[Cwgrad-announcements] RE:VERY IMPORTANT - VITAL - Please Read

[cwgrad-announcements at lists.ucr.edu]

Greetings Everyone,

First off, to the newly enlisted second years - hell yes - congratulations 
you deserve it; love, respect and adulation to each and everyone of you.  
You all and of course I will be receiving our very own degree that reads: 
Creative Writing/ Writing For The Performing Arts.  I'm very excited for all 
of us in this regard.  This is a question, well honestly, it's more of an 
issue (here goes the neighborhood)  - please think about this.  This is a 
new program, yes we understand this, all well and said, yes y los profesoras 
son excelentes.

But, and here is the issue (finally).

When you go onto GROWL (rrrrrrr!!) and do a degree check - why does it only 
show that we have a Major: Creative Writing for the Performing Arts and no 
Concentration?  This is very serious.  When you get your degree it will only 
read: Creative Writing/Writing for the Performing Arts.  It will not have a 
concentration listed on it.  Lets say you are a Poet following the Poetry 
guideline concentration track.  Nope, there is no Poetry concentration, 
there's a Creative Writing track listed, no Poetry among the many listed in 
the concentration section.  If you are in Fiction writer, Screenwriting, 
Playwriting or both, no, no concentration among the many are listed.

Okay fine, if we do not have concentrations why are we made to choose a 
concentration (Fiction, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Non-Fiction, Poetry)?  
Why can't we just do four of any classes, do a multi-faceted Thesis and be 
done with the degree within a one-year?  Some of us that are second years 
won't be making it back because of money, sadly - or they've drop twenty 
thousand in loans for year two, pity.  My writing you all is not to cause 
confusion, more so I am trying to bring I believe a very important issue to 
the light.

As an adult - we all have the ability to seek alternative funding, 
participate in writing competitions and the like, but this is not the issue. 
  The issue is, when we got the Fellowships to come here (thank you) - if 
there are no concentrations to be had in this degree program, most of us 
could have finished this degree program in one years time.  But no, it's 
dragged out to two and with no recognized concentrations, this is a serious 
issue 'B' (lol).  We are here for two years working very hard to achieve our 
Degrees in Creative Writing/ Writing For The Performing Arts, no 
concentration - wow.

Go onto Growl do a degree check - I've done it several times - dismayed 
behind the fact that, I have chosen a track (Screenwriting/Playwriting) and 
I am working very hard at it, but when I get my degree - that will not be 
listed.  None of our chosen concentrations will be listed and here we are, 
"I'm this I'm that, but they all just wick wick wack - wick wack.  I'm not 
red or white or black I'm brown from the Boogie Down -- Productions," who 
said that?  Yo KRS-One!  (Okay, Idrissa back to it) Look at the bright side 
- you could be considered as a jack of all trades, the person who writes, 
fiction, poetry, non-fiction, screenplays and stage plays, exceptionally 
well, but unfortunately this is not what we are here to actually do.  We are 
here to select a blank Concentration within this Major and succeed at it 
exceptionally well.  If you really want to get to it, some of us may have 
enough credit to select a Minor within our Majors.

WE SHOULD HAVE THAT OPTION AND THOSE OPTIONS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED ON PAPER, 
THE DEGREE WHEN WE GRADUATE FROM ---- UCR (go Highlanders).  Side note, our 
teams are actually cool - for me I prefer women's basketball and soccer, go 
support!

Maybe this is a wasted email and I am over-exaggerating my feelings on the 
subject - NOT!!  This new program where bugs must be worked out.  I am 
simply presenting what I perceive to be a major bug.  This an issue that 
needs concentration (lol), talked about, and tackled, we deserve it.  I'm 
not saying the University is being underhanded - no one wants to be called 
names - but this situation is sketchy.

I raise hell because I love you - and there is nothing you can do about it -

Once again to all of you second years, love your work and lets finish this 
program strongly - to the newcomers - - welcome to the Desert.

Idrissa
2nd Year - Screenwriting/Playwrighting