Letter to the editor: Former student reflects on his decision to leave Buffalo State
May 11, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
At this time, I am being forced out of the Buffalo State’s Special Education program by their inability to provide a legitimate education.
I am a Master Level Special Education major who is unable to continue my education because I refuse to have any part of your Humor and Learning Course and refuse to pay for this rubbish. This course, an online “class” that consisted of a series of YouTube tutorials that walk you through how to perform simple magic tricks, did not cover anything having to do with individuals with disabilities and as an individual with a disability as well as the parent of an individual with a disability, I take offense at being told this course was designed for Master’s level students of exceptional education. Special Education Teachers are expected to work with students who have a wide range of learning, mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Would someone care to explain how magic works into this? The only magic trick that I want to know about it is the one that allows this kind of a course in a supposedly serious special education curriculum and with tuition of $5185.00 per semester. How am I the only one complaining about this?
I’ve tried to bring this to Buffalo State’s attention but the school has one concern: money. Not education. This is everything that is wrong with college education. I was told by the Student Dean Dr. Johnson that “your opinion of the course does not matter.” I urge those at BSC to help raise the abysmal standards of education within this school. If you are serious about educating individuals with disabilities, please do not attend Buffalo State College.
Sincerely,
Matthew Brick
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Max • May 13, 2015 at 1:06 pm
I don’t know about that class in particular, but I’ve seen a decent amount of academic dishonesty from professors at Buffalo State. Students never seem to care because they’re usually apathetic anyway, and only take notice if something hurts their grades. If professors want to hand out exam questions as “review” or give a class with an average exam score of 30% a 60-point curve, who are they to complain? Over time, professors and students seem to be coming to an implicit understanding of just how much integrity they can mutually sacrifice in exchange for superficial benefits. Based on that anecdote, and on my own personal experience, I think online classes are an accessory in further softening academic standards to a degree that would probably not be possible in classes that meet on campus.