I represent Florida, Agricultural, And Mechanical, University, and October 3, 1887! What…? This is our chant this is who I am, I have heard several of my family members say I bleed orange and green, I am FAMU, I love FAMU, this is my university and I will fight whatever thy battle be.
This chant represents how I feel almost every day when I step foot on this campus. I love my school. I am saddened when I hear students say they can’t “stand” FAMU, or they want to transfer to FSU. It truly breaks my hearts to hear such remarks. I hate when people who never even attended FAMU have so much to say about my school.
How we don’t get our net checks on time, or how FAMU steals your money, or how FAMU is very unprofessional. It makes me very upset because, they don’t see the family love we have one for another, they don’t see how some professors stay and work over time and after hours to ensure there students are getting the best. They don’t see us at the games lifting our two fingers with great pride to strike strike and strike our opponents. How can they be so absurd, or yet so right?
I have said it time and time again and will keep saying how much I love my school, but some things have got to change, on the faculty’s part and on our part as students.
Students if you know that priority financial aid is January to March, and you just did your FASFA in July, please know that you net check may be a little late. If you know that early registration was in the spring of 2011, and it is now fall 2011, please know that you may not get any classes you need for your major. If you know that you need a book voucher, but you have yet to complete your financial aid or haven’t check the status of your financial aid, please know that you may be without books or you may have to pay for your books out of pocket. But please don’t be discourage most of the textbooks are in the library on reserve, so you can still study.
Now faculty, mostly individuals in Footehilyer but not limited to Footehilyer, if you know that loans for students disburse before grants and scholarships please let the students know so they don’t accept unnecessary loans. If you know that students have simple questions that require simple answers, please drop the attitude and just answer the questions.
Remember this is you chosen career path so there is no need to take your anger out on the students. If you know that you don’t have the answer to the question a student is asking please be polite and try and find someone who does know, don’t just give the student a runaround. If you know that a student’s account has not been reviewed please don’t disburse their money , then two weeks later the student finds out you awarded them too much money, know they owe $1000. Advisors if you know that you had students come in for advisement please immediately take their holds off their accounts, you are holding them up for registering for class and receiving their net check to pay their bills, and please this is not all directed to the people in Foote-Hilyer this is for all faculty and staff.
If we all do our part and stop running our mouths to outsiders then our FAMU could be ten times better, and so many people won’t know our business. Like mama always said what goes on in this house stays in this house we need to adopt that same motto, when it comes to FAMU. You don’t hear the problems that FSU and TCC have because they don’t spread it around like wild flower, and please know that they have problems too. By everyone doing their part everyday to make FAMU better, we can live up to that beautiful eternal flame, The Best University voted and known by all. So again I represent Florida, Agricultural, And Mechanical, university October 3, 1887… What?