Well we know they are special (as is everyone of course) so we MUST NOT blame the VICTIM.

Of course we MUST NOT acknowledge that some percentage of the students are immature, emotionally needy in some regard, and are not fully rational in the concepts of what they need. (Naturally, males and adults are not that way.)

I'm sure that another non-teaching administrator is needed to fully study this problem so that the student's needs are addressed with an appropriate action plan.

(Gag reflex setting in. Must stop.)

"Sizable portions of the survey participants said they were neither comfortable nor uncomfortable."

What that says to me is that the majority of respondants, failing to find a "this whole thing is stupid" choice on the survey, just marked the same choice on every question, and that they only bothered that much because they were required to, or because there was some incentive for turning the survey in.

And yes, the yellow brick road. Where the dogs of society howl.

uncomefortable... yup, eng student in one of the all party dorms at the university of colorado? Room mate, a basketball player with groupies? He moved out a month later, 'cuz his coaches wanted him with the rest of the team... which makes sens, as they have to keep those guys corralled. Cool guy, but not there to study same sort of thing.

"man, you study ALL THE TIME. What's wrong with you?"

I wasn't exactly socially awkward, but also, not an extrovert.

Did it make me whine about being uncomfortable? Nah, on the contrary, it exposed me to a wider variety of people.

I can just hear the next total breakthrough in research:
"Many soldiers find being shot at gives them the feeling of rejection!"
"Being arrested a downer", say those in jail.

That was kind of interesting, actually. While the Times article didn't really discuss specific questions, it seemed to me that the survey was similar to the climate surveys we were asked to respond to in the Air Force during my time there.

The other thing that occurred to me was the differences in how the responses could be interpreted. A respondent saying that he or she had been the victim of a crime is a pretty concrete matter, particularly if such responses correlate with police reports for those campuses.

However, some responses seem to generate even more questions. Regarding students feeling left out or isolated, the article doesn't go into why the students felt that way, or what their perceptions were based on. I don't know if the survey was designed to do that. Was their feeling of isolation along the lines of, "Gee, those other folks are having such a good time and I'm not. What's wrong with me?" or was it a matter of, "Damn, that guy just threw a rock at me and called me a racial slur," or was it, "People shut the door when they see me coming down the hall?"

I thought I was uncomfortable at Big U, when I was placed in an honors English class and had to write, extensively, about me, for every class. Face it, not many 18 year olds have lead an interesting life, and I found that both difficult and painful.

Parris Island showed me their were nuances of uncomfortable I had yet to learn, and a whole spectrum of people I had never met. A bell curve has two ends, and the Marines had examples of both in abundance.

Had I gone back to that school, and taken that class again, I would have had plenty to write about, and discomfort to share.

As a white male in graduate school I ALWAYS felt uncomfortable; especially when professors would single me out (sometimes being the only white male in the classroom beside the teacher) as an example of the oppressor class. This was, of course, based only on their observation of my race and gender, and not based upon me as an individual person.

I thought college was where you were supposed to be facing challenges, learning about life, experimenting, etc. What the hell does "comfortable" have to do with it? Ye gods.

as an example of the oppressor class

You should have stood up, and said in a loud voice bow down before me or I shall taunt you again.

I mean, if you're part of the oppressor class, you should reap the perks. Amirite?

If I get pointed at as an example of the oppressor class, I'll have my best evil supervillain laughter ready to go.

No, Sweetie, life isn't an all inclusive resort. The people around you have not been trained in outstanding customer service. And in fact, they look at you as part of their own experience. Don't let the pressure get to you.

I actually did get pointed out once in some B.S. sociology class, as the oppressor class, and did the evil laugh. The professor never did point out that I was the oppressor class again. The class thought it was hilarious though.

I disagree. I've worked in a number of schools, summer camps, after school programs, etc. and ABSOLUTELY the culture of the school makes a difference in how kids treat each other. There will always be some incidents, there will always be some people who are meaner than others, but school culture plays a large role.

The yellow brick road is a bad metaphor for sweetness and light, by the way. It was full of Kalidahs and other nasty things.