By Kirby Wigton
Some of you may think I complain too much after reading my previous article. Now, I have this to present you.
As before, I have a point that I want to be heard.
One of my pet peeves in this world is hypocrisy.
The problem is that we see it everywhere.
It exists in politics, finances and even in inconsiderate ex-girlfriends. But with most of my personal grievances aside, I want to address the hypocrisy that exists here at our beloved university.
From the time that we have spent here, we are aware of the reasons behind the rules that our teachers and faculty set for us.
And even if some of us aren't adults with all freedoms, myself included, I believe that we are to be treated as adults here.
So when I see a member of our faculty and staff going against rules that have been set for us, I'm left to wonder if we have truly escaped the realm of high school discipline.
Shouldn't rules concerning quiet hours, reference materials and even teachers' personal philosophies apply to more than just us, the students?
Simply put, yes they should.
My inspiration for this article actually concerns the quiet hours. Now, to the best of my understanding, quiet hours officially end in the mornings when the front desk opens.
So, when I'm still sleeping in bed before 7 a.m. and I'm forced to listen to one of the janitorial workers talk loudly on their cell phone right in front of my door (I'm next to a supply closet), I feel like the rules may not apply to everyone. Quiet hours are made so we can have a reasonable time frame to sleep.
It should be respected by everyone, in my own personal opinion.
Many of you think I'm being nitpicky with my complaints so far.
Perhaps I am, but I'm sure many of you would find similar feelings towards these next situations.
Seeing as I'm still currently taking this class, I can't utter any names in fear of jeopardizing my grade. That would be hypocritical of the teacher anyway.
But I happen to have a professor that doesn't allow Wikipedia to be used as a valid source for a paper.
This is completely understandable to me. Although Wikipedia is edited thoroughly, I can see a teacher's opposition towards it.
That's until I started researching my subject.
Of all books the teacher suggested in the library, I found zero with anything related to my subject. Google also didn't yield many results.
However, I found that Wikipedia has a useful article, as well as a few links that substantially assisted me.
It's both ironic and hypocritical in nature that I found my same professor staring at the same Wikipedia article when I asked a question concerning my subject later.
If Wikipedia isn't allowed in class, what justifies a teacher using it?
Lastly, I'd like to bring up teachers that force their personal philosophies upon us.
Yes, I understand that our teachers have a lot more experience than us and can provide some great words of wisdom.
But when a teacher thinks they know what's best for us right now and is unwilling to hear your point, that's hypocrisy.
One professor for a rather challenging class of mine kept reminding us that grades don't matter.
Personally, I thought they said this just because it took this teacher forever to get our assignments graded.
But when many of us are here on scholarships that require certain GPAs to be met, then grades do matter.
My main motivation for that class then became getting a good grade in spite of what I was told.
And it worked. Maybe hypocrisy isn't such a bad thing after all?
Or am I just being hypocritical too?
I'm sure some of you think what I'm writing isn't much; others may be reminded of similar injustices they've experienced. I only write this to make some people think and to make a point to others.
In this ever-changing world, I would still like to see fairness preserved.
Then again, life can be unfair.
Kirby Wigton is a sophomore electrical engineering major
