I SPENT two years of my time at the University studying Japanese. I did well at first because I had had some Japanese in high school, but my grade continually slipped each semester. I was terrible at Japanese, really terrible. I would study hard and do poorly and then lose hope and not study so hard and do even worse. It was a frustrating time for me in a class that some students took as a grade booster. I wondered what was wrong with me and why I had such a struggle with Japanese. Kanji was my archenemy and grammar lectures and chapter quizzes my nemesis.
I miss the days of taking Japanese, but also am glad that I am finished. Many University students first experience failure when they get to college because of the increased competition and bottomless bank of qualified individuals. Admission to the University requires a certain amount of luck and a high school career marked more by success than failure. When I was applying to colleges I was disappointed to be denied admission to certain universities, but I now see how fortunate I was to be accepted here. My life at the University has been charmed for the most part, and I would not give any of it back. Japanese was the first thing that went wrong for me here. I did terribly -- but I made up for my low mark in Japanese with the high mark I earned for character, not to mention behavior.
I learned that even when trying my best, seeing the teacher for extra help and burning the midnight oil could not help my grade in Japanese. I learned that I am not good at everything. And no one leads a totally failure-free life. I now understand that I have the freedom to fail, and that my many faults make me human. My experience with Japanese, as terrible as it was, was my greatest struggle and richest experience at the University. How funny that my suffering has yielded such a perspective.
I leave the University with no regrets, only wonderful memories and many lessons. I feel that I have gained an amazing perspective on how I work and how I relate to the world around me. Yet, I know that I have further to go. I am forced to admit that many things have bothered me during my time here. I have ranted and raved, complained and cried foul. Some things have changed and others have not, but looking back now none of it really seems important.
One of my biggest beefs was with Dining Services. I was angry when they would have "special" meals like the "Thanksgiving Theme Meal" and run out of stuffing. Is it really Thanksgiving without the stuffing?
I often was angry that my dorm room was advertised as having air conditioning, but the air conditioning wasn't being turned on until May 1, just 10 days before I moved out.
And certainly I got peeved when I was taking pictures of a member of the Facilities Management staff who cleans our classrooms for a story about the Living Wage Campaign. The woman I was photographing used a discarded copy of The Cavalier Daily as a makeshift dustpan.
These things do not matter any longer. I will try to remember the lessons I have learned through my struggling Japanese career and realize that other people are not perfect. This makes me comfortable with my imperfection, but I must allow for the imperfections of others, as well. The Dining Services administrators are good people, and they can't always calculate how much stuffing to make. The Housing Division can't be expected to be meteorologists and know exactly when to turn on the air conditioning to please all students. The janitor who used The Cavalier Daily to clean the classroom was recycling an old newspaper. They are all people too and I cherish their imperfections. We all share a world that has problems created by human beings who can't help but foul up. Not everything is acceptable to me, but we must make room for each other's faults. If we don't, there will surely be no room for me.
Finally, I want to finish with a thank you. John Sullivan, a Professor of American Studies, was that rare professor we all hope to find. We don't share the same passion for junk, and I'm afraid that I turned out not to be as intellectual as he is, but he taught me a great deal about perspective in college. He is not afraid to act like a man instead of a professor with his students. His friendship and wisdom has meant a lot to me, and knowing when to thank those who have helped me may be the greatest perspective that I learned at the University.
(Dan Cooper is a former Chief Financial Officer, Photography editor and associate editor.)
Read More
KURTZWEIL: True financial aid must be transparent
By Paul Kurtzweil | 15 hours agoThe implications and revelations of the lawsuit should inspire greater transparency at the University in order to ensure that financial aid is properly and equitably distributed.
SULLIVAN: Ramp up physical accessibility on Grounds
By Scarlett Sullivan | 2 days agoThe University must take responsibility for the inaccessibility of Grounds and work to promote accessibility for all students despite misguided laws.
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | 5 days agoInstead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
