Students should utilize professors' office hours

Editor:

I am writing in regards to the letter from Joanne Garro on March 7. I have one thing to say in response to Garro's claim that she is forced to feel like "a mere number" at this university; take some initiative! This is my third year at the UA, and I, too, have attended lectures filled with up to 500 students. What Ms. Garro fails to realize is that with a student body consisting of over 40,000 students, it would be virtually impossible for administrators to spoon feed each and every one of us.

What many students do not realize is that this problems has a fairly simple solution; go to your professors' office hours! You'd be surprised at how many of them are more than ready and willing to give you the personal instruction that you need and desire. In fact, I've found that the majority of them are lonely during their office hours and even embrace the opportunity for interaction with students. Rather than complaining endlessly of the overwhelming size of classes, it might benefit students to instead spend their time making contact with their professors and teaching assistants. This networking is what distinguishes a student from being a mere number at a large university such as the UA.

Contrary to recent popular belief, this university has a myriad of benefits to offer students if they only make some effort to take advantage of them. In fact, one of the reasons the UA receives negative publicity is because of students who hold Garro's attitude, neglecting to better themselves and their educations by taking charge.

So, Ms. Garro, next time you feel like criticizing the UA for failing to cater to your every need, you might remember: if you wanted all the perks of a smaller university, you should have gone there in the first place!

Megan Auchenbach

English and MCB Junior

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