Allow me to be first one to welcome all new students, faculty and staff to North Carolina State University in Raleigh. You made an excellent decision in choosing NC State – a community of achievers. “Whether educating students for the 21st century, improving lives through life-altering research, or partnering with communities, business, and government to create jobs, NC State’s commitment to innovation creates a culture of excellence that spreads to every facet of the university and affects people’s lives in relevant, powerful ways.” Thanks ncsu.edu for those inspirational words – I’m touched.
Now that we have gotten all of the sentimental crap out of the way, let me offer a few words of advice. It is more than advice – it is the way things are. It is my job, as Vice Chancellor for Telling Everyone How It Is, to impart this important knowledge on the student body.
I was given that exalted position after losing the Chancellor’s job to Dr. James Oblinger. Apparently I wasn’t able to complete my online doctorate degree before the deadline to become Chancellor. At least our new men’s head basketball coach met his deadline for completing his undergraduate degree. I did not apply for that job – I felt I was too overqualified with two undergraduate degrees from this great institution. Is it just me or did we spend more time choosing the wallpaper patterns in the Chancellor’s new mansion than we did choosing a basketball coach? More on that in a future Andrew Payne column.
Back to my trite list of advice.
First – act like you own this university. What do I mean? If you are like me, you pay a lot of money to attend NC State. Yet some students allow administrators, faculty and whomever to walk all over them. They take everything at face value. “This class section is closed.” “We have no more football tickets.” “You must pay this parking ticket.” Blah, blah, blah…
NC State is a bloated bureaucracy. Over 7,000 people work here and most are what I like to call “fluff”. They sit at their desks and stare into cyberspace while surfing on the Internet all day. Their job is to provide canned responses to student requests. More often than not their answer will not satisfy you. But guess what – everyone has a boss, including the chancellor.
A quick side note – the hardest workers at NCSU are the housekeepers and groundskeepers, so treat them with respect. Most of these employees make an income that the federal government classifies as “below the poverty line.”
Treat this university like a consumable product. Suck the life out of it. Mass customize it to fit your needs and dreams. If you want to graduate in five years, do it. In the end don’t bitch and complain if your experience at NC State is not what you expected or wanted. You have every opportunity to design the life you want at NCSU – US News & World Report’s 81st best college in the nation.
Most students walk around campus with their heads down, music blaring in their ears, smoking a cigarette. These are the same students who, on the first day of classes, take everything at face value.
The student who owns his or her experience at NC State challenges the chemistry professor when the use of WebAssign is dictated. The empowered student stands up in the middle of class on top of a desk and shouts – “Teacher – leave us kids alone! We already paid tuition and fees, and we are not going to shell out anymore money to submit homework. Who do you think you are? Better yet, we are not going to pay 4 zillion dollars for your overpriced, self- titled text book.” Remember kids – only idiots pay extra to submit their homework.
That is the list and it didn’t cost a thing. My official duties as Vice Chancellor are over – for now. Have a great semester and if you ever need anything please let me know. Technician pays me large sums of money to be the voice of the common student and advocate on their behalf.
Email Andrew at viewpoint@technicianonline.com
