Christina Littlefield
I must begin this column by apologizing to Doug Hurley, director of Convocation and Student Ministries at Pepperdine.
I just want to say that I admire all you do. You’re fun and easy to talk to, work hard at trying to make things better for the students, and you bring such excitement to the Tyler Campus Center.
I just wanted to make that clear before I complain about Convo.
My beef isn’t in Convocation, actually. There are several this semester that I’m excited about. Last week’s Thomas Staley Lectures were outstanding and I’m ecstatic about hearing journalist Peggy Wehmeyer’s critique of religion and the media.
However, those outstanding Convos bring my grand total of desirable Convos to eight.
I have to go to 14.
Now this wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t a second-semester senior and if all seniors before me hadn’t only been required to attend seven.
When Convocation changed from a credit system to a grading system, this policy of reducing the amount of Convos required from second-semester seniors suddenly disappeared. Despite all of the dues already put in and all the additional responsibilities, such as searching for a job or applying for graduate school, graduating seniors are placed on the same boat as everyone else.
Darn equality.
The same thing happened when I moved into the apartments my junior year. At the time I signed my housing contract, one of the biggest plusses of living in the Seaver blocks was that visitation hours for the opposite sex extended to 1 a.m. This was seen as a nod of the university to the maturity of its older students.
I looked forward to joining the elite group of people who could actually watch a movie late at night. But that summer, the Residential Life Office changed visitation to 1 a.m. all across the board.
If I had been an underclassman, I would have applauded the university for recognizing that we were all adults and deserved greater freedom in who visited us. As a junior, I was a bit perturbed. Having been the baby in my family, I suddenly understood why my older brother got upset when I got to do things earlier than my parents allowed him. It was a matter of principle and fairness.
Now I don’t want the underclassmen reading this column to suddenly hate me and think I’m some senior elitist. I’m only an elitist around those who act like freshmen or sophomores, such as the girls who giggled through Peter Kreeft’s fine comparison of Tolkien and Dostoevsky.
They were only there for Convo credit. I was there to learn.
Which brings me to my point. The great thing about reducing the amount seniors were required to go to was that it allowed us to go to the Convos we really cared about and skip those we didn’t.
In other words, it would let us enjoy our last semester of Convo, instead of dread it. I write this not to be whiny, but because I hope to change the system for the future upperclassmen.
See, I’m not totally an elitist.
January 24, 2002