No cash was essentially no problem. Although I had to high tail it to the grocery store rather than dash to the convience store around the corner. This makes me think that this whole situation might look different if I didn’t have a car. Here comes day 2!
One thing I loved about college and grad school is that I was taught and encouraged to experiment. So - I’m taking a major fuck up and turning it into an experiment:
I was really lazy about changing my address after my last move. During this lazy time my debit card expired. I live about 2 hours from my bank - so I called them today and they told me they’d send a new one. That process takes about two weeks. Which means I’ll have no access to cash in the next two weeks (can’t withdraw, can’t use debit). Luckily I have credit cards that hook me up with some pretty sick rewards - but let’s see how this no cash for two weeks goes. I wonder if I could do it for a month? Maybe two? Reflections on life sans cash will take over my tumblr for a while!
So back at Yale I planned to do a experiment, here were the stipulations:
1. I would only eat food available at Yale events. I was permitted to take and store food. I was not allowed to utilize the dining halls.
2. I did not have to attend all events from which I took food.
3. I was able purchase only coffee (it was grad school after all)
4. I was to keep track of my caloric intake
A pregnancy scare sent me on my way and far away from this experiment, BUT I want to make sure I do it when I get back. If only I could get a hold of Yale’s budget (to see how much they spend on food). Colleges make it very difficult to get a hold of thier budgets. I’m still working on obtaining Mount Holyoke’s and Yale’s and if ever I do, please know they will be published in thier entirety here!
This photo reminds me of the quote by Paul Mooney: “everybody wanna be a nigga, but don’t nobody wanna be a nigga.” So true.
Don’t believe me? Imagine the shit storm if Obama had taken the same picture. It would have been a terrorist symbol. White privilege and generous borrowing without reciprocation are wack.
No caption necessary.
It’s really difficult to find data on income by type of college. It would really be so much easier to find this information if I were at Yale or Mount Holyoke right now. I am still working on finding out this information about type of college and income and career success - BUT the experience of not finding it and then longing for the academy reminds me how privileged I am to have the resources of Yale at my finger tips. Sucks if you’re not as fortunate and / or don’t live in an area with an awesome public library / don’t know how to use these resources / don’t have free time to work with these resources. Considering that in my patria (Colombia) the building of libraries directly impacts community violence - it might pay off all around the world. I’ve been working for a while on the intersection of art, democracy and anti-violence (more to come on this later) and it seems that access, investment and free time are major anti-violence moves. What brings this all together? Libraries.
This brings me to my larger point that my college education taught me to make connections in place where I might not otherwise think to look. I can go from income outcomes to libraries ad anti-violent movement in 5 sentences. Awesome.
This article: http://consumerist.com/5069146/25-most-expensive-colleges-for-2008+2009
which details the most expensive schools in the country got me thinking (in the interest of full disclosure - my alma mater is #21). How much should college cost? My immeadiate answer is that it should be free (like it is in many very academically sucessful nations around the world). Lord knows “redistribution” is so unamerican (please note the sarcasm) - so forget that. College grads earn more than high school grads - but is there any correlation between type of college and life time earnings - and even if there were - wouldn’t that likely be do to the pre-existing class differences of the two populations? Also - how much are utilities? Food? I want to know - and as tax exempt institutions - shouldn’t their taxes be a matter of public record? I will research these question and post the answers asap!
So here’s the sitch:
I was priviledged enough to go to Mount Holyoke College for my BA - I then moved onto a PhD Program at Yale. I found Yale to be oppressive for a number of reasons - not only is it deeply sexist, racist, heterosexist, classist, ableist - but it actively claims not to be as much. That stated - Yale treats New Haven like shit. That is and will continue to be a major roadblock as I move through the University.
Here’s another insidious problem: Professors (most professors is probably more accurate) are interested in critical thinkers. They want to make brilliant theorists - not activists. They want to talk about problems - not pose solutions. They have told me I need to learn to think and not do.
Well FUCK THAT.
At Mount Holyoke I was constantly encouraged to think and do and better yet to integrate to. I had a really powerful discussion today in which the other party touched on the whole WEB vs. Booker T conversation. We came to the conclusion - that’s it’s unnecessary to decide - it’s necessary to act in the face of oppression. I will not be silenced by Yale. I will be a brilliant, dynamic thinker - who talks about problems and solutions AND makes solutions happen at Yale of all places. A major source of encouragement is thinking about where Yale would be withour doers (few as they may be) - I shudder at the thought. I will use the power it gives me to do good.
Thank you Mount Holyoke for teaching me that I can - not only can I, but I sure as hell better figure out a way to act and live like a global citizen!
Lesson learned: Critical thinking and self-empowerment are taught encouraged at Mount Holyoke College. I wish we lived in a world where everyone had access to these invaluable skills.
Like this one from Dr. King
if our nation can spend thirty-five billion dollars a year to fight an unjust, evil war in Vietnam [or Iraq or Iran, or wherever the fuck the government feels like bombing], and twenty billion dollars to put a man on the moon, it can spend billions of dollars to put God’s children on their own two feet right here on earth…
I might just have to become a professor so I can teach this truth and change the generation to come…
Community colleges are supposed to be an investment in communities that specifically serve folks who otherwise would not have access to college. Why then isn’t the government more concerned with meeting the needs of communities. Why aren’t community colleges about empowerment? Why isn’t justice apart of their mission? Why aren’t people educated about their rights? Community colleges should be about deductive democracy - where people can experience their rights and learn to be come advocates for themselves in their communities. I’m not sure how - but I plan to work on this.
