March 21, 2006Dear Deeply Annoyed,
I eagerly await each edition of the Activist because it mirrors the ideas of the RWC students we serve. Each publication becomes larger and more diversified, an approach which benefits all on campus. Notwithstanding Dee Dee’s answer, as an adjunct professor, I would like to assume the task of refuting only some of your carefully considered opinions in her column.
Primarily, the seniors who attend classes on campus are the very people who for decades paid and still pay huge taxes to defray the costs of government. And, education is a large segment of that government. All students are now paying much lower tuition because of those seniors’ taxes. (RWC tuition is one of the best bargains you will ever have in life.) No, you are not horrible, but you have insufficient life experiences to generalize about those seniors.
For many of them, ILR is one of the few opportunities they have to interchange ideas. Moreover, their ideas are listened to and discussed. In general society, seniors are often avoided or dismissed. As one Hitler survivor commented to me, “The older I get, the less people are willing to listen and talk to me.” Lastly, often seniors live alone and have lost the practice of reacting to others.
One of these years, in a professional position, you will interface with seniors. They, like students who crowd the hallways, litter, smoke, talk loudly, and avoid holding doors, can be annoying. This, my dear student, is part of the human condition. However, if you take your attitude to its fullest, it will cause elderly bed-ridden patients to be abandoned to die as flood waters rise as happened in New Orleans. In a less terrifying situation, speak to the young banker whose elderly male customer took the greater part of his busy workday with trivialities, but who, about 3 p.m., pulled a half million dollars in cash from a double paper bag to invest in that bank!
Some of our RWC seniors are hard of hearing. Speak to them loudly. Smile. When a young male American volunteer student asked Mother Theresa, “How can I save the world?” she answered, “You can begin with a smile.” I have held the doors for our seniors who have never acknowledged me, but one must avoid the emotional reaction of intolerance. Political correctness does not always respect seniors, but they deserve respect like all peoples. Finally, the tolerance and respect you will build at RWC will stand you in good stead for your future professional life wherein you must and will meet and possibly work for senior citizens who are both easy to deal with and testy beyond belief. We hope at RWC that we can help you to develop into a wanted employee and a tax-paying citizen for many decades to come.
Sincerely, Patricia C. Cruise
Adjunct English Professor