Every student here at the University
has a story. Our lives before college are
what have made us who we are. That
being said, the idea of college is for us
to grow on a personal and professional
level. We will make friendships that will
last for our entire lives and we will have
experiences that will help us prepare for
life after college. My story is one that
I feel must be told. It is one I live out
every single day and it keeps me awake
at night.
Last March, I almost lost my father.
He was diagnosed with Necrotizing Fasciitus (flesh-eating bacteria). He had three major surgeries to remove the infection. Needless to say, I drove home immediately and spent the next week with my family. I received no objections for my course of action from my professors or the school. On the contrary, I received nothing but support from everyone here.
This past September, my mother became extremely ill. On October 8, she was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia, C.O.P.D. (a pulmonary disease), chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. I spent the time with my family, as her condition was critical for all but two days of her time in the hospital. In November, my mother became so ill that she was put on a respirator to aid her breathing. Soon, it became clear that she would never recover from this as her internal organs started to shut down. She passed away on November 8,
2007.
During this time, I had emailed all of my professors to keep them updated on what was going on with my mother. I received emails back from them telling me that I should take all the time that I needed to deal with my family situation. That is, all but one. One professor ignored my situation completely. Upon returning to UB, I emailed him asking him if there was any way that we could work out some form of make-up work.
After several emails without a response,
I emailed him before winter break asking once more if I could meet with him. His response was to fail me in two classes.
Without those two classes, I am in jeopardy of not graduating this semester. Essentially, he failed me because my mother died! I have no control over who lives or who dies, but giving me an incomplete until I made up the work was the least that this professor could have done. After all, how
hard is it to write an “I” instead of an
“F” on a grade sheet?
But this is just the beginning. My anger and frustration and sleepless nights have finally caught up with me. I have had so much happen to me at this University that I can no longer ignore it. I love this University, but I don’t feel that it loves me in return. Because of this school, I have had five foot surgeries, food poisoning twice, I’ve had my room broken into and certain members of the administration try to blame it on me. I’ve had five members of my family pass away while I have been here. I have had enough.
This is a message to the University and its administration: Love your students and treat them well, because they are your life source. Without students, you would not exist. Always remember that students can go elsewhere for their education, but you have more at stake. If you do this, then this school will become a better place. If you forget this, then I know that the rest of the populous of UB will not be as forgiving as I. But on the other hand, there are
people in the administration who are trying to help us. I need to send out my most sincere thanks to both Dr. Johnson and Dr. Van Der Giessen, Assistant to the Provost. Both have helped me out so much, and I don’t think I can ever repay them for all they have done.
The emotional and mental stress brought on from the passing of my mother has been unbelievable, but the support from both my friends and family has been nothing short of amazing. So, to those who have helped
me through the last three months, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
But one thing is for sure: I will never
forget my time here at UB. That’s both a threat and a promise.
Disclaimer: The following are opinion pieces, and are not the ideas or beliefs of the scribe or university