My previous post was rather harsh. I should explain the main point. It's not a racial thing, as it seems, but it's more of a financial thing. The university started of with free tuition for a group. It funded itself up until 1965. An organization that could do this isn't incompetent, but it has become so. How is it that such a ball-drop occured? How can a student walk into class, unaware that their support structure has collapsed? How can a student concentrate on their studies if they also have to worry about keeping track of things the administration should be keeping track of? Answer me that. It's fustrating to think about such a thing.

There's a story that I want to share with everyone about a certain University, that is not St. Thomas, and how a graduate student can get lost in the sea of ignorance that pollutes all forms of administrative cooperation between student and University programs. Beware of such incompetence and debacles! BEWARE!!!

I will not mention the name of the University, but I will enlighten you about what it stood for. It was a University that for the first 60 years of its existence, tuition was free for "white inhabitants of Houston and Texas". What more needs to be said? That has no bearing on the issue at hand, but I just remembered this little tid-bit about it's background that I wanted to share with you.

The president of the University says, "All of these [institutional collaborations] work together to create a unique community of learning and discovery that produces leaders able to contribute to the solution of local, national and global challenges". Well, I can say that this, one of many, supposed "collaborations" is a sham because there was no such collaboration when it came to the oversight of this educated individuals quest for the learning and discovery that the president of the university promised. It seems that this collaboration takes a summer vacation along with the rest of the campus. And more so, the Administrations breakdown has nothing to say but vest blame on the person who is caught with learning material with no learning environment. How is it justice to blame the cripple for the doctors carelessness?

There was no oversight except by the Financial Assistance Department of this prestigious University. Long after accepting and posting the monetary assistance into the students account, and after the start of the Fall Semester, the monies were withdrawn before even notifying the student of this, and returned to the provider stating that the program did not accept this kind of loan. I agree with another of the presidents words, "Learning of this type encourages more than a deep understanding of theory. It actively engages students in nonstandard settings outside the class, generating memorable, trans formative experiences..." It sure is a memorable experience to know that this prestigious University dropped the ball and now we have a trans formative experience, to say the least. For a long time I liked the University for being something great. Now, all I can think of when I think of that University is: "white inhabitants of Houston and Texas".

I cannot see this kind of incompetence flowing out into the real world but ""Rice and its students benefit immensely from the sustained and deep relationships we are building with educational and policy institutions around the world" sends shivers up my spine. The president really can put this whole thing into perspective.