As a teaching fellow for COM 102, I’d like to address a few of the issues mentioned in your article (‘New Class Called Inconvenient By Some’, Nov. 19) and editorial (‘MOM 102’) surrounding the course.

While it is true that much of the information mentioned in class is available on the web, the representatives of the individual offices are not.’ Looking something up on the Internet in your dorm room is by no means comparable to being able to interact with a human being and get your questions answered in person.

As all upperclassmen know, one’s first few semesters are not the most fun.’ What should make this class the exception to the rule? An entering class has to pay its dues and integrate itself into the community. Sometimes that entails having to take courses like COM 102. Welcome to college.

One hour a week is not exactly Chinese water torture. Whether the class is one hour or three hours does not give anyone the right to disrespect presenters who have often clocked out and are cutting into their own time to give a group of rowdy freshmen invaluable resources.

‘Beware of the COM freshmen’ seems to be the new tune being hummed around campus offices and services. Perhaps people should be more concerned about what the course is starting to say about their class than how strenuous one hour a week can be.

Martin Morales

COM ’11