I'm speechless...for once.

Wow, Chapman. Just...wow.

And I sincerely mean this in the nicest way possible.

I received my revised financial aid award letter today. And guess what? Chapman pulled through! I got my Chapman grant back!!!!!!! My dad and I almost cried when we found out. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards Chapman right now. They did show me they care. They really want me here! I can go to this school without worrying about a huge financial debt when I graduate.

Now to address the elephant in the room....Despite the fact I got most of my financial aid back and then some, do I still think that Chapman is worth $36,764?

And the answer is: No, I don't.

I am so unbelievably grateful. Don't get me wrong about that. But I still think there are some minor improvements that President James Doti could implement in this school to make it worth that much money.

There is a .00000000001% chance that this blog is what got me my financial aid back. I think we can attribute that to my father filling out/photocopying every little piece of our family's history in order to prove that I needed this money. But I can happily say that Chapman does indeed listen to student concerns, and for that, I am thankful. And you should be too.

Don't worry though...I haven't gone soft. There is still work to be done. The Picky Panther will always be on the prowl, looking for ways to better improve Chapman University life for it's students.

Much love,
Kara Rutkin
aka The Picky Panther

Food, glorious food...on Chapman's time

One of the things that used to severely bug me about the dining facilities at Chapman was the hours of operation. The food was great, I will admit...but I never had time to eat it! So I was hoping that with the opening of this new cafeteria facility, the hours would be extended, particularly during breakfast and lunch.

Nope.

Why is breakfast only open for an hour? What if the student likes to sleep in? And I remember the freshman 15 creeping up on me because I had class during the normal lunch hours, so I was subjected to burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets when I couldn't make it to the cafeteria for the good food.

I have yet to dine in the new facility, but I heard it's fabulous. And maybe the in-between hours food options have changed. However, I read a disturbing fact in The Panther the other day about how they are going to add a steak and salmon bar, which students can pay more for upper-end options.

Oh, Chapman. Looks like CLASS DISTINCTION is rearing it's ugly head again. Why do they insist we pay more to have anything nice at this school?

Getting hungry,
The Picky Panther

C-Park C-Sucks

Parking is terrible at Chapman. In fact, it's awful at most college campuses. But this year, Chapman Public Safety decided to respond to a "Student Satisfaction Survey" (I have no recollection of taking this), and had an economist come in to design a new parking strategy. So here is the Nobel-deserving parking plan that they came up with:

• Two of our parking garages will now require an automated transponder in order to enter (The Picky Panther highly approves of this. This actually does make parking easier. No sarcasm here, I promise).
• An incentive system for students who carpool or use mass transit (How they keep track of this factor, I haven't a clue)
  
• Reserved spaces in the Argyros Lot will be auctioned off to students as well as faculty and staff.
  

http://www.chapman.edu/parking/
http://www.chapman.edu/parking/faqs.asp

SCREEEEEEECH.

That would be the sound of my figurative tires coming to a halt.

An auction? As in, I would have to pay more for a good spot? Oh Chapman, you've really done it this time. You mean, for $280, I can't get good parking in Argyros on a first come first serve basis? But what if I don't have the $$$$$$$$ to outbid my fellow Panther? Because let's face it, my fellow Panthers, we have some rich kids who go here. Deny it all you want, but it's the truth. So basically, this parking plan created a little thing we like to call CLASS DISTINCTION.

So today, I decided to take a little stroll through the Argyros Lot just to see what kind of cars inhabited it. There were good cars, nice cars...pretty much cars that looked like they could afford a spot in the Argyros lot. Let me show you what I mean...

Enjoy,
The Picky Panther

DISCLAIMER: Once again, a little bit of unethical journalism on my part, but hey, research is research. Thank you to the owners of these fabulous cars. I do this out of love and jealousy. I'd be more than happy to trade you cars if you wanted...you keep the overpriced parking spot :)

I feel like Gossip Girl right now

Spotted, in the Chapman Leatherby Library:

Two students complaining quite loudly about the Chapman library printers. Student #1 was aggravated because the printer wasn't working yesterday. Student #2 began to vent about how Chapman cut student printer balances in half, and she has to pay to print anything else she will need over the course of the semester. The student was also irked because the school computer system never made her aware of this fact before it happened. Out of frustration, she grunted, "I hate this school and this school hates me."

Then Student #1 began to complain about how our library isn't open 24 hours. She posed a very poignant question: how come the film school is open to film students 24 hours, but the library isn't open to the majors, like history and English, that desperately need it?

Good questions, my fellow Panthers. I apologize for eavesdropping, but this was too good to pass up. You both brought up great points. It's bad enough we have to pay for scantrons, but now they are making sure we don't "print too much." Is this really part of our effort to go green, President Doti? Or is it just another way to rip off students?

And I agree on keeping the library open 24 hours. If we are paying to use this gorgeous facility, why can't it be available to us whenever we need it?

Okay, I promise no more eavesdropping. Not very professional of me, but I'll bet Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass would approve ;)














XOXO,
The Picky Panther

Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot...Chapman denied me a flu shot?

Happy Flu Season! It's that time of year where we are all told to wash our hands incessantly, get plenty of rest, and intake a lot of Vitamin C. Well, if you are a college student like I am, you probably consider getting 4 hours of sleep a "good night's rest," and are on a rigid diet of cafeteria food and Chipotle. So if you are constantly on the go like me, sometimes the only preventive measure you want to take is getting a glorious FLU SHOT!





<--My usual flu shot reaction






Well, if you go to Chapman, looks like you need to haul your unprotected rear end over to a local clinic, cause the student health office is OUT of flu shots. According to an article in the Panther, Chapman ordered 450 flu shots to be distributed over a course of 3 days, during certain hours. Students were required to pay $15 for a vaccination, faculty and staff could get one for free.

So the Chapman health office ordered four hundred and fifty shots for a student body of 4,293 undergrad, plus 1,289 graduate students, plus every single member of the staff and faculty of Chapman? That means that 7% of the Chapman population could get a flu shot. This in turn means that 93% of the Chapman population needed to take their flu shot needs elsewhere.

And why does faculty get it for free? Last time I checked, they weren't the ones paying a tuition...does this mean that my money is going towards the faculty getting a flu shot?

Nervous for her peers,
The Picky Panther

If you are currently in need of a flu shot, here is the information of a clinic that is close to Chapman University.

Want to play a game?

Yesterday, I went to Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights. Not gonna lie, it was awesome/terrifying. One of the main features of the event was a maze dedicated to the "Saw" franchise. Now, I personally have never seen any of these films, but that's mostly because I like to keep my lunch inside of my stomach.

So I had my friend explained the premise of this series to me: There is this murderer called the Jigsaw Killer. This sick individual kidnaps victims who need to learn a "lesson." He puts them through deadly "games" where they either can kill themselves or the people with them in order to win, and these trials will make them better people.

And then I thought...hmm, this situation sounds oddly familiar. Isn't there a certain SCHOOL that tries to teach me valuable life lessons 4 days a week? Yet there are sacrifices I must make to receive this education. Let's see...

• My parents are currently coughing up the cost of a yacht in order to pay for it.
• My dad is being forced to kill off a National Park's worth of trees with the stacks of paperwork he must fill out in order to gain some financial aid.
  
• I have become a slave to morning traffic on the I-22 freeway with all the commuting I must do these days.
  
• My roommates were plagued with a nasty cold I gave them last year, due to the health office denying me service because I didn't have an appointment.
• Freshman year, I was practically starved to death because of the inconvenient cafeteria hours.
  
• Many a teacher have stopped their lectures to give me the glare for walking in late to class, thanks to a severe lack of parking.
• I was sentenced to sharing a room with my 11-year-old sister because Chapman housing ran "out of rooms."
  

Gosh, going to Chapman makes me feel like I am sacrificing myself and others around me for a place that will hardly give me the time of day.

Shoot, did I just compare Chapman to SAW? Ouch. A little extreme, I'll admit. But sometimes, I sure feel like I'm giving up an arm and a leg to go here. Pun intended.

Game over,
The Picky Panther

For everything else, there's Chapman

Orientation fee: $145
Transcript fee: $10-25
ID Card Replacement fee: $10
Parking Permit: $280
Lab fees, for a class where you don't even use the computers: $75-180
Graduation fee. Yes, a fee for a diploma that you just paid about $37,000 for: $40
Health Service Fee: $125
Associated Students fee, even if you don't participate in any AS events: $20-60

Student's reactions to finding out how much extra money they are paying on top of their already ridiculously high tuition:

PRICELESS!!!!


Paying for Chapman with her parent's Mastercard,
The Picky Panther

Chapman Tuition Fees

Viva Italia

I'm a big fan of Italy. In fact, I am in the process of applying to study abroad in Florence, Italy, in Fall 2010. But right now, I am in the library, trying to read a reserve copy of a book that I only get for two hours, and this is going on outside my window:










Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with something like this. But here are some things that are currently wrong with Paul's Piazza Pasta Party in my exasperated little mind:

1. It's on a Monday night. I'm sure Christopher Columbus wouldn't be offended if we celebrated his discovery on a weekend.
2. They are playing super obnoxious techno/club music at top volume, and have been for the last 2 hours straight. Which brings me to number 3...
3. This event is taking place in the Attallah Piazza, which is directly adjacent to Chapman's Leatherby Library.

So far, I've seen about 7 students in the library walk away in an act of frustration...or maybe they just wanted to start waiting in that ridiculously long line for food. Either way, I can't help but find this event to be inconsiderate towards those of us who want to try and get our work done in the library. Just turn the music down! How am I supposed to understand Internet media relations with a Pitbull/Snow Patrol mash-up in the background?

Ciao!
-The Picky Panther

A Call to Action

Dear President Doti,

Today, I was looking over U.S. News Edition's list of the Top 200 colleges in the world. Harvard University was at the top, with an 100% approval ranking. Being a little biased, I decided to look through the list and see where Chapman University fell. Chapman's tuition is only $248 less than Harvard's. So if we cost as much as Harvard, we should be right up there with them, right?

So you can see why I was absolutely stunned to discover that our school was not even on the top 200. How is this possible? Aren't we currently boasting that we have Nobel laureates coming to research and teach at our school? That we have a brand new dorm, cafeteria, and sports complex to draw new students in? Isn't our film school supposedly one of the best in the country?


Actually, I will confess that I was not too surprised. Chapman is NOT Harvard quality. And it wouldn't be fair to compare it to Harvard, seeing that we do not have its 350 year old history. We also do not have the endowment that Harvard has, which is what causes the increase in Chapman tuition.

However, the one thought that keeps me up at night is this: if Chapman University is not the quality of an Ivy League school, why am I paying for one?

President Doti, I don't hate Chapman. I love the beautiful campus, my public relations and advertising major, the small classes, and all of the friends I've made here. But do these minute factors add up to $36,764? I do not think so. And after having almost half of my financial aid taken away from me this year, you can see why I am harboring a certain bitterness towards your institution.

As much as we can try to deny it, Chapman will never be the Harvard of the west coast. But let's try to figure out ways to make it worth our while. Because during this time of economic crisis and the job market being at an all-time low, is a $36,764 tuition going to be the answer to my prayers?

Sincerely,
Kara Rutkin
aka "The Picky Panther"

Picky Panther Origins

Before I begin to tell you about myself, I want to find out more about YOU and why you are looking at my little blog.

Are you a Chapman University student? Faculty? Parent? Prospective student? Donor? Alumni? Random visitor? School rival?

Is Chapman the school of your dreams? Do you bleed cardinal and gray? Do you have a tattoo of Pete the Panther on your right bicep? Is a picture of Chapman President James Doti framed above your mantel? Are you involved in Greek Life, a sport, Associated Students, Orientation, and so many other clubs and groups that you have no free time whatsoever? Do you send letters to USC once a week bragging about how much better our film school, lacrosse team, and advertising club is than theirs?



<---This is you







or...

Are you and your parents having to take on second jobs to pay off your tuition? Do the cafeteria hours and meal plans leave you starving after 7:00? Have you been denied housing because you live "in-area"? Have you had money taken away from your financial aid, even though tuition is rising? Have you been number 17 on a waitlist for a class that you desperately need to graduate? Does the new C-Park plan make you want to C-Barf?



<---This is you








If you did indeed answer yes to any of these questions, this blog is for you. Welcome to the Picky Panther. Now, before you go making assumptions about me, let me release a disclaimer : I love Chapman. I would not be going here otherwise. But sometimes, I don't feel like Chapman is reciprocating the same emotions. The reason I came to Chapman was because I felt like they wanted me to be here. But nowadays, it seems more like they just want my family's wallet. After being offered a healthy Dean's scholarship and Chapman Grant, I had most it taken away my sophomore and junior year with hardly an explanation. With a 6% increase in tuition this year, and the economy being what it is, you can start to see why my thoughts on Chapman haven't necessarily been positive ones these days.

I am currently going through the proper procedures to remedy this financial problem. So I am not writing this blog as a pathetic plea towards the financial aid office to get my grant back. The primary purpose of this is to pose one major question: is Chapman University WORTH all the money I'm paying for it? Because let's face it...as much as we can try to defend Chapman, it's not.

I'm a commuter student, so I really don't have the time or the gas money to get involved on campus. So this is going to be my role in the student body. To be a voice. To create a change. To ASK for this school to be worth the close to $40,000 it asks of its students. You listening, President Doti? Because your picture isn't hanging over my fireplace right now.

But let's be fair. Before you start following my blog, I insist you check out Chapman University's website to find out more about the school. Otherwise, you will have no clue what I am talking about 95% of the time.


I am the Picky Panther. Hear me roar.