One Last Story
Original illustration by Max Barraza, Skyline Cartoonist
By: Viviana Sanchez, Skyline Copy-Chief
ALPINE- This is my last semester at The Skyline, and by extension, at Sul Ross State University. This journey began as an Upward Bound trip in June of 2018, and has culminated in two degrees, a fiancé, a growing career, and more things than I could ever list off in this article.
In the Spring of 2020, I joined The Skyline to pursue my love of writing, but I stayed because of the purpose it gave me and the amazing people I was able to work with. The Skyline has given me a voice these last six years. It has allowed me to connect to people and stories I might have overlooked, to remain part of the community I moved away from, and to share information and stories about one of my favorite places.
I reflect on my experience at Sul Ross. I remember the lifelong friendships I have made, the unique and beautiful landscape of West Texas. But it would be dishonest to say that my experience at Sul Ross did not have its frustrations. Any undergraduate student at Sul Ross will have their own stories; of unanswered phone calls to administrators; of cryptic charges on their student accounts that go unexplained until you escalate; or of room and board issues going unaddressed. At least as an undergrad, I could point to the COVID-19 pandemic and the chaos as an aggravating factor.
As a graduate student, I have spent the last two years remote. This presented fresh challenges. There would be times I would urgently need help but could not get anyone on the phone and would send an email and would have to wait days for a response. Responsiveness has always been an issue at Sul Ross, but as a distance learner, the experience became excruciating.
Even more aggravating, Sully Bookshelf has been a significant issue for me. For my $250 fee I experienced; 1) buying the textbook again regardless after mine was lost in the mail; 2) I was never being granted access to the online textbook even though the syllabus listed it as required reading and there was no lecture element to the class, and; 3) professors who had zero knowledge of the Sully Bookshelf program or how it worked.
Even in my undergraduate years, I routinely had issues with professors refusing to update the dates on their syllabi, with some listing due dates for 2015 (in 2020) and having to make edits to dates on the fly, far into the semester. Almost five years later I am continuing to have this issue as due dates frequently differ from blackboard announcements, the published syllabus, and the assignment announcement itself.
Sul Ross State University can be an awful morass of an institution to interact with, but it can also be one of the most loving and intimate places to be a student. My time as Sul Ross has been meaningful and memorable, and I wouldn’t exchange my experience here for anything in the world. The people I have worked with at The Skyline over the years have made this worthwhile. Sul Ross has shaped me into the young woman I am today. As I close this chapter of my life I am grateful for all the opportunities, lessons, and relationships I have made.
To The Skyline: Thank you for being a part of my life and giving me a voice. I know the future of The Skyline is in good hands and will continue to thrive.
To Sul Ross: I appreciate the people you have introduced in my life, and for the education you did manage to impart. To Sid: Thank you, for challenging me to do my best. I hope I live up to the challenge.
To my fellow students: I hope you experience the same meaningful moments I did. I hope Sul Ross helps you to find who you want to become and helps you to see you can be so much more. Never settle. Always challenge yourself and those around you. And be the best you can be.