by Tyler Fransen
I transferred here from another school in 2015 and have, for the most part, really enjoyed my time here. There is one problem though, the Maverick Milestone class.
When I transferred here there was no equivalent to the Maverick Milestone class because it was a CMU exclusive. It made sense that I should take it, after all, CMU has to differentiate themselves from other colleges somehow. The thing is though, the classes they offered were not really all that appealing.
Now in the interest of complete disclosure, and in the hopes that this does not negatively impact me down the road, I am currently taking a Maverick Milestone class. If my professor is reading this, stop now, go back to what you were doing. There is nothing to see here, just move along.
Is he/she gone now? Okay.
Why am I being forced to take a class that one, has nothing to do with my major, two, is not a general education class and three, does very little for me other than give me more homework and stress?
I am a senior transfer student, so it was not a matter of waiting too long to take the class, but a matter of it not being required at my old school. Not to mention the subjects of the classes are as variable and random as trail mix.
“Patterns and Nature in Math?”
“History and Baseball Writing?” I realize that these are supposed to be cross platform classes but there is no reason for them to be paired up, other than to come up with an arbitrary class to fulfill the Maverick Milestone.
But none of this would matter in the slightest if I did not have to take it in order to graduate. My colleagues who are a year younger than me do not have
to take it because they were grandfathered into it, and they are the last class that this applies to. I however do have to take it. That, to me, is unacceptable.
Now do I think we should abolish the Maverick Milestone? In essence, no. There should be classes that people should be willing to explore and get a little outside of their comfort zone in. However, the current system in place is not working and needs some upgrades. Well, good news, I have those upgrades right here.
First, milestone classes should be subjects that make sense for a non-major, non gen- ed required class. Trying to mesh together subjects like biology and arithmetic, or baseball and history writing, is arbitrary and unnecessary. Instead, why not try more important classes like “Filing a Tax Return 101,” or “Cooking that does not Involve a Microwave,” or even something as crazy as “What to do in Certain Social Situations.” Do you know the kinds of things I would do to take a class that can teach me how to make dinner for
myself and not feel stupid and fat afterwards?
Second, if the subjects of the classes were to remain the same, then the Maverick Milestone should be optional, especially to transfer students. There should be classes offered for milestone, but if none of them appeal to students or make any sense as a class, then that person should not be required to take it. As a replacement, just take another elective in any subject field that is not already your major.
And finally, Maverick Milestone classes do not need to be extra work and stress, especially for those of us on the cusp of graduation trying to find jobs afterwards. The workload should only be that of in class time, and the occasional project or two, but nothing more
than that.
I hope everyone at CMU, except my milestone professor, reads this and takes it into consideration the next time they audit their work. Besides, not cooking in a microwave is going to really come in handy down the line.
Hi Tyler,
Thanks for opening up the conversation! I don’t see your name on my roster, so you aren’t taking the Milestone class that I and Dr. Steven Schulte are teaching (the actual name of the class is Baseball in History, Literature, and Culture). So I feel like I can respond freely. One very important correction to your concerns… the Milestone classes ARE “general education” classes (what we here call Essential Learning).
It’s a “capstone” course, designed to wrap up, solidify, and extend the other skills students have learned in the preceding Essential Learning courses. So baseball, which is actually a great lens through which to view American history, culture (including literature), and identity, is the topic around which the class practices critical thinking, analytic writing, active reading, working in groups, designing and implementing larger research projects, and presenting to groups.
I hope you warm up to your class and see the value in practicing those “gen ed” skills, while at the same time learning how interconnected learning and curiosity is across the campus curriculum. I’m sure other students share some of your concerns, but I hope they understand that the concept of the Milestone course (again, a capstone course for your Essential Learning, a bridge to the more intensive upper division courses) has been very carefully thought-out. It’s a concept that is in place in many of the best universities in the country, and the specific Milestone course has been designed to help CMU students practice and fine-tune the academic skills they’ll need in their upper division courses and in the world after graduation.
Dr. Jennifer Hancock
Department of Languages, Literature, and Mass Communication