A new semester again
The fall semester has started again. I am less enthusiastic than I have been in previous school years and I am not sure why. I did have a great first meeting with all my classes, so that has picked up my spirits.
One thing I have noticed this semester is the increased number of hispanic students in my classes, a reflection of the changing demographics of Baton Rouge. I wonder what the 2010 census will reveal about BR. One of the things I love about BRCC is its diversity. At least on sight, it is ten times more diverse than LSU. I notice many more students in wheelchairs, for instance. I suspect that this is because of two things: 1. BRCC is a much more wheel-chair accessible campus because it’s new and 2. there are many students at BRCC on the GI bill. This is just a speculation though. I have no idea if it’s accurate. There are many newly immigrated students there too, especially Asian students. I think they come because they can learn English more easily there. So the students in the classes are more exposed to differences than they are at LSU, which is a great thing.
I remember attending a meeting about two years ago for a local organization where the members were trying to decide their national legislative agenda. People quickly dismissed the immigration-related bills, which I thought was rather unfortunate. They felt the issues were irrelevant to our demographics. I thought about the non-English speaking Mexicans who had come up from Texas (according to the supervisor) to work on my roof after Katrina. How could people say that immigration is irrelevant to our community? It’s an issue that receives minimal attention here.
Anyway, there are a ton of annoyances and bureaucratic BSy type things this year. There seem to be more than the usual, so that’s got me sort of down. On the flip side, most of the staff-type folk remain wonderful. I am always amazed at how willing people are to go the distance for you. IT, advising, facilities, they’ve all been totally helpful. So, these things make me grateful.
Speaking of grateful, here are my gratitudes for the day:
1. Staff at BRCC.
2. HBO so I can watch True Blood (ugh, I hate admitting I’m grateful for HBO, but I am).
3. WordPress, which has simplified loading up my lectures for my students.
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