Opinion: Now what?
Editor's Note: This article appeared in The Eagle's October 2020 virtual print edition.
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Editor's Note: This article appeared in The Eagle's October 2020 virtual print edition.
Recently, I had the opportunity to go on a police ride-along as part of as a requirement for my Intro to Systems of Justice class. We were given the choice of attending a court session or a ride-along, and, having seen many of the former, I decided to try something new. I went into my appointment in the fifth district police station feeling nervous, but expecting the four-hour block to go by relatively uneventfully. What I didn’t realize was how much the experience would alter my understanding of the D.C. community.
The new academic year brought a variety of changes to American University’s campus, from the dining hall food becoming passable, to the construction on campus inconveniencing the second half of campus, rather than the first. What remains relatively unchanged, however, is AU’s freshman transition course, AUx, which is now in its second year as a mandatory class.
American University is a leader in the field of international service. The nationally-ranked program is sought after by many students and offers a plethora of unique opportunities that anyone interested in the subject would be lucky to have access to. Still, as ahead of the curve as AU loves to emphasize that it is, significant work is yet to be done on how our students learn about countries other than their own.
AU is currently being led by the previous Secretary of Health and Human Services, yet the University does not pay enough attention to its students who experience substance abuse and addiction. Given our intense party culture and that our rates of substance abuse are higher than the national average, it is imperative that AU administrators take significant strides in providing for its students who are struggling with addiction.
Students come to college excited to learn more about their passions and embark on academic journeys that will one day fuel their careers. Many are disheartened to find that, instead of diving into what interests them most, they have to spend their first few semesters fulfilling tedious university requirements, including freshman transition courses.
Technically, I am a minority. As a woman and a first-generation U.S. citizen of Indian descent, my identity descriptors fit exactly what it means to be a minority in America. Still, in my 19 years, I have never felt remotely isolated due to my ethnicity until coming to AU five months ago.
Politics are omnipresent at AU. The University’s location, the active student body, The Princeton Review’s ranking and a variety of other factors support the conclusion that separating politics from an AU education is impossible. This unique experience of learning in Washington is only enhanced by our affinity for politics.
Imagine: You’re a freshman in high school. It’s your first day, and you couldn’t be more excited to leave behind your toxic middle school friend group and finally get elected into student government. You walk into your first period, biology, excited to start your path to valedictorian, but wait! Let’s start with a few ice breakers. That feeling of dread? Of discomfort at being put on the spot? Of annoyance at wasting your time? That’s what it feels like to sit through AUx.