Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for March 05, 2024

Like Zip ever needed a reason before not to go to classes.

A blithering idiot!!!

When I was a graduate teaching assistant in 1981, there was a mention of unions, but nothing ever came of it. I was too busy enjoying the opportunity.

Student strikes and lockdowns have been around for at least a century—but for causes more specific than “justice” (the Vietnam War, forced military conscription, etc.).

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Wait…..a TA who speaks English?

I know this is humor, but it brings up a very real subject. I don’t understand why someone would enroll in a school, pay tuition, etc., when they don’t plan to attend classes. All that is going to get them is academic probation, ultimately expulsion, no degree, and low-paying jobs. Is it true that kids in this position likely have mom and dad paying the bills, so they don’t really care? Maybe these kids should wait to go to school until they can see the end of that road.

I remember a Doonesbury strip from long ago where they are still in college. Mark is talking to Zonker and telling him how money is tight, and he’s trying hard to reduce his expenses. Zonker responds that he just cuts out the “extras”, to which Mark says “What extras?”. Zonker simply states “Like classes”.

TAs have been exploited forever. They do a lot of the teaching and grade most of the papers.

A strike of the RA’s has no reason to affect Zip’s classes. But he never saw a chance to slack off that he didn’t immediately jump on.

You can help by joining the Marines and getting far away from Walden