Interesting First Week of University

Tuesday, my classes started at the university. I am the project coordinator (a title I just found out I had) of the degree minor in Journalism, Creative Writing, and Academic Writing, because I created the program. My first group to go through are this semester doing their internships. One student is writing for Time Out magazine and has had three articles published so far. With a new group starting the program this semester, I thought I would need to advertise it, but it seems that I did not. I have had to turn students away. We limit the enrollment to 10, the number of computers I received in a donation. A number of the courses are taught on the computers. When I had four students willing to bring in their own laptops if I would accept them, I increased the number to fourteen. One of the courses that is require is Critical Thinking. Due to space limitations, I was assigned to a very small room that comfortably fits ten, but had twenty-five students wanting to take the course. I allowed the journalism people because it is required of them as well as a handful of others. One student was literally whining and whimpering in the back of the room. She later came up to speak to me. She said she needed the class, but was not sure if she would be able to continue the semester as she was undergoing a police investigation. Mind you, she was speaking to me, but not in a confidential tone, so everyone could hear her. She explained she is trying to get to Switzerland for a euthanasia project. I immediately felt sorry for her and asked if I could ask what her illness was. She responded that she did not have an illness, was not sick at all, she just wanted to be euthanized. This is why she has to have the police report to get clearance to go to Switzerland. Looking at her arms, she is covered with scars from cutting. This is going to make for an interesting semester. Since she did nothing to keep her thoughts to herself, the rest of the students are concerned about having her in class for her safety as well as their own. We have a faculty meeting on Tuesday; this is my top agenda item.

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