Three days a week I sit in my chemistry lecture, and learn…not much. The course is called, Chemistry 101 and the short description goes: ‘Fundamental chemical laws via such topics as nuclear energy, chemistry and the environment, present and future energy processes and some industrial processes.’ What we’re now covering involves the professor’s specialty as a chemical physicist. We’ve recently been studying complex chemical kinetics and even quantum mechanics…aka, wtf?!

Through the online discussion messenger a number of students have banded together and basically…revolted. We’ve taken things into our our hands, and have contacted the administrative OMBUDS office, which deals with such issues. I myself, along with other students have emailed the office and let them know that the material Professor Stidham is teaching is just too complex for an introductory chemistry class. Oh and of course…this is his first time teaching the class. Prior to this he’s taught graduate level chemistry courses. He’s nice, but he’s also a stubborn eighty-something year old man. When a group of students came up to him and addressed the issue of the class being too difficult, he merely said, “Well you’ll just have to study for the exams a little harder.”

Even though I felt like I needed to do this, I do feel a little guilty. I took a make-up exam, because I was sick for the original and now Professor Stidham knows me by name. I went up to him today to get my test back and he kind of croaked, “Oh, George I have your graded test!” He seemed enthusiastic to talk to me on a name-to-name basis…=/ But…the class average on the exam was a 60, and the 3 exams we’ll have make up our entire grade for the class, I got a 72. I’m just hoping some action will be taken…hopefully just enough so that he’ll dumb down the material. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.