What the hell is up with the Babson Free Press? Issues come out once in a blue moon on a random schedule. I emailed them to see if I could write some stuff (as I rite good) and their mailbox was full. I don’t think anyone checks it. The web address on the front page is not run by someone using it for google ads. Let’s face it- the Babson paper is a major embarassment.

Now I know it is hard to put out a decent paper every week. More so as there are no liberal arts english/photography/journalism majors that can use the job on their resumes.

So seeing as how a decent student paper is not only a benefit to the student body, the school, alumnae, and potential students, I would think the college might want to do something to help people out who are running it.

Many other schools give class credit to the editor or senior staff of their papers. This is because it is a LOT of work. Editors have to write more, edit more, do more accounting, do more negotiations with vendors and advertisers, hirer (and fire) more staff, etc,. than in any other class on campus. Why not give the poor editor some credit for a doing their job. The grade can be based upon how many issues come out on time, and how good they are.

This would be such a far better learning experience than any stupid FME business.

But no, the editor will still have to put out a paper in their spare time, and spend hours doing useless work reading books about post feminist lesbian colonial pre modern literature instead.

Krap Kernal

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

I woke up this morning to plows. I look outside to find the blizzard that we expected to get. So naturally, I look at the computer and wander over to babson.edu to see if class got cancelled. Answer: absolutely not.

Apparently, we’re just about the only school in the Boston area that feels the need to have class during a blizzard (I think there were over 500 closed schools in the area today). More appropriately, we’re just about the only school that has absolutely no regard whatsoever for the safety of the staff and students.

Maybe the snowfall as of 8am wasn’t so horrible that the faculty, staff, and students couldn’t get to campus. But knowing that a blizzard has already started, and that this blizzard will turn to sleet, freezing rain, etc., then how is everyone supposed to get back home after the blizzard has set in and the roads are covered with freezing rain?

I only hope someone doesn’t have to pay the price with their life on the way back from class today for the administration to wake up and realize that having one snow day during the year isn’t such a horrible thing.

And it wouldn’t hurt for the admins to realize this is a COLLEGE, and that maybe snow days once in a while would improve the quality of life because no one likes doing 360’s on icy roads on the way to class, getting pinballed around among trees, cars, and other obstacles.

Anyway, stay safe everyone, and if you see Bareass around, smoke his nuts with your steel-toe boot for me and for all those whose insurance payments will double today as a result of the snow day that never was.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

Even though I’d prefer not to go to class at all, being in class on Wednesday is great. Why? Because I don’t have class on Friday!

There was talk about switching to a class schedule where classes were Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. That was one of the dumbest things I’ve heard here, and believe me, I hear plenty of stupid things. Why would anyone want to have Wednesday off and then have class on a Friday??!

From what I’ve heard, most students think it’s retarded. Professors probably do to. So why does Babson want to go through with it?

Supposedly a free day mid-week will enhance the community by providing a time when students can get together for fun activities. Please… don’t we already have “What’s Up Wednesdays?” And you know how popular those are…

No one will do anything special. They’ll probably just be in the library for the day or stay in bed due to more drinking than usual on a Tuesday night. Then the weekend, when students can actually do things, will be cut short. Overall, students will be even less happy than they are now!

How did Babson even come up with this idea? I don’t know of any other top schools that run on this schedule. I challenge them to provide benchmark data from even one peer institution that shows this is a good idea. If you have any proof of how this will increase productivity, happiness, satisfaction, or anything else, please post it here.

And last but certainly not least, there is no way the faculty are loving this. They need the long weekends too. See, the faculty have some things to do besides teach. Most importantly, they do scholarly research projects for the school. I’m sure the school values these projects more than they value our learning. But when do professors do their research? It would be idiotic to do bits and pieces here and there. They need 3-day weekends to sit down and spend some quality time on these things.

If you are really self-centered and don’t care about the faculty’s needs, think about this. Having quality faculty makes a big difference in the reputation of the school. Having nationally-recognized professors will greatly enhance the power of your degree. Judging by some of the new profs I’ve had these past two years, Babson really needs to do something to attract top talent. Cutting down the weekend is NOT the way to attract these people.

So Babson, please do us all a favor and forget about Friday classes (and overhaul OCL while you’re at it.)

Popularity: 4% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

Reverend Esby as you’ve known me.  Bryan Steward, by my legal identity.  If you were crafty, you’d have already learned this from facebook.  All shock aside though, I have decided to go public for a reason.  Thus far, I’ve merely been a writer who has hid himself from the masses to prevent public backlash or worse yet backlash from the college.  But sometimes conflict is a good thing… or so they say.

Read more »

Popularity: 3% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

Good question.  The Snow Ball is coming up on Friday, but the President’s Ball is long gone.  It was over at about the same time Barefoot lost interest in the school.  Surprising correlation, huh?

If the president doesn’t care, he doesn’t get his name on things.  He would have to at least show up at the ball to get his name on it, and that is asking too much.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

This won’t be news to anyone in Map Hill, but for the past two weeks, the elevator has been broken. Ever since that time known as “move-in day,” we have been carrying our suitcases, sports equipment, and laundry up and down the stairs. I’m all for taking the stairs, but seriously, what’s the point of having the elevator if it just sits there out of use?

A few days ago the RD made a big announce, and it went something like this: “Kone Elevator… completed a thorough analysis of the problem” but “the eventual diagnosis took longer than originally expected and a newly installed part did not completely solve the problem.” And here’s the kicker, “the elevator is still not operational.” Big surprise there…

However, they were nice enough to put up a sign describing the problem:

Popularity: 2% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend

Hello Once Again. After thinking about whether or not I shall create a second entry so soon, at the risk of revealing my identity, I decided why the hell not.

Many people on these boards came to criticize Babson’s curriculum, so I’ve decided to further some comments made and topics discussed. I do believe that the Science Classes at Babson are simply repeats of high school sciences (perhaps even middle school) and that many of the liberal arts foundation courses are repeats of each other. One Class that sticks out in my mind as the epitome of Babson’s reputation, thus the source of the Almighty Hell, is the Devil formerly known as FME, or to the students as F-ME.

Long ago, back in the days of the covered wagon and when the Yankees were winning in the postseason, when the “potential freshmen” would tour Babson, it was explained to them that FME is why Babson is above other schools. FME seems to be the “life changing experience” that puts Babson ahead of any other business school. Well, one students take FME they can realize how badly mistaken they were at that time. Here’s why:

FME is a waste of in class time. It is simply going over programs like Excel, Access and perhaps even PowerPoint (might as well be Rybolt’s class) and the exams are comprised of problems with databases and basic accounting. Granted accounting is important in a business, but is IT really deserving of 50% of the FME cirriculum??? Now if you have horrible professors (mine never gave above a B+) then the problems are exacerbated.

Now I will go into the FME business. This “demi-god” is bestowed upon us by the administration and hyped up to be one of the biggest deals on Earth, when in all reality, all of that extra work is worth just over A THIRD of a class. We have to take 4 2/3 classes on top of this business, but social life’s are stunted and so is happiness because of the constant work involved in FME businesses, especially as officers. The fact that Babson is known for sadistic workloads does not help the students cause anyway.

Here is why the businesses are overrated. One is that when you are working, you cannot choose who you want to be in the business with (limited to class) and what the ideas are for the business. Some of the business ideas only make it through because of personal popularity rather than actual logistical merit, and good ideas are thrown out. And you are often in the business with 10-20 people that really don’t care about the business either, making it counter-productive. A better idea would be to let the kids in the grade form arbitrary groups of 30 and then come up with business ideas.

Sometimes this school makes me wonder why I even bother getting up in the morning, when I’m just going to face Babson every single day. I also wonder why I’m not an alcoholic.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Bookmark This Page or Email It To a Friend