CCAs are the Worst Things Ever

As I sit listening to my last CCA talk of my college career, I want to reflect about how much I despise CCAs.

Yes, I do appreciate learning, after all, I do attend Hillsdale College. I do like to listen to interesting and intelligent speakers. But there are about 8 billion ways that CCAs could be better.

One of the biggest issues that I can see are the times of CCAs. No one wants to finish class for the day at 3:45 and then hike over to Phillips to hear more lectures. 4:00? This is my nap/re-caffenite/catch up on "Shark Tank" time. It's a horrible time in the day. Also 8:00? So I have finally snuggled up in my bed and really gotten down to doing homework, and then I have to trudge back to the CCA? Seriously the worst.

The other problem is some of the speakers. I understand that to know a topic well, you have to study it your whole life. But there's a reason Hillsdale doesn't hire professors who are in their 90s. Students want to listen to a professor who wasn't an adult when people thought the internet was a fad. Some of the speakers don't seem to have any interest in entertaining us, but are much more interested in listening to the sound of their own voices. Our professors aren't like that. There has got to be some speakers out there in the world who want both to entertain and to teach us.

Also, the Q&A session. It's a joke. No one ever learns anything from Q&As. During this time, I usually check my email and look around to see which Hillsdaters are holding hands. Everyone, including the donors, tries to act controversial and intellectual. Dude, I've got things to do and people to see. Go to the speaker afterward and waste your own time - not mine.

Since when did CCA papers begin to get graded so harshly? Look, I hate to break it to the External Affairs Office, but these papers are the last thing I care about. Hmm... should I spend time on my Honors Thesis and Roman Civ Paper, or my 1 credit CCA seminar? It's a pretty easy choice. We get no breaks attending Hillsdale. Even PE classes can sometimes be hard. So CCA readers, give us some slack and just slap an A on our papers.

We all know why the College holds CCAs. Hillsdale accepts no federal funding and it's a great way to give donors the "Hillsdale experience" without letting 150 retirees invade our classes. We need the money. I get it. But don't subject me to boring lectures, annoying Q&As, and A- 1 credits because we need funding. There HAS to be a better way to rake in the funds under the guise of broadening students' educations.

I know this is super ranty and when you read this you thought to yourself, "Here goes Emmaline again acting like her crazy self." But look kids. This is my last semester at Hillsdale and I want to treasure every minute I have left. And guess what? I never get back the hours that I spent at the CCA bored out of my mind. But I guess I can take solace in my new found knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci's inventions.