Student Union
On Colours of Aluminium Armour, or Why I Refuse to AmericaniSe my Spelling
But there is one change which I refuse to make. It isn’t quite philosophical, nor technical, conditional, or circumstantial, although it is a little bit of all of the above. It is orthographical.
I am Armenian, but I grew up in New Delhi, India. I have spoken the English language pretty much my entire life, and I have written in the English language during most of that time too. In India, we use the British way of spelling things, and of expressing ourselves in general.
So, as I said before, I have “learnt” much in America, not “learned”, although I could say that I might someday consider myself “learned” (pronounced “learn-ud”).
Red, blue and orange are colours, with a “u”, and those who live around me are my friends and neighbours, again including “u” (and you!). Knights in shining armour brandish swords perhaps made of aluminium. (They wouldn’t dare wield swords made of something as flimsy as that, unless they were trying to foil their opponents, maybe... but you see what I’m talking about.)
That subject dealing with numbers and figures? It’s maths, not “math”. A similarly-minded friend of mine quipped that it’s short for mathematics. If it were a single mathematic, then we’d talk.
The last letter of the alphabet? It’s still called “zed”, as it has been for centuries.
For centuries elsewhere, of course. Not in America. I had a professor my first year here who constantly corrected my spelling on papers. Both he and I were equally pig-headed, and so we remain. The editor of this blog has a similar field day every time with my posts, I’m sure.
In the spirit of fairness, though, I must add the various Americanisms which have been absorbed by my vocabulary too, and which I aim to keep, even if I move to Buckingham Palace tomorrow. When something strikes my fancy, for example, it is “sweet”. When something excites me, I go, “Yes!”. I shall definitely “graduate” in May, and not “pass out”, as I would have in India. Although, the exhausting way we work here at St. John’s College, it may end up being a little of both.
Editor's Note: In appreciation of this post, I have also allowed Nareg to keep his British conventions of punctuation, even though here in America we punctuate "inside the quotation marks," not "outside". I'll return to my normal, stubborn self next time!
Useful and/or fun reads on the difference between American and British:
--> Potentially confusing and embarrassing differences
--> British to American slang translator
--> British Council: How to understand the differences video and exercise
--> Standard spelling differences
See all News Updates of the Day
Greek Parliament Approves Branches of Foreign Universities
The Greek parliament voted to allow foreign universities to establish and operate branch campuses in the country.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the move was made to encourage Greek students to stay in the country for advanced studies, instead of going abroad for an education. (March 2024)
Virginia Bans Legacy Admissions
The state of Virginia has banned legacy admissions to public colleges and universities.
The New York Times reports the state has outlawed the practice of giving preferential admissions status to students based on connections to alumni and donors. (March 2024)
New Texas Law Prohibits Public Colleges, Universities From Having DEI Offices
A new Texas law prohibits public universities from having special programs supporting minority and LGBTQ students. Critics say these diversity, equity and inclusion programs are discriminatory and divisive. But many students say they are needed. Deana Mitchell has the story from the Texas capital.
Here’s What It Feels Like to Find Home Between Two Cultures
Cynthia Jia, a student at the University of Virginia, writes about how Chinese literature helped reconcile her to being part of two cultures. Read her story in The Cavalier Daily. (February 2024)
FAFSA Delays Prompt California to Extend Deadline for Financial Aid Applications
The California Legislature on Thursday voted to give prospective college students more time to apply for two of the state's largest financial aid programs after a glitch in the federal government's application system threatened to block up to 100,000 people from getting help.
California had already extended the deadline for its financial aid programs from March 2 to April 2. On Thursday, the state Senate gave final approval to a bill that would extend it again until May 2. The bill now heads to Governor Gavin Newsom.
"Clearly, our students need our help," Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Riverside who authored the bill, told lawmakers during a public hearing earlier this week.
California has multiple programs to help people pay for college. The biggest is the Cal Grant program, which gives money to people who meet certain income requirements. The state also has a Middle Class Scholarship for people with slightly higher incomes.
Students can apply for these state aid programs only if they first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly known as FAFSA.
This year, a computer glitch prevented parents from filling out the form if they did not have a Social Security number. That meant many students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents but whose parents are not were blocked from completing the form and thus could not apply for California's aid programs.
California has a large population of adults who are living in the country without legal permission. The California Student Aid Commission, the state agency in charge of California's financial aid programs, estimates as many as 100,000 students could be affected by this glitch.
The U.S. Department of Education says it fixed the problem last week, but those families are now a step behind. Democrats in Congress raised alarms last month, noting that the delay could particularly hurt students in states where financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, including Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon and Texas.
Advocates fear that the chaos of this year's process could deter students from going to college at all, especially those for whom finances are a key part of the decision.
The computer glitch is just one part of larger problems affecting FAFSA.
The notoriously time-consuming form was overhauled in 2020 through a bipartisan bill in Congress. It promised to simplify the form, going from 100 questions to fewer than 40, and it also changed the underlying formula for student aid, promising to expand it to more low-income students.
But the update has been marred by delays, leaving families across the country in limbo as they figure out how much college will cost.
The form is typically available to fill out in October, but the Education Department didn't have it ready until late December. Even then, the agency wasn't ready to begin processing the forms and sending them to states and colleges, which only started to happen this month.
The problems appear to have already reduced California's application numbers. Through March 8, the number of California students who had completed FAFSA was 43% lower than it was at the same time last year.
"The data most concerning me seems to suggest that these drops are more acute at the schools that serve low-income students or large populations of students of color," Jake Brymner, deputy chief of policy and public affairs for the California Student Aid Commission, told lawmakers in a public hearing earlier this week.
The issue has caused problems for colleges and universities, too. The University of California and California State University systems both delayed their admissions deadlines because so many prospective students were having trouble with FAFSA.