Chapter 11 Faculty/Student Nonaggression Act

Chapter 11 provides information into why many undergraduates accept beer and circus as a substitute for a meaningful education.

The main concept in this chapter is a nonaggression pact between lazy students and even lazier professors. In other words “I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me.” –Anne Matthews, higher education writer.

From research at colleges there have been encounters where there was a general agreement that academics were weak, and faculty and students had a tacit agreement not to burden one another. This is how Big time Universities handle their undergraduate programs. They establish a truce between faculty who want to spend as little time in undergraduate classrooms and students who want to obtain a degree as easily as possible.

I consider this crazy! It’s crazy because a school would let this happen. It seems some colleges are just taking the money from undergraduate students and just putting them in a room, not doing anything, wasting time and money. I wouldn’t want to be in a class taught by a teacher who doesn’t care about the students. Students who want to learn are turned off by how higher education is organized. “As a result, freshmen—who need the very best teaching—may actually receive the worst.” The substitute for genuine learning is an easily obtained diploma, and a “fun experience.” Students accept this because they arrive on campus to the collegiate subculture and become immersed in it and accept the universities deal of easy schoolwork and football.

At Indiana University, only 14% of the students felt that “students come first”, and the same percentage also felt that students are “intellectually engaged” in their academic work. Professors don’t care about the students and when the students know that the professors don’t care, and then the students’ attitude towards learning is negative.

Teachers who are charismatic, fun and excited about class are needed by students, to create a love for learning. It is apart of teaching to be bothered by students, parents, deans, and heads of departments. I know I have been apart of classes and just wanted to get the best grade I could because the teacher was boring and didn’t want to waste of time. I want to be active in class, learn from experience, go on a trip and meet a person who can give advice and is interesting. Maybe the definition of learning we all have is different or maybe just wrong. The different styles of teaching needs to change, but how can it be done in a class of 500 plus? Is there a way to change the boring classes and invisible professors? The nonaggression act continues and will continue and eventually students won’t learn anything.