Well...
As has happened in the past, it has
been several months since my last posting here (circa December,
2014). I started working on this entry a couple of weeks ago, but have been
tweaking and adjusting it a fair bit before posting. While I do feel
some embarrassment from the delay, I have to admit that part of it
was due to my desire to have specifics to share and so I waited until
I did.
Sadly, no definitive news yet on the
potential discontinuation of the theatre BA program at UAF. I had
initially heard that they would be making some form of announcement
in early February and since we are entering the second full week of
that month I had my hopes up...but nothing. I did hear that
there are additional steps in the process which could make it May or
June before the announcement. Were I to be cynical, I might
attribute such a delay to the university president resigning at the
end of the academic year, and if the decision is delayed then he
would be able to avoid any potential backlash. Were I being cynical.
Now my understanding is that no decisions will be made until the
Fall. Herrmn.
It is nearing on two full years since
my last time in a class at UAF. Nowhere near my previous 27 year
lapse. Still, it agitates me. In part because I had plans to be at a
certain place in my academic career by this point. And in part due to
the fact that a variety of those folks who I had hoped to work with
will, by the time I get back in the Fall, have graduated and moved
on.
As I mentioned in the first full
paragraph, I have been working on, toying with, and holding back on
posting this entry for awhile. Besides the above mentioned reasons, I
wanted to be certain of some things that were complete in my efforts
to raise funding. Now, as they used to say in trailers for various
genre films, the truth can be told – the simple, very short
version: I have raised sufficient funds to allow me to return to
Fairbanks and UAF as of April 1st to complete my degree with an
intended graduation date of May, 2016.
The more convoluted version? Well....
As many/most of you reading this are
aware, I have been attempting to find funding - by way of
scholarships, sponsorships, etc – to be able to return to classes
since the Spring of 2013. Several times I had been hopeful about
things, and even posted here regarding them (such as my attempts to
save up the funds from gigs with Summer theatre work, etc). I wrote
these entries in part to help maintain my positive outlook, which I
feel has helped me get through some pretty stressful times since my
return to school. That isn't to say that I have not had times of
depression, such as recently (relatively speaking) when I heard about
the 'special review process' and the potential elimination of the
theatre BA at UAF. Depressive trigger not withstanding, that
announcement did serve as an additional spur to help drive me to find
some way of funding a return to school for Fall 2015.
The struggle for funding reached a
turning point when, during a chat with my brother regarding a
different matter, I was reminded of a potential funding source that
might help meet some of my school expenses. After some online
searching, I found the appropriate website and did some research. And
began kicking myself for not thinking of this option sooner. Because
I found that by using this source I would, after taxes and such, have just enough to pay for my final year at UAF, including
(at that point in my calculations) on campus housing (which, after
having spent the entirety of the 2013 academic year living in what
could be called “unapproved housing” was something of importance
in my calculations, as I didn't really want to have to deal with that
stress again if I could find any way of avoiding it). Of course, things
were not immediately that easy.
After submitting my paperwork I spent
several weeks waiting, with baited breath, the deposit of funds.
Which seemed to take an interminably long while, though in reality it went fairly quickly - roughly a month from initial
discovery/realization regarding the funding source till the funds
were in my bank.
Then came the clearing of some past due
issues with UAF. Simple enough. But...I then discovered that,
because of the amount of time that had passed since my last
attendance (~24 months) I would be required to submit an application
for re-admission. Yeesh. Yet another source of stress feeling worry
that, for whatever reason, the university might not let me back in.
After several phone conversations with the office of admissions, I
was approved for re-admission. But...(are you seeing a pattern
developing here?)...but I will probably not be getting the
residency standing (“administrative agreement”) which had allowed
me to take classes at the resident tuition rate. This is a big issue.
A solution to this issue, which was suggested by one of the
admissions department representatives, was to take classes this
Summer, since all Summer classes are charged at the resident tuition
rate. Also, I could potentially take up to 4 semester credit hours
during each semester of the regular academic year and those classes
would be charged at the resident rate. Which, if I do things just
right, will allow me to graduate in May of 2016. Oh, another But:
my placement scores from 2013 had expired, so I needed to take a new
math placement test to be able to register for the Summer courses I
need/want. Thankfully, in the interim since my last testing the
university has shifted from a location based test to a web based
test. Which allowed me to test from here, rather than waiting until I
got back to Fairbanks. And so, on the third attempt (out of the
permitted five) I got a sufficient score to meet the registration
requirements. As soon as I could I registered for two classes: the
needed math and one of my needed sciences. That still leaves a single
4 credit hour science course needed. Since I will know by the end of
the month – which is when the Fall registration links come online –
if I can get the resident tuition or not (it will have that notation
on a form I need) I can then decide how I will approach my remaining
course needs. Because while I would love to get some additional
studio art courses under my belt if I can only get 4 credit hours at
resident rate then that 4 credit hours is going to have to be my
second required science course (probably Intro to Astronomy, which is
only offered in the Fall). Now, for a final but
– since I will likely only be taking 4 credit hours in the Fall I
will not qualify for on campus housing...So I have been searching for
somewhere off campus that might meet budget limits. And I think that
I have a place worked out, even if it is really at the high end of my
price range and thus stretching my budget a bit. That is still in process, so I will not say any more on
that subject at the moment.
So.
Even with all the various fits, starts, and sundry spasms that have occurred, I am finally on my way back to classes and on the road again towards one of my goals.
As things currently stand my academic
plan for the near term is as follows:
** Depart from St Louis on March 31st
via Alaska Airlines, with stops in Seattle and Anchorage.
** Arrive Fairbanks midday-ish on April
1st.
** Continue to get organized for Summer
semester, which starts in late May.
** Work on my portfolio in preparation for
a hoped for trip to the URTA interviews in Chicago next January, as well as for portfolio
review sessions in the Fall and Spring semesters in the theatre department at UAF.
** Summer semester classes.
** Fall semester class(es).
** Spring semester class – I might
need to take a course in intermediate acting to fulfill a slot in the curriculum for my major. Maybe.
I'll be discussing such points with my adviser and the department head as soon as possible.
** Graduation – Spring 2016!
Now, the above list does not include
work on several projects which I have percolating and have been, at
minimum, doing conceptual work on since Spring 2013. I admit, I find
myself reticent to share too much about those beyond the various
mentions I have already made here in some prior entries...perhaps
there will be more later, once I am back in Fairbanks. That being
said, I do expect to do artistic work in addition to the academic
work required by my math and science courses.
Herrmn. I think that I shall wrap this
entry up now, and get back to packing and organizing and all such
sundry things. I'll post more soon-ish, though it might not be until
I am ensconced in whatever my new housing will be back up in
Fairbanks.
Till then thanks again to all of you
for your support.
My school related fundraising site:
Help Me Continue My Educational Momentum
A portfolio of my various work and projects, both theatrical and otherwise.
My general, rather eclectic, Tumblr:
Semi-Random Shavings
