Who’s Voice Matters - A College Freshman's Tale
Map courtesy of GoogleMaps
My son had a college friend come over today to pick him up – they were planning on going out and possibly drinking while making Gingerbread Houses so it was just a good plan that he gets picked up and stay over.
We will call her “Bri” and she tells me the tale of her first semester of school.
She is taking 16 credit hours and doesn’t have time for much except studying because her pre-med load only has a 20% passing rate. Weed them out early – keep the cream of the crop.
At Arizona State University, the pre-Med and pre-Law programs are not housed in Tempe on the main campus. These programs are housed in the middle of downtown between the Arizona Center and the City of Phoenix Complex.
My office, years ago, was about three blocks from there – it was dangerous 20 years ago. I am asking these personal safety questions and she tells me her stories…
“I have seen someone get shot”
”I have seen a shoot out”
”I have seen a dead body on the light rail”
”I had to taze someone who tried to grab me off the street”
”Don’t wander past 2nd Ave. or 5th St. because you are literally taking your life in your own hands to survive!”
The parent in me is freaking out but then I remember who this girl is… the last of six kids, her parents are both bow and rifle hunters so she has no qualms shooting anyone trying to harm her, and she could take a male her size – her upper body strength from swimming and throwing shot put and disc is pretty solid.
Aside from the violence she has seen in the neighborhood she has to live in for school, she told me another tale.
I call this the liberalizing of college students.
To look at Bri, one would think her as white as can be. Her mother is Irish and her father is half Irish and half Native. The Native only shows in her hair and eyes… the rest is Irish, pale skin and European features.
She had to take sociology her first semester and she was the only lighter skinned person in the class. Her professor walks in the Monday before the election and starts talking about it.
”I am sure some of you in here are going to vote for Trump – raise your hand if you are voting for Trump.”
She does. She is the only one in the class raising her hand.
He says, “ You’re white?”
She nods.
”You’re Christian?”
She nods.
”You’re Republican?”
She nods.
”You’re Straight?”
She nods.
”Get out!” and points to the door.
Of course I am in dis-belief because “HELLO” isn’t this America?
I told her she should carry around her enrollment – “Look, I am Native my opinion matters.”
She said that is what she has learned her first semester of college – that your opinion only matters if you are not white, Christian, Republican, and straight.
I told her she could become a Lesbian….
Her response: ”With the choices of guys my age at school - I am half way there!”