Essay 2

Matt Fetske

9/10/14

Professor Rasheda Young

Writing Skills

Essay 2

 

 

With the deadline for the submission approaching my homework gets finished. The only thing left to do is to submit it online. This would usually be a trivial task but as I try to enter the webpage I get a message that I have no connection to the internet.  This shouldn’t be, because my Wi-Fi is on and connected to the FDU internet, but then I realize that is the problem.  The FDU WI-FI is so poor that my laptop cannot use it to connect to a webpage and my assignment will be turned in late if I don’t find a solution.  I restart the machine and hope for a better outcome.  I know that this process is taking too long and at this pace I would receive a late grade. The internet is sluggish to connect and by the time I get to submit my homework the assignment is late.  Those are points taken away for no fault of my own. Here at Fairleigh Dickinson University the Wireless internet is a big problem. It impedes students academically, socially, and their productivity.  It is the responsibility of the administration here to find a more productive way for their students to access the internet.

The Wi-Fi here has resulted in late submissions, unfinished downloads, and miscommunication all throughout campus. These outcomes have affected student’s grades and understanding of their classes negatively and in turn brought down their grades. Academics are very important in college and shouldn’t be affected by lack of quality internet. Students are paying for these classes and it’s unfair to them. When I submitted my homework late it brought down my grade significantly and since there isn’t too much grades in, it looks like I’m failing, which I am. I’m positive many students have similar stories where the internet has stopped them from full academic potential.

Another problem this internet raises is its ability to use social media applications at will. Many students use apps such as Instagram, Twitter, and Yik Yak but are unable to refresh their feed and get new updates. This might lead to less connectivity on campus and more people out of the loop on what’s going on. An example of this is when a sporting event is going on and a student reaches out on a social media app to find out the score but is unable to because they cannot send the message. Or when someone is trying to communicate to back where they’re from and they don’t receive their message because that app is not receiving information. The result in both of these scenarios is less social interaction.

The productivity students generate should be maximized by their surroundings, but with current FDU internet, it is greatly reduced. Students may not be able to get information off the internet. Others might not be able to reach out to their professors for help. Now the students don’t have all the information necessary to complete their assignments to the fullest. With the internet as is I believe it is causing the students to be less productive than what should be.

 My problem within my community is not relatable to Valerie Kinloch’s essay “Harlem Is Art”. Valeria points out race all throughout her writing while my problem of wanting better internet has nothing to do with race; it affects everyone whether you’re black, white, or anything else. The struggle I face is for enhanced Wi-Fi where she is fighting what she thinks is a struggle for the preservation of black Harlem culture. If anything gentrification would help solve my problem because they would replace the old internet for more modern and quality internet.  

The reality right now is that the current internet connection is making the ability to function harder as a student and a member of society. When will somebody do something about this and make this school that much better? And if you don’t want to answer that question you are going to ask who will be the next to suffer from the internet?