The structure here at the College of St. Benedict and St. Johns University is very set in stone. We are one community, but separated into two same-sex campuses. All students are treated equally, but we receive different diplomas based on our gender. As time passes, many people raise concerns about this being the best way to structure this institution. Me being one of them.
Jacques Derrida states in "Structure, Sign, and Play" that there is room for creativity in the post modern world. For my example, I will only use CSB/SJU. It seems to me that there are many structures set in place at this institution that will never allow me, a female, to be equal to my male counterpart at St. Johns University, and vice versa. The two campuses, separate degrees, and the two different stigmas of what a 'Bennie' and 'Johnnie' are all make it extremely hard to challenge the norm here.
But one needs to stay optimist as Derrida points out. Despite the fact that there are things set in place and that the history and culture of this institution has made it what it is today, Derrida states that new realities can be created and changes can be made. Despite this passion many people have to change the entire structure of CSB/SJU, there are still people who think that the structure is set in place and history has made us this way. They would agree with Lacan, stating that these two campuses should be kept seperate because that is how they were historically viewed and the institution started this way so it should continue to be this way.
I would have to disagree with the Lacan-esque believers and would like to be treated equal to all of the students enrolled at the institution. By not having a degree that also states St. Johns University and not being able to say that, yes, in fact, I do attend St. Johns University as well, half of my college career seems to be erased. By working at SJU, taking classes at SJU (where my major department is located), and spending numerous hours devoted to clubs and organizations at SJU, I feel like part of the community there. But it doesn't show.
By siding with Derrida, I would like to play around with the old structure of CSB/SJU and create something new that encompasses all students. By having more integrated campuses and by receiving a degree from both CSB/SJU would show how my education stemmed from both structures, not just one.
I really enjoyed reading this post for numerous reasons. First, I believe that there is way too much seperation between the schools and almost wished that we could just combine the schools and then we would better embody the college of saint benedicts and saint johns. I too feel that it is not fair to the students of saint bens who like yourself spend so many hours at sju and are not properly and fairly represented. I no that a few of my guy friends talk about the same issues that you presented from a guys perspective. We see the brand new buildings, the modern and better equipped dorm rooms, the work out facilities, and we wonder where our valuable tuition dollars are going. I really also enjoyed your link from Lacan to Derrida because it really embodies the theme of both theories and does so in a way that we all can relate too.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought about it like this before. I always consider myself a student at Saint John's but part of the culture of both campuses. I never considered the fact that that will never show on a diploma, or that those who aren't part of CSB/SJU or know about the connected campuses will only see me as a student of SJU, despite the fact that I take classes at CSB with CSB students. It's very interesting to look at my college experience in this new night
ReplyDeleteAnother reason that this is an issue for Bennies is that when colleges get ranked, we are ranked much lower, which makes absolutely no sense. According to the rankings put out by U.S. News, St. John's comes in at #71 while St. Ben's is #90. While it isn't a huge drop and we are both pretty high up on the list, there is no reason for the gap. If I wanted to, I could take every single class, eat every single meal, do everything at SJU except get a diploma. We are ranked so far apart because of the degrees that graduates from both schools have received. If you think about it, Johnnies have become doctors and lawyers while Bennies have become teachers and mothers. Things are definitely changing but, because of these differences in career paths, Johnnies have been more able to donate more money to their alma mater because they have made more money. Luckily for the Bennies, we seem to be catching up on the diverse majors we are seeking out but it is still something that isn't going to change overnight and is an issue that is important for us, as students, to talk about.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your frustration here. It is very aggravating that our schools are holding to the backwards notions of listing only one school on a degree. For all the talk of "two schools, one education" or whatever the slogan is, it doesn't really translate over to reality. It is especially frustrating for some Bennie science majors who are getting an education from St. John's which has a good reputation in those fields, but still get stuck with St. Ben's on their diploma. You did a wonderful job of integrating this with Lacan and Derrida. Bravo.
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