and it seems that if Gan’s mother is able to stay aware she may be able to protect her family better.

            In every risk that people take they are striving for the goal that they are set on. They make sure that the outcomes that may come from the risk are as minimal as possible. Many people try to negate the risk that they take by assuring that they are making what they deem as a safe move. On the other hand, many people find that in making these changes they may sacrifice other opportunities that they had not for seen. Often the risks that we make have more undesirable outcomes that the outcomes that we wanted. Because of that many people are hesitant to take risks because they are unsure of how to conduct and how to control the odds of the outcomes. If you play your moves safely you may find that you did not fully reap the benefits and are left with some form of guilt however if you overshoot you may lose more than you want and now have made a decision that may impact you further into the future.

Goal Setting Essay

“If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.”

The quote above is the course epigraph for INTD 105, section 3. This quote is from Octavia Butler’s story, “Bloodchild”. Upon reading this quote I began thinkING about the current state in which many of my peers and mainly myself find ourselves as college students. “Bloodchild” alludes many times to themes that I find tie into my own experiences as a college student.

Butler notes in the afterword of “Bloodchild” one of the themes that the story exemplifies. “It’s a coming-of-age story in which a boy must absorb disturbing information and use it to make a decision that will affect the rest of his life” (Butler). “Bloodchild” tracks a story of a young man’s struggle in deciding his future, not dissimilar to the decisions I face as a college student. This decision the bay must make is not described in this quote, but what is important to note is the fact that this unknown decision will “affect the rest of his life”. I personally find myself generally content with the academic partnership I have with Geneseo. However, I can, to the best of my ability, describe my brother’s college experience, which was one of discomfort.

My brother was not the best student in high school. Although a social savant who could make everyone his friend or follower, he did not take to studying or doing school work. He saw more value in making personal connections and making allies with those around him. This is not to say my brother is unintelligent by any means, no, my brother is vastly smarter than me in the social arena. My brother had a formidable mastery of social dynamics, and social chemistry.

Despite his social genius, he did not know what he wanted to do for a living. My brother decided to take a risk and spend money to go to college, not sure footed in what he wanted to study. A year or so later, my brother was failing classes, flexing his social-muscles at parties, and on his way to leaving without a degree. My brother dropped out and started working in the restaurant industry, where he climbed his way to the top of a series of fine dining restaurants in the city of Rochester. My brother is debt free, managing two successful restaurants, and making much more than many of his college educated peers. My brother knew people, so an education in statistics, or any number of other courses, were not valuable to his skill set. My brother took the risk of going to college and starting an academic partnership, but it was not worth it for him.

Some time after seeing my brother’s tumultuous path, it was my time to make a decision about my future. I knew that if I wanted to go to college I needed to know what I wanted to get out of my education first. I spent some time thinking and determined that I would like to go into English teaching. My thought process was that I would have summers off to pursue music, I would have a job out of college based on connections I have, and by going to a great SUNY school like Geneseo, I wouldn’t incur a great deal of debt. These reasons combined with my love of language and literature led me to my decision, which so far seems to be a good one. I had the benefit of being able to see what my older siblings went through, and learn from their successes and mistakes. For many college students, they are the first people in their family to go to college, or at least the first of their siblings. Many students are encountering a world they may not be totally prepared for. 

The word “risk” is one I noted in the course epigraph. It prompted me to begin thinking about the risks I face as a college student myself. I find myself in the unique position of being tied to college contracts, and financial agreements the second I enter “adulthood”. Despite being fresh out of the nest, I am expected to take that risky leap of faith, trusting that college is best for me, without any evidence to look to. For the majority of my life I have never signed a contract that has such drastic consequences financially should something go poorly. 

On the syllabus for this course Professor McCoy provides the Mission Statement, and the Community Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Most importantly, however the values that Geneseo advertises are provided. 

“The Geneseo campus community is guided by our beliefs in and commitments to the following values:

• ◦ Learning: embracing high expectations for intellectual inquiry, scholarly achievement, and personal growth;
• ◦ Creativity: affirming a spirit of innovation that inspires intellectual curiosity and problem solving;
• ◦ Inclusivity: fostering a diverse campus community marked by mutual respect for the unique talents and contributions of each individual;
• ◦ Civic responsibility: promoting ethical local and global citizenship;
• ◦ Sustainability — advancing just principles of ecological, social, and economic stewardship.”

These resources, although valuable for a student when searching for the goals of a university, fail to provide a broad picture of many of the things I am signing my name to. To commit to a binding oath such as a collegic agreement must be a commitment rooted in understanding. By reading these values there are many grey areas of interpretation. Some of these are as simple as: what is the school’s standards of what respect is? When Geneseo states: “Inclusivity: fostering a diverse campus community marked by mutual respect for the unique talents and contributions of each individual”, what does that mean? What does the school consider respect? If a student throws a bible or a koran in a toilet, is that student at risk of punishment or suspension? Many of these questions I have for the school are based on the fact that I wish to know exactly what the school means by their broad statements. It is one thing to say a school values such and such, it is another to actually do those things.

An example of one of the many risks of academic partnership that has come to pass in recent days, is the closing of Geneseo’s Milne Library. For those who do not know, Geneseo’s library was recently closed due to an asbestos problem. I personally have no problem with the library being closed to take care of a health and safety issue. It is another thing to do what Geneseo has decided, which is to close the school for my entire college career, to expand and cosmetically tweak the library. When I signed up to go to Geneseo, this contract was signed based on many contingencies. One of these contingencies, is that I as a student would be provided a facility to help me thrive academically. This facility was the library. However, this aspect of the partnership has been broken, as now I do not have a facility that was promised to me. Even if Geneseo has their reasons for closing the library, this is inarguably a break of trust between the administration and the student body. I must now go my college career without a library, something which is a basic resource for many colleges. 

Many of the ideas “Bloodchild” raises discussing coming of age and risk, in conjunction with my own personal experiences of academic partnership made me think of the allegory of the cave. For those of you who do not know, the allegory of the cave, is an allegorical theory by Plato that discusses the “effect of education and the lack of it on our nature”. In summary the allegory is as follows: prisoners are chained in a cave, unable to turn their heads. All they can see, from where they are chained, is the wall of the cave in front of them. There is a fire behind the prisoners that casts shadows on the wall they are facing. Between the fire and the prisoners there is a walkway, along which people can walk behind the prisoners, casting shadows on the wall. The prisoners are unable to see these people, in reality, only seeing what the shadow depicts. Because the prisoners can only see the shadows, they only understand this to be their reality, when in fact it is just what they can see. Plato notes that if somehow, a prisoner can free themselves and walk out of the cave they can either become blinded by the light of true reality and return to the cave, or their eyes will adjust and they can accept the sunlight. The analogy here is that the cave is ignorance, lack of knowledge, and education is the process of freeing oneself from the chains of ignorance. The sunlight is knowledge of reality, which we can accept and live in the light of day, or reject and return to the cave.

Please excuse that long tirade of explanation, but it is a mistake to assume everyone’s knowledge of Plato’s allegory. You may be asking, “who cares?”. I will try to answer that for you to the best of my ability, giving it the “old college try”, as it is said. Right now I am at the edge of the cave. I must decide for myself whether or not an academic partnership is worth the risk it may cause, whether I should step out of the cave into the light that is academic partnership. For myself, the answer to this question can only be obtained through experience and time, but hopefully this course can help me come closer to the answer to this question. Is the risk worth the reward? I hopefully will find out soon enough. My goal in this course, is to determine if my future must rely on the academic partnership I have signed myself to with Geneseo.

From the beginning of the course our epigraph specifically states that “If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner” by Octavia Butler emphasizing that there is a big deal within one’s life, for example as a college student and as a first generation student we have risks. This idea as college students of having the ability to take their own risks, has a huge impact in one’s life, for example having to decide whether or not to retake a course all over again or choosing between having to change one’s major, like for example I know that as a biology major it has been tough for me to debate whether or not I should continue taking all of the science courses I’m originally taking or taking the risk of majoring in sociomedical sciences, which is something I know I am good at in order to get to the profession I desire doing. Having to decide whether or not taking the risk of going to college is a risk one has to take necessarily as a first year generation, or taking a course that has nothing to do with your major, socializing and choosing whom you can trust on campus, and the level of difficulty that challenges oneself to build upon. As discussed in class, the idea of the example of the Good Samaritan policy demonstrates that if any person who is unconsciously ill should be getting rapid attention and looked after for immediate care. It is demanded of that person assisting to follow along with the policy, it is a risk they choose to take o avoid facing consequences. This example, makes me think of the same exact idea of a college student because the same exact example falls for us in the reason that college students are expected to pay attention and pass all their courses, purposely stressed by professors, but needed especially if they want to have a job or a career in the long run. Like for example relating back to some of our class discussions with professor McCoy, where professors are supposed to stress students out on certain assignments needed to be done, and participation being a part of their grades. In class professor McCoy stressed the need for more participation involvement in the classroom to keep the momentum going, have different points of views, and to feel comfortable. 

It has been pointed out throughout class discussions that for the HIPAA law if you are assisting on a patient you are not authorized under the law to discuss about your patient’s cases under any circumstances unless fully directed to do so by the patient themselves, unless if they specifically tell you that they would like to discuss their health information with someone else. This shows that as a doctor you are obligated to follow the rules the same way as college students have to obey certain laws and rules while they are still students on campus like for example, following the school code of conduct & while living on campus, you have to follow certain rules in most residence halls led by your RA’s (Resident Assistants) in which you can and cannot perform. Although, all these ideas help to set some serious goals within my lifestyle routine as a full-time student on campus, and develop some critical questions for myself to better solve and act upon for this course about the risks and rewards of academic partnership because it is important for me to fully dedicate my time and participate to the best of my ability throughout this course if I want to succeed and pass the course, and know what is right or what is not right for me to do, especially if the cost is that I want to become a very successful professional leader. There are consequences and risks that lead me to take so I can accomplish my goals in order to reach that state. This class is a risk that I choose to take to reach my goal as a future professional doctor even though I am a biology major, I am required to take this course outside of my major in addition to graduating within the next 3 years. On the other hand, I am a very shy, more likely to keep to myself type of person and I do not enjoy socializing with others as much, because I am usually afraid of what others have to think about my other points of view and experiences.

In order to become successful within this course I would need to face my fears, and get out of my comfort zone so that I can become a better student within this course and for myself. This relates to “Bloodchild” because T’gatoi plays a very important role, where she has chosen to take the risk of looking after Lien’s family. When it was time to rip out the eggs out of Gan’s sister’s body, he chose to take the risk of refusing to let T’gatoi make the decision to perform this act, and instead he has stepped up to place his need of why he should take over rather than let him witness his sister’s birth, this is where he becomes independent of his choices. This relates to how“taking risks” comes into play and becomes helpful in strengthening my ability to work effectively and think outside of the box more. Being able to create a partnership with my peers gives me the opportunity of listening more to what they have to say, and have the capability of summarizing from their perspective to touch more upon the idea, not only does it help me summarize off of what they think but it can help me take it to a different level and have a different perspective of it. Once I learn from their experiences or become more responsive I am more likely to respond in the form of disagreeing and agreeing when entering into a conversation without directly coming at them in a negative matter as it has been stated by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein where they provide templates when it comes to clarifying a specific point. Within our last class discussion I feel that once you are in a group setting you have to think about the risks of being able to draw upon on a point you have to first allow yourself to think thoroughly and bake the cake before you add your own frosting to it, in this case your templates which best fulfills the sentence. 

This concept can help others to fully understand and possibly learn from the thoughts of others and their experiences to apply it to oneself or something related.. My goal for this course is to continuously ask curious, confusing questions to fully be able to challenge myself in a situation where I am uncomfortable in doing so, not only that but gain feedback back to further develop my points. If I take this into consideration I am more likely able to understand what it would feel like to receive responses and focus my attention on the phrases and the ideas that are being used by the responder. Also, it is more likely to help me elaborate upon their point and get thinking. This not only can help me become a great student but it can help me better build upon my growth of ideas, communication, writing and vocabulary when completing papers and centered into class discussions. If I am the type of person to ask more, I will receive, and if I receive more often I am more prepared to perform as once read in a book called “The Secret”. The Secret is a book about the Law of attraction that helps readers to think upon their actions and draw their attention onto a different direction thorughout their lifestyle. Following back to the epigraph, this falls into the whole “Adult like things” because this whole concept prepares me very well in becoming a very open-minded, and informative student. Once I am better prepared to learn how to take risks for myself without wanting or needing to back out on opportunities, I am more capable of doing anything that I believe is impossible for myself but possible to achieve and it would only make me stronger and incredibly successful throughout the end of this course. 

The book “Blood Child” by Octavia E. Butler states, “If we’re not your animals, these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” There is always risk. No matter what I do there will be consequences, for better or for worse. I look at college institutions as a partnership. I go to an institution with the expectation that they will help me gain and improve on qualities that pertain to accomplishments in adulthood. On a personal level, I would like to see mental and emotional growth as well as educational skill growth. As of now I am undeclared, so there is no specific educational path I’m going down. But on a general scale, I would like to develop my knowledge. I want to know more and experience more. Although it may seem like too broad a goal I feel it’s a good start to become a better developed person. 

In addition to upholding my part of the partnership I feel I have with the institution, they have given certain accommodations that will allow me to stay on track. With the expectations given from professors through a syllabus, the syllabus goes in depth on ways to take care of yourself, as well as taking accountability for the great work or lack thereof if found in compromising position. Topics include Mental Health, Academic Support Services, Library Research Help, Academic Integrity and Plagiarism, Computer and Technology Support, Food Security for SUNY Geneseo Students. It’s important that we realize the older we get we should accept the responsibility of events that go wrong. And although there is no way to stop the unexpected negative experiences there are ways to prevent and deal with all situations. According to the syllabus there are many factors that might trigger an imbalance in a students mental health, “increased anxiety, shifts in mood, strained relationships, difficulties related to substance use, trouble concentrating, and lack of motivation”. In extreme cases an individual finding the strength to get up and take care of their mental health in moments where they feel their weakest, will be a challenge. However with every experience comes a risk. Academic Support Services is a guideline for students in need of support. If I were to find myself in a situation where I don’t quite comprehend the work given to me I can use the services provided to me. The services go as far as breaking down lecture material for any misunderstanding I might bump into. Another resource used is the Library Research Help, having individuals that are more than qualified should make any setbacks on research more achievable. Being in an academic partnership means Academic Integrity and Plagiarism is an extreme offence. The intense academic support given should eliminate the need to plagiarize. With that being said, the risk of not acknowledging the seriousness of plagiarism is massive. In any instance where technology were to fail an individual the Computer and Technology Support would be there to assist in the time of need. If there’s a case in which the staff can not assist there is said to be “7,500 online tutorials for software, digital tools, web development, programming, and design through lynda.com training resources available.”

Parts of the story “Bloodchild” demonstrates an inference that a now dominating character will become a relient partnership. The way T’Gatoi is reliant on the warmth of the other characters and they all eat the eggs to stay at a certain age. Keeping in mind the lack of understanding and knowledge towards the whole story, it seems as though there will come a point in which T’Gatoi will have to let go of the influence hovering over Gan and his family. Gan states, “T’Gatoi lifted her head perhaps a meter of her body off the couch as though she was sitting up. She looked at my mother, her face lined and old looking, turned away” (Bloodchild,4). There is very little said in that passage but it seems as though there is some unsaid tension in the household as well as power being held by T’Gatoi. It is too soon to tell the time of relationship between the characters but based on the events taken so far there is a dynamic that is bound to change leading T’Gatoi to grow and accept the risk in partnership or neglect partnership and stay in a dominating non respectable position. 

With every decision, it is important to take into account, the outcome being a risk or reward will most likely never be clear. Although it’s easier said than done, there are many opportunities to flourish but there are also many opportunities to fail. It all depends on the work accounted for as well as the response to wrong doings. 

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.