So I'm gonna rant really quick about the ongoings of the first two weeks of my final semester at this school and then move on. An SG catharsys if you will...
I'm a theatre major, and despite what people might think about us, its an insurmountable amount of work considering we're promised no dental or 401K upon graduation. If anything, I'm paying $125,000 to come up with new and exciting ways to refill coffee six months from now. Not true, I'm actually very good (and humble), but melodramatic. Bear with me.
At the end of last semester, I had my 40 page thesis, a 10 minute one man show (taken from countless other plays that had to be read, broken down, acted out and cut and pasted together), a showcase in Manhattan, other classes, other finals, an acting final, schoolwork, and a costuming final where I had to build a period costume from just fabric. Oh, and I was also simultaneously cast in Swing! (big band musical, note the hat in my icon photo) and the Learned Ladies (Moliere, woo hoo!) Needless to say I was busy.
To lighten the load, the teacher of the costuming class made his final a take home, advising all of us to recuit tutors so we would have sewing machines to use at all hours of the day. I picked one of my friends, he knew we were working together, and the work began. Since she lives a dorm away, my roomate never saw it, and, being a slacker, just assumed that I was having someone do it for me. Now, against my credit I may have whined and said "I just want to pay someone to do it for me", but getting down to brass tax, I do my own work, and I resent not getting credit where credit is due.
So, I finish the costume the day before, bring it to the teacher, find out what adjustments need to be made, bring it in for the final, and a week into this semester find out that this guy has written me up for suspicion of cheating.
Let me tell you this, the Academic Honesty Committee I faced for this thing was REDICULOUS. You want to talk about corruption in a private school? I thought the Good Cop/Bad Cop thing was a TV plot contraption. Think again. These guys had me scared shitless, barred my dad (who drove 2 states to sit in on it) from entering, and beat me to shit, calling me a liar and threatening expulsion, and I ACTUALLY DID THE WORK!
The end result? They failed me in the entire class, but since it was a theatre class, that puts me on probation and takes me out of The Music Man and future auditions for my fall semester. Suddenly, a kid who is double cast EVERY SEMESTER isn't working AT ALL. This, to a driven actor, is the kiss of death. So I appealed it, fighting all the way with my father in toe. Turns out, I finally get the Dean on my side, she changes the F to an "Incomplete" pending my appeal (its like I was serving the jail time without a court hearing first...) and we reopen the case.
I have never been more proud to say my father is my father. He tore the representative from the Honesty Committee a new one and we may threaten to sue for corruption. He sat outside the door and took notes of it all, and mentioned that I had NO ONE to take impartial notes so that the committee can't be trusted to provide an impartial view. The teacher played shady and made up things that weren't true, saying he saw me pay someone to do it for me, etc, and even my roomate, the turncoat, was the one who went to the teacher and expressed concern.
Either way, I'm still awaiting the outcome. I've been allowed to stay in Music Man, but I've had to take another course in the same group to ensure my graduation, and I wasn't allowed the role in Stage One because of "Music Man conflictions" (that's private school bullshit for THIS KID MAKES WAVES).
Needless to say, I'm stressed. But for all of you out there with kids possibly going off to private school, or those of you who have been yourself, be aware. Just because you're a student doesn't mean you check your rights at the gate.
Its a damn good thing my dad's a lawyer. ( :: Pant pant :: ) OK, that felt good.
I'm a theatre major, and despite what people might think about us, its an insurmountable amount of work considering we're promised no dental or 401K upon graduation. If anything, I'm paying $125,000 to come up with new and exciting ways to refill coffee six months from now. Not true, I'm actually very good (and humble), but melodramatic. Bear with me.
At the end of last semester, I had my 40 page thesis, a 10 minute one man show (taken from countless other plays that had to be read, broken down, acted out and cut and pasted together), a showcase in Manhattan, other classes, other finals, an acting final, schoolwork, and a costuming final where I had to build a period costume from just fabric. Oh, and I was also simultaneously cast in Swing! (big band musical, note the hat in my icon photo) and the Learned Ladies (Moliere, woo hoo!) Needless to say I was busy.
To lighten the load, the teacher of the costuming class made his final a take home, advising all of us to recuit tutors so we would have sewing machines to use at all hours of the day. I picked one of my friends, he knew we were working together, and the work began. Since she lives a dorm away, my roomate never saw it, and, being a slacker, just assumed that I was having someone do it for me. Now, against my credit I may have whined and said "I just want to pay someone to do it for me", but getting down to brass tax, I do my own work, and I resent not getting credit where credit is due.
So, I finish the costume the day before, bring it to the teacher, find out what adjustments need to be made, bring it in for the final, and a week into this semester find out that this guy has written me up for suspicion of cheating.
Let me tell you this, the Academic Honesty Committee I faced for this thing was REDICULOUS. You want to talk about corruption in a private school? I thought the Good Cop/Bad Cop thing was a TV plot contraption. Think again. These guys had me scared shitless, barred my dad (who drove 2 states to sit in on it) from entering, and beat me to shit, calling me a liar and threatening expulsion, and I ACTUALLY DID THE WORK!
The end result? They failed me in the entire class, but since it was a theatre class, that puts me on probation and takes me out of The Music Man and future auditions for my fall semester. Suddenly, a kid who is double cast EVERY SEMESTER isn't working AT ALL. This, to a driven actor, is the kiss of death. So I appealed it, fighting all the way with my father in toe. Turns out, I finally get the Dean on my side, she changes the F to an "Incomplete" pending my appeal (its like I was serving the jail time without a court hearing first...) and we reopen the case.
I have never been more proud to say my father is my father. He tore the representative from the Honesty Committee a new one and we may threaten to sue for corruption. He sat outside the door and took notes of it all, and mentioned that I had NO ONE to take impartial notes so that the committee can't be trusted to provide an impartial view. The teacher played shady and made up things that weren't true, saying he saw me pay someone to do it for me, etc, and even my roomate, the turncoat, was the one who went to the teacher and expressed concern.
Either way, I'm still awaiting the outcome. I've been allowed to stay in Music Man, but I've had to take another course in the same group to ensure my graduation, and I wasn't allowed the role in Stage One because of "Music Man conflictions" (that's private school bullshit for THIS KID MAKES WAVES).
Needless to say, I'm stressed. But for all of you out there with kids possibly going off to private school, or those of you who have been yourself, be aware. Just because you're a student doesn't mean you check your rights at the gate.
Its a damn good thing my dad's a lawyer. ( :: Pant pant :: ) OK, that felt good.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
not much down this end. guess I'll be seeiong ya in class. heh
-=J=-