Guide to Student Life 2002-2003

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Dean of Students’ Letter

Office of the Dean of Students

September 2002

I doubt that when Lyman Frank Baum wrote The Wizard of Oz he had the college experience in mind, but students travel an allegorical yellow brick road of their own. When Dorothy set out in search of the Wizard, she was accompanied on her journey by companions. During their journey they experienced joy, fear, and disappointment. They traveled to parts unknown, they made new friends, and they learned that they had inner qualities—courage, compassion, and the ability to think for themselves— that they never would have discovered if they had not had each other and they had not taken their journey. In the end Dorothy and her friends realized their wishes, even though they were each in search of something different. The Scarecrow got his honorary degree, the Cowardly Lion got his medal of valor, the Tin Man found he could care, and Dorothy got back to Kansas.

The expectations students have about college and the perceptions that they form about higher education before they matriculate are often very different from what they come to know. There is much about the educational journey that can be learned only through experience. While in college, students meet many new people; they come to know the thrill of success and the disappointment that accompanies failure. They attend college for different reasons, they set their sights on different career paths, and they often change their minds as they struggle to achieve their goals.

Dorothy and her friends found what they were searching for. I hope the same for you, and I would suggest that you think of the college as a marketplace of ideas. You may not agree with everyone you meet. Moreover, you may not like every idea you encounter inside or outside of the classroom, but I urge you to remember that everyone who was offered the opportunity to study at CMC was admitted because they had something to contribute. The educational process is principally an individual effort, but it is enriched by the larger student body.

There will be few times in your life when you will be in the same place, with so many people, who are roughly the same age, who have a common pursuit. I look forward to your participation and your contributions, and I hope you have a productive and successful journey as you travel the yellow brick road of your choice.

Sincerely,

W. Torrey Sun
Vice President and Dean of Students