So this is the email i wrote to Trent:


"I think that only 4 of us will be back in time and I cant promise participation from anyone, even myself cause I dont know yet if I want to defend this semester - it is an, and has been, an uphill battle here to understand why,
how, and on what this semester moves. Challenging and thought provoking certainly, but academic? In a sense that can be defined and justified to Ramapo? I have my doubts.

We learned pretty quick that things are done differently here, from timing, to the flexibility of set schedules(by flexibility, I mean not knowing till the day of what we were doing) and that the learning is a 24 hour process. But
there is the element of carrot & stick that is lacking here: the stick.

I dont know if you have been corresponding with Siddartha or John at all but out of the ten students, as of tonight 4/7, 5 of the 10 have handed in the third paper. The paper was orginally due 3/25, it was then pushed back to 3/31 and now it is 4/7 and we have 5 of 10 students who have completed the assignment. Two of the 10 students have yet to finish their 2nd paper and we have less than 2 weeks left here, in which the last paper, the most substantial and academic of the four, is due. And it isnt due on the 19th, but on the 18th and the
presentations are scheduled to begin on the 14th.

I love the time ive spent here and the things ive learned. This place is going to affect me for years to come and continue to challenge me and piss me off and disgust me, but the human relationships ive built will drive me forward for years. But im am not suprised that you are having trouble defending this program as academic to Ramapo. Frankly, it isnt. And that is both good and bad, as you know. Read the papers Trent, then make your own decision.

Hell man, the way people approached class, field visits, and learning opportunities here has been downright disgusting and horrible - those words are Dr.Gowda's, words i strongly support. When Dr. Barretto gave his amazing 2 day lecture about India's economic history and present condition, and this was one of the best lectures we had - there were 5 students present. Five. Half of the group. That style of attendance, with over a quarter to a third of the students missing from class & field visits began shortly after you left.

This is my perspective - not the groups and not a balanced or fair one - ive got stringent standards when it comes to class and participation - those are my own standards and its unfair to hold others to them. And hell the papers could be all turned in by the 20th. I hope so. And Ive only read my papers, people could be writing some amazing stuff, if they are writing at all. And im going to give folk, against experience, the benefit of the doubt.

But ive got to seriously question if i want to defend this semester to the college. Holding fireflies up to my past experiences as a human being there are some serious problems here with how people are treated and how the semester is conducted with reference to fair and equal student treatment, to what our grades are based upon, to the exposure we have to India, to the freedoms we have, and to a lack of any clear or concise message from those who are supposed to be organizing and facilitating this semester. Of the faculty that the syllabi said would be around at this time to help us with our final project - One of them is here, Siddartha, and he is not always available. Omgee is coming on the 9th and Gowda might be back by then, but no one knows. The lack of definition or clear communication between facilitators and students is, at times, stunning.

I love the people here and the learning opportunity is amazing. But it has some serious problems which need to be rectified if I am to help promote this program. I think a semester at Bangalore university would of been amazing and fantastically challenging as Fireflies has been. Both offer things the other does not.

The experience of travelling outside of one's country, one's comfort zones, and committing one's self to a good period of time living abroad is a defining and directing moment in anyone's lives. To live in India for 3 odd months has shaped me strongly and given me such a shot in the ass for the future that i hope my butt doesnt explode with potential. But if that energy is misdirected, ignored, let roam willy nilly about then there will be no way for people to harness it and engage with it actively, critically, and throughly.

I think there needs to be more structure and commitment from both sides of this equation - students & faculty - to really make this program shine. Im not talking of a rigid structure but one built collectively and supported
collectively, one that ceases to exists as people cease to participate so that a level of commitment is required. As of now the rough edges tend to dominate the picture. Concrete suggestions and ideas im going to save cause this is long enough. But to summarize, as of now, I cant defend this as academic, for the group, because it demonstrates a lack of guidance, opportunity, and support that an academic experiences requires. I can share my feelings and experiences about 3 months living in India, and hell I'd love to share that.

But this program needs tons of work - and fundamentally - i think it requires a certain type of student. I think that this year's group does not contain enough of that student, by far, by reallly realllllly realllllllly far. It is the students who make it or break it - and in my eyes, wearing the glasses of a Ramapo paper pusher, they broke it like a ming dynasty vase. But again, Ive read only my papers and am holding everyone to my standards - so, I hope im
proven wrong.

I'll see you soon, im spending two nights in Paris drinking wine and eating crepes before i come home. And ill figure out then whether or not I can handle a room full of people asking me questions.

Thanks for putting this together Trent. Maybe when we get together we can talk about the good and try to work out the bad."

Demetrius


It was in response to this email:


"hey people,

i need to know how many of you will be able to participate in this event. i am inviting the whole college and will probably get 50-75 people. The event will be very important for the future of the program

I have formed a faculty support group for the India semester -including Ruma Sen , Susan Hangen, .whom you might take follow up courses with on south asia and who might help you improve the papers you have written for
publication!

This event could secure the future of the Indian semester at Ramapo - it has been a long up hill struggle to get a semester program that is not connected to an official academic institution legitimated- can you think of what your semester would have been if you were going to the University of Bangalore?

I look forward to hearing your stories and evaluations - later we and the "04 semester group will meet on my hill top overlook of the mid-Hudson valley for a party and an insider analysis of the semester program.

Are any of you staying back in India for awhile?"


He then procedeed to forward it to the whole group with the following addendums:

DEMETRIUS,

YOUR PERSONAL JUDGMENTS AND QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ACADEMIC QUALITY OF THE
PROGRAM AND THE LIMITED PARTICIPATION OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS ARE VERY
WORRISOME AND MUST BE PUBLICLY DISCUSSED
.

YOUR CRITICISMS WOULD VALIDATE THE VIEWS OF SOME RAMAPO ADMINISTRATORS WHO HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SHUT DOWN THIS PROGRAM BECAUSE IT IS NOT DIRECTLY TIED TO AN ACADEMIC INSTITUTION.

PEOPLE IF THESE VIEWS ARE YOUR COLLECTIVE CONCLUSION THE INDIA SEMESTER IS
HISTORY.

IN MY DEFENSE OF THE PROGRAM AT RAMAPO, AND MY SIMPLE RESPONSE TO DEMETRIUS, IS THAT DIVIDING THE ACADEMIC AND MORAL-PERSONAL IS EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMUNITY LEARNING PROCESS OF FIREFLIES ASPIRES TO TRANSCEND AND IN PRACTICE USUALLY DOES

HENCE FRAGMENTING JUDGMENTS ABOUT THE ACADEMIC AND MORAL-PERSONAL HAS TO BE- iN MY JUDGMENT- PUSHED INTO A COMMUNITY DISCOURSE AND MUST NOT REMAIN PRIVATE ALIENATION AND SUFFERING
.

I AM HOPING THAT THE COMMUNITY LEARNING PROCESS OF FIREFLIES MIGHT BE APPLIED TO THESE QUESTIONS AND JUDGMENTS BEFORE THEY BECOME AN IRREVERSIBLE STIGMA ON THE '05 SEMESTER EXPERIENCE. DEROGATIVE WORDS ONCE SENT INTO THE WORLD SET UP A FATE THAT WE CAN NOT ANTICIPATE.

DEMETRIUS I AM SORRY I HAVE TO VIOLATE THE PRIVACY OF YOUR PERSONAL E-MAIL TO ME....BUT GIVEN THE FUTURE ULTIMATE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE PRIVATE ALIENATIONS A COMMUNITY DISCUSSION MIGHT RESOLVE SOME OF YOUR DISAPPOINTMENTS AND HELP THE SEMESTER COME TO A BETTER END.

I HOPE IT IS NOT TOO LATE.

THEREFORE I ASK ALL OF YOU AT FIREFLIES TO READ AND DISCUSS DEMETRIUS'S
QUESTIONS AND JUDGMENTS AND MY SUGGESTIONS THAT FOLLOW BELOW.

SCHROYER SUGGESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION;

FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER WE HAVE SAID THAT RAMAPO STUDENTS ARE
ENTERING INTO A LEARNING COMMUNITY AT FIREFLIES -WHICH IS A HUB FOR A WIDER
LEARNING COMMUNITY. YOU HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO ENCOUNTER WORLDS YOU WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ENABLED TO ENTER WITHOUT THE WIDELY RESPECTED REPUTATIONS OF SIDDHARTHA AND THE PIPAL TREE NETWORK.

AN ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BANGALORE WOULD NOT HAVE GIVEN YOU ACCESS TO COMMITTED ACTIVIST'S AND CRITICAL INTELLECTUALS. IF YOU WERE LUCKY YOU WOULD HAVE GOTTEN SOME GOOD ACADEMIC ENCOUNTERS AT THE UNIVERSITY. BUT YOU WOULD HAVE EXPERIENCED GANDHIAN FREEDOM ONLY ACADEMICALLY. THE SPIRIT OF LEARNING IN THE FIREFLIES NETWORK IS UNIQUE AND I SUBMIT YOU WILL ALWAYS BE CHANGED BECAUSE YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED
IT

SIDDHARTHA'S WELCOME TO YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU WERE GOING TO BECOME PART OF A COMMUNITY THAT WOULD BE AS SUPPORTIVE AS YOU NEED. AS I REMEMBER SIDDHARTHA ALSO MENTIONED PERSONAL GROWTH AS A POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF THIS SEMESTER.- NOT THE USUAL ACADEMIC COMMODITY.IF SOME OF YOU HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND NOT GIVEN THE PROGRAM YOUR BEST EFFORTS YOU SHOULD GROW BY ADMITTING THAT IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS AND
SELF-EVALUATIONS.

SINCE DEMETRIUS HAS QUESTIONED THE ACADEMIC CONTENT OF THE PROGRAM - WHICH BY THE WAY THE '04 SEMESTER GROUP JUDGED TO BE TOO MUCH-I WOULD SUGGEST THE FOLLOWING EXERCISE.

MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE PRESENTATIONS AND FIELD ENCOUNTERS FOR EACH OF THE
THREE DIFFERENT COURSES AND -WITH THAT LIST BEFORE YOU- DISCUSS THE QUALITY OF THIS CONTENT IN COMPARISON TO AN EQUIVALENT COURSE AT RAMAPO.ALSO EVALUATE YOUR INDEPENDENT STUDY.

SECONDLY, I WOULD SUGGEST YOU THEN DISCUSS HOW THIS ACADEMIC CONTENT IS
IMPROVED -OR DEVALUED - BY BEING ENCOUNTERED IN A LEARNING COMMUNITY
ETHOS.

IN SHORT EVALUATE HOW THE COMMUNITY COMPONENT BALANCES WITH THE 'ACADEMIC'.

IS THIS COMMUNITY ETHOS ACTUALLY A HIGHER FORM OF MORAL LEARNING THAN IS
PROVIDED BY AN OFFICIAL ACADEMIC CONTEXT? OR HAVE YOU BEEN CHEATED OUT OF A RIGOROUS ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE?

SINCE DEMETRIUS HAS ALSO WONDERED IF THE ACADEMIC QUALITY OF PAPERS AND
PARTICIPATION ARE DEFICIENT I HAVE TO ASK ALL OF YOU TURN INTO ME AND JIM YOUR
PORTFOLIO'S WITH THREE COURSE PAPERS AND AN INDEPENDENT STUDY WRITE UP
.........AS WELL AS A SELF -EVALUATION OF YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE COURSES
AND FIELD TRIPS.

SIDDHARTHA AND FIREFLIES STAFF WILL READ AND RECOMMEND GRADES BUT JIM AND I
ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING SURE THAT THE QUALITY IS THERE. IF YOU CAN NOT
FINISH ALL OF THIS WORK IN INDIA YOU CAN DO IT AFTER YOU RETURN BUT WE WILL
HAVE TO HAVE THE COMPLETE PORTFOLIO BEFORE GRADES ARE DUE FOR THE SPRING
SEMESTER- AROUND MAY 18TH.

WE HAVE TO DO THIS IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY OF THE INDIA
SEMESTER FROM ANY HOSTILE ACADEMIC INQUIRY.

IF IN YOUR DISCUSSIONS YOU COME UP WITH OTHER EVALUATIVE OPTIONS WE ARE OPEN TO THEM- IF YOU ALL AGREE -BUT OTHERWISE I MUST INSIST ON THE LETTER OF THE RAMAPO ACADEMIC RULES INSTEAD OF THE SPIRIT OF THE FIREFLIES LEARNING
COMMUNITY.

MAYBE YOU CAN FIND A CREATIVE WAY TO BALANCE THEM- BUT IT HAS TO BE A
CONSENSUS THAT YOU ALL WILL DEFEND.

SHOULD I CANCEL THE INDIA SEMESTER REPORT OUT ? FOUR PEOPLE ARE NOT ENOUGH

POSTPONE IT ..TILL MAY.....

OR THE FALL?


TRENT SCHROYER


Yeah, life here, just got a whole lot more interesting.

ai
demetrius