Since the first day I stepped on campus as an eager freshman, I wanted to take advantage of everything that Georgetown had to offer and explore the opportunities presented by my new city. Like most students, I went through a phase where I eagerly and enthusiastically pursued every available opportunity. I am proud to say that I’ve accomplished every item on the Center for Student Programs “Top 25 Things Every Hoya Should Do.” But, despite my success with opportunities on and off campus, I continue to struggle with the things at Georgetown which should really be the easiest.
As a junior I have grown too aware that classes are not the hardest part of my Georgetown life. Once we all settle in at the start of the semester, classes become second nature, with our goals for the semester clearly outlined in our syllabi. While our classes are still, of course, difficult, we all manage the best we can and have a general idea of how to plan ahead for the semester. This makes our hectic lives manageable and allows them to run smoothly.
The hardest part of my week is not my 400-level government lecture, or even my three-hour economics seminar. These constants are manageable. No, the hardest part of my week consistently comes whenever I face uncertain situations. Trying to get off the waitlist for a class, scheduling a meeting with a dean, reserving rooms for club activities, or making sure that Saferides shows up should not be difficult. These basic university functions are sometimes more problematic for my schedule than writing papers. The problem is that there is no transparency in these processes to let me know that I am following the correct protocol. Without changes, students will continue to be left in the dark about how to properly utilize many important services on campus.
Wouldn’t it be great if we were able to apply the same level of order we expect from our syllabi to the processes on campus? If Georgetown would publish some form of policy outline, or create some accessible system that allows students to know that they are using University resources correctly, I might finally be more worried about my homework than I am about filing add/drop paperwork. I would love to know that my GUTS bus or Saferides van is on schedule via a webpage or Twitter. If I knew that my chance of getting off the waitlist was only 20 percent, I would be able to look for another available option, and not have to make a gamble on my schedule.
Though these problems may seem trivial, there is never action taken to correct them. Students suffering from these problems often accept them as an immutable part of Georgetown, though they really should not be.
I maintain the position that I established on my first day at Georgetown. I still want to take part in everything and enjoy all that Georgetown has to offer. This may be a tall order, as I only have one more full year at Georgetown, but I remain hopeful that future Hoyas will learn to streamline the University processes that have often impeded eager undergrads from taking full advantage of Georgetown.
I like to think that most Georgetown students recognize the opportunities presented to us by this University. However, I know that most students do not have sufficient access to University resources. We are educated in every discipline known to man, yet are unable to coordinate a room reservation system that provides sufficient access to space for studying and club meetings.
The University has long term plans to address many major student concerns, such as through the 2010 Campus Plan. Still I wonder, how difficult would it be to coordinate small but tangible improvements? We could all benefit from eliminating the “black-box” processes that cause us undeserved stress, by codifying policies and making them more available for undergrads.
I hope more than anything that by the time I have graduated, students will have started to raise their concerns about some of the smaller issues, Georgetown will have started to listen, and most importantly, that as I hold my diploma, I will have done everything possible to have made that eager freshman four years ago proud.
