May Classes Petition
In the fall of 2004, it was discovered that there would be no choice in which May courses would be offered. Instead, we would choose between Calculus II, Western Civilization, Genetics, and VB.net. Beginning in Second East, word was spread of the break from tradition, and an opposition was organized. Many students became angry at the apparent Administrative disregard for the students and as a result, Brian Troutwine wrote the May Classes Petition.
This rapid reaction caused the Administration to reevaluate, and an informational meeting was held the following Monday evening. It was agreed upon that the choice to allow students to vote on May classes was the Dean's prerogative. However, the administration made concessions, and one class remained set (Western Civilization II), there was a binary option between Differential Equations and Calculus II, and then the last two classes would be decided by a vote between Comparative World Religions, Environmental Science, Genetics, Music Appreciation, Literature of the Fantastic, and VB.Net. The final four choices for May Session were: Calculus II, Comparative World Religions, VB.net, and Western Civilization II.
Any reader of the petition will find that it is riddled with examples of Academy Traditionalism, especially prominent in the class of 2005.
The full text of the petition follows.
Petition to Allow for Student Choice in May Courses[edit]
In the previous May sessions, various class opportunities were provided for Academy students to vote on. These classes were those that would not have been open, or possible, for the average Academy student to take. Classes such as Number Theory, Quantum Mechanics, and Intolerance in America are prime examples. These classes were oriented such that they would benefit all Academy students, both first and second years, both intellectually, by providing stimulus in the areas of science, mathematics, or computing (which is infuriatingly poorly met during the school year), and by allowing for necessary credits to be taken. The History of Science and Technology is a prime example, it covered an area of interest to most Academy students and fulfilled one of our requirements.
This year, things have changed, for the worse, in our, the undersigners, opinion. This May, we have been told, we are not going to have any sort of choice over our May courses. They have been chosen for us, which is contrary to both the tradition and the spirit of the Academy. Are we not supposed to live in an open environment any longer where we are supposed to make decisions affecting our fates?
This year the classes chosen for us are VB.Net, the History of Western Civilization, Calculus II, and Genetics. Disregarding the previously mentioned break with tradition and also the break with the spirit of the Academy, it is our, the undersigners, opinion that these are terrible class choices. Let us explain why:
First, and foremost, is VB.Net. Every student is required to take at least one Computer Science course by the Academy. It is not a secret that nearly every Academy student that has taken a Computer Science course regards them as moronic and ineffective. For those of us that have suffered through two credits of Northwest Computer Science, forcing us to take VB.Net is kicking us while down. In case you're not aware, VB.Net is a derivative of the BASIC language, widely considered to be one of the WORST programming languages ever conceived. In addition to this VB.Net is a proprietary language controlled by the Microsoft Corporation. What this means is that the sizable population of the Academy that use the Linux Operating System, as opposed to Microsoft Windows, are disenfranchised. The Microsoft Corporation is very hostile to competition, such as Linux, and do not allow their products, such as VB.Net, to run on anything other than Microsoft Windows. If we Linux users, who have across the board already taken two Computer Science credits, were forced into VB.Net, we would have to use the school computers provided by Northwest, which have been made unusably and infuriatingly slow by the installation of Windows XP.
The History of Western Civilization is the humanities credit offered to us in May. This course is offered throughout the normal school year, and thus breaks with the tradition of providing May courses that cannot be taken throughout the school year. Also, nearly all second years will be disenfranchised by this choice of course, as we will have already been required to take a humanities credit, perhaps Western Civilization itself. In addition to this, students at a science and mathematics oriented school are primarily not interested in pure history.
Genetics, another course offered in May, is also offered throughout the school year, though most students will not have taken it. In this sense, then it is a fine choice for May session, the class is not normally taken and is reasonably interesting, especially to the Academite biologists. The class, again, affects second years poorly, as we will already have achieved our Biology credits. Also, many students that have chosen not to take a second Biology course do so for a reason. Either Biology itself is considered to be dreadfully boring, or it is impossible for some students to do well in.
Finally, we have offered to us Calculus II. This class so obviously excludes second years and breaks with previous tradition to such a degree that it is mind-boggling. While it is nice that the first year students will be able to take a required course in May, what are the second years, especially those of us who are mathematicians, to do? We, the mathematicians, will have already taken this course, providing us with no way to extend our interests during the May session. This, unfortunately, follows the tradition of the normal school year. In years past, Number Theory, mentioned before, was offered as a class which is both normally not available to the average Academy student and is reasonably interesting. Last year, a math course was not offered during May session, but at least this occurred because of the decision of the majority of Academites, as opposed to the domination of the well-meaning few.
In summary, we the undersigners, believe that for the Academy to choose our May courses is unfair. When the Academy was being sold to us, it was often said that this would be an open environment in which we would be trusted to make proper decisions for ourselves and act in our own best interests. Allowing us to choose our May courses exemplified this attitude.
The forcing of May courses, rather than allowing us to vote on them, is just another piece of evidence showing that this attitude, which was sold to us, was all just a pleasant lie.
What we, the undersigners, ask for is simple: allow us to choose our own courses. In this way, one of the promises of the Academy would be fulfilled, it would be our choice to make it an interesting and intellectually stimulating environment.
