[PLUG] running a mixed Debian system

[AthlonRob]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that feels this way in regards to
PSU.....

On Sat, 2003-11-01 at 12:18, Michael C. Robinson wrote:

> It's not that I'm excluding Microsoft, they can't or won't
> teach Linux at PSU where I'm not gay yet that seems 
> to be a requirement as far as joining Cat.

To be fair, the one time I went to the help desk, there was only one guy
guy there, a chick, a guy I assumed was with the girl, and another guy I
assumed was straight.

> Everybody I've met associated with Linux so far there is
> probably gay and didn't me around because I understandably 
> attract the boyfriend.  If that's not bad enough, I tried 
> to take german so I can see my sister in Stuckartt but 
> ran into some very nasty gender wars and probably 
> prostitutes.  The way the women dressed in that course
> was just plain vulgar.  That's Neuberger for you though,
> smells like something has been burned recently where the 
> paintings of bloodletting among other things can make 
> you think your high just walking through some of 
> corridors.

That building just plain sucks, I agree.  I haven't taken any foreign
language courses at PSU yet, now, and don't plan to either.

> I've been through Karla's 202, but I didn't pass 
> the course where frankly her you can't afford help 
> is very discouraging considering how highly I respect 
> her.  She said I only need to do the programs and I
> did well on the midterm, but what comfort is that to
> me?  At least she gave me a W on finals day.  I got 
> through the computer science 1, 2, and data structures 
> series with her doing very well in two of them.  It's 
> like I didn't even know how to study when I hit 202.  

I'm in one of Karla's classes right now.  I think she is perhaps a
little bit insane, but who isn't?  She was just fine with me doing all
my work at home rather than on Odin, which I thought was nice.

The first day, she told us you can walk in the day of the final and ask
to drop the course, and she'd let you.

> The catalog that says I should be a computer scientist 
> because I passed intro to C++, CS II, and data 
> structures is not definitive nor is it helpful.  Having 
> Chris Carey three inches from my face yelling at me 
> during a summer course because of a controversial 
> speech topic doesn't warm me up to returning to PSU 
> either.  Technically I have been academically 
> dismissed, why argue with that even though I have
> earned a degree after the fact elsewhere?

If you *can* go elsewhere, or don't need to attend PSU, I wouldn't. 
Unfortunately, it's the only game in town for me, currently.

I haven't had the pleasure of being yelled at for anything yet, but
having my political views attacked by a Chemistry professor lecturing
infront of 200+ students was a bit much.  I didn't feel exactly welcomed
to raise my hand and argue with the dude.  The constant political
tirades one of my current professors tends to digress in to are begining
to get quite old.  At least with this one, I'm sitting next to somebody
who is as sick of the guy as I am.

> I've also heard that Intel does not want to hire PSU 
> graduates because of a political fiasco that involved 
> a donation which was supposed to be used to build a 
> Beowolf cluster that was instead used to provide 
> individuals in the University with their own personal 
> computers.  I'd say that the Katie Harman fiasco is 
> just another example of how little Portland State 
> cares about student institution relations, I don't 
> trust the place as far as I can throw it expecially 
> considering that the CS dean, Cynthia Brown, came 
> out to inform the CS students that they lose a 
> physics credit as part of the major.  There's
> a lot of talk about going to PCC probably 
> because of this for these courses.

That doesn't surprise me at all, yet I hadn't heard of it directly.

I originally decided to attend PSU because they saidtheir engineering
program was so well regarded.  I have thus far had *TWO* good
professors, with over 80 credits earned.  I actually had to drop two
classes because the professor's english was so rough I wasn't able to
understand enough of his lectures to get by.

I keep telling myself it's just the lower level shit that sucks to bad
at PSU... and their upper-level classes are going to be better....
hopefully I am not delusional.

Everybody I've talked to has suggested attending PCC for as many courses
as I can.

> With Portland State not having math books for three 
> weeks two Winters ago and then not being able to 
> return one three days after getting it when it 
> finally did become available, is not acceptable.  
> I'm afraid to sign up for anything there if I 
> don't know what the book requirements are six 
> months ahead of time to allow for shipping.
> The place sickens me, I don't think I can be 
> there again and expect to accomplish anything.

I loved that - I think I may have been hit in the same class as that, it
sounds really familiar.  It's happened to me more than once.  The PSU
Bookstore Monopoly has caused me grief way too many times.  Their prices
are high, but they can be because they're the only game in town.  I went
halfway through EAS101 before I was able to actually get the book.  One
homework assignment ended up late for it.

I'm really glad I'm not the only one that finds PSU sucks so bad.  I
just wish I had the funds to go down to OSU for school.

Rob