Joshua: A Brooklyn Tale by Andrew Kane

Author:Andrew Kane [Kane, Andrew]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781458200730
Publisher: AbbottPress
Published: 2011-12-07T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 32

Brooklyn College was located on Avenue H in Flatbush, the heart of Kings County. Its impressive campus of trimmed lawns, surrounded by neo-Georgian red-brick buildings, lent an aura of another place and time, while its perpetual social problems made it very much a place of its time. From its inception in 1937, the campus had been regarded as a hotbed of left-wing ideology, earning it the nickname of the “little red schoolhouse” from its critics. By the late sixties, it had become a center for political and racial upheaval, marked by protests against the Vietnam War, and demonstrations by minority students demanding open admissions.

Joshua’s first day was devoted to registration and orientation. There was a large meeting in the assembly hall, at which the dean and other officials gave speeches about registration procedures, college rules, activities, etcetera. Afterward, Joshua was confronted with the task of filling out forms and choosing classes. Much of this was simple. There was a list of required courses for freshmen, which took up most of his schedule and left room for only one elective. The instructions were to pick an elective from one’s “major.” There came the dilemma.

Joshua sat, pondering the list of potential majors, while the room emptied out. When he realized that he was one of the only students remaining, he forced himself to decide. He stared, once more, at the dotted line, and filled in “pre-law.” What the hell.

The first recommended course for pre-law majors, he noted, was Introduction to Political Science. He got up to hand in his forms.

The line, which had been quite long just fifteen minutes earlier, had dwindled to three, including him. He approached the desk with his papers, and a tired looking black woman extended her hand to take them without even looking at him. She examined the forms, and flipped through some other papers as she entered his name for various classes. It seemed to be going smoothly, until she looked up at him, and said, “Sorry, poli-sci is full.”

“Full?” he asked, not quite knowing what she meant.

“Full. You’ll have to pick something else.”

“What else?”

“How do I know?” Chafing.

“But I’m a pre-law major, and that’s the first pre-law class.”

“But it’s full.”

He looked at his list of classes again, and chose the one that came after Introduction to Political Science. “How about political science-two?”

“No can do, you need the introduction course first.”

“But it’s closed.”

“That’s true.”

He went to the next course on the list. “How about U.S. Constitution-one?”

“Need the poli-sci courses first.”

He was getting the hang of this. He looked down the list one last time, searching for a course without a prerequisite. There had to be one. Finally, a title struck him, Introduction to Ethnic Studies. Without speaking, he showed her the list with his finger pointed to it.

Her expression was disdainful, as if she didn’t approve. He returned a hearty smile—who gives a fuck what you think? She returned to her rosters, found the class, and entered his name.

He walked away, wondering why she’d been so rude.

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