I can confidently predict some people reading this have dealt with an absent parent, and I can absolutely infer most people reading this have dealt with Chatham University — but whether you’ve only dealt with one, neither or both (like me), I’m here to give you some idea of what it’s like.
First, let me set the scene: Imagine you’re really, really excited for a hangout with your parent. Maybe it’s a movie you’ve been dying to see for months or a new restaurant you couldn’t wait to try with your loved one. You get ready and put on your best shoes when you suddenly get the dreaded text you’ve gotten a million times before, “Sorry, something came up. Next time?💩”
How would you feel? Disappointed? Frustrated? Maybe even a quiet pang of resentment? (It’s OK, this is a safe space)!
That’s what attending Chatham can feel like. What immediately pops into mind is the sudden pausing (never to be played again) of the communication IDP program that left multiple seniors with a sudden lack of graduate program.
As 2024 graduate Jorie Meil wrote in her own Communiqué article, “Pauses to some Chatham University graduate programs prompt students to rethink their future: I was thanked for my application, but informed that enrollment for the masters of communication had been paused. I had already been accepted to the program, paid my deposit and begun taking graduate-level classes to get ahead, so I was left confused. I had been banking on doing my IDP since before I graduated high school in 2020; it was the basis of my entire five-year plan,” Meil wrote.
How would you feel? Disappointed? Frustrated? Maybe even a loud pang of resentment? Would your bitter feelings stem from the University’s less-than-ideal financial situation or maybe the changes in medical accommodations for housing? Or the sudden closure of Eden Hall’s Orchard Hall that left dozens of students scrambling to find new housing plans less than a month before the semester began.
However, as many ors as I could name, and trust me, I could name enough to sound like a seal, there’s just as many howevers.
For example, I recently found myself suddenly without a way to get the required Arabic II and Intermediate Arabic credits for my Middle Eastern studies certificate after Chatham dropped the Arabic II class. However, because of this, with help from Director of Global Engagement Karin Chipman, I found a program in Morocco that allowed me to get both in one semester. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the best four months of my life.
Or the multitude of miscommunications with club events I’ve planned for both Technicougar: Film Club and Chatham Students for Global Liberation, leaving us equipment-less, supplies-less, funding-less and once even venue-less on the day of an event. However, I’d wager that me and my fellow club officers have become master pivoters like when we pivoted to a plastic karaoke machine we found in the back of a Rea Coffeehouse closet minutes before an open mic fundraiser night.
Truly, I’ve lost my ability to panic in the face of setbacks. In fact, I’m now more shocked when a club event goes smoothly. I know I sound snarky and bitter, but I genuinely am thankful for the training in event planning and backup plans for backup plans that Chatham has given me.
I’d argue the shortcomings of Chatham aren’t always problems, or necessarily its fault. Like the tiny student population, for example. Sure, it’s definitely frustrating fighting for attendance at club events or pulling teeth for participation, however I sure have gotten good at advertising! So good that I incorporated it into my grad school application.
I don’t want to sound like the parent making excuses for the other one’s shortcomings, but Chatham is trying … in its own way. Nevertheless, where Chatham may fall short, us students are skilled at finding the many “howevers.” After all, there’s a reason we’re all still here!
Another fun fact about absent parents, and some of you reading this will be very familiar with this: you spend a lot of time thinking about what could’ve been.
If my dad were here I could’ve learned this. If Chatham were richer we could’ve had that.
Eventually, though, you come to realize the role you play in your own happiness and take responsibility for it. You accept what you don’t have and make something amazing with what you do.
When I talk to students from other universities, I’m no longer phased when someone is shocked by a reality of Chatham, because it’s just that: a reality. Eventually, complaining gets boring and you realize whether you had what someone did or not you’ll both end up in the same world post-college. I’ve evened my odds, just as you, Chatham students, do too.
Through my past four years in the Communiqué, I thought that my (especially my) eventual senior reflection piece would be light-hearted and sappy. I feel like I owe yinz some genuine advice, though. Take advantage of the disadvantage! Chatham is tiny, sometimes uninvolved and falls short in so many places; but with that there are so many places for you to take on leadership roles, initiate your own events and make yourself shine.
I do see the University heading for a positive uphill slope soon though, especially with some of the new leadership. But whether that stays consistent or not, don’t depend on it.
