Petition
to Waive the University Mathematics Requirement
By Gordon Adams, Arizona State University Student
Standards Committee Members,
[1] I am a 43-year-old member of the Pawnee Tribe of
Oklahoma and a very
nontraditional student currently pursuing Justice Studies at the
Arizona State
University (ASU) College of Public Programs. I entered college as
the first step toward
completion of my goal becoming legal counsel for my tribe, and
statesman.
[2] I come before this committee in good faith to request
that ASU suspend, in my
special case, its mathematics requirement for undergraduate degree
completion so I
may enter the ASU College of Law during Fall 1993. The point I
wish to make to this
committee is this: I do not need algebraic skills; I will never
use algebra in my intended
profession; and, if forced to comply with ASU’s algebra
requirement, I will be
needlessly preventing from graduating in time to enter law school
next fall and face an
idle academic year before my next opportunity in 1994. I will
address each of these
points in turn, but a few words concerning my academic credentials
are in order first.
[3] Two years ago, I made a vow of moral commitment to
seek out and confront
injustice. In September of 1990, I enrolled in college. Although I
had only the benefit of a
ninth grade education, I took the General Equivalency Diploma
(GED) examination and
placed in the top ten percent of those, nationwide, who took the
test. On the basis of this
score I was accepted into Scottsdale Community College (SCC). This
step made me the
first in my entire family, and practically in my tribe, to enter
college. During my first
year at SCC I maintained a 4.0 GPA, I was placed on the
President’s list twice, was
active in the Honors Program, received the Honors Award of Merit
in English
Humanities, and was conferred an Honors Scholarship (see attached)
for the Academic
year of 1991-1992 which I declined, opting to enroll in ASU
instead.
[4] At the beginning of the 1991 summer semester, I transferred
to ASU. I chose to
graduate from ASU because of the courses offered in American
Indian studies, an
important field ignored by most other Universities but necessary
to my commitment. At
ASU I currently maintain a 3.6 GPA, although my cumulative GPA is
closer to 3.9. I am
a member of the Honors and Justice Colleges, was appointed to the
Dean’s List, and
awarded ASU’s prestigious Maroon and Gold Scholarship twice. My
academic standing
is impeccable. I will enter the ASU College of Law to study Indian
and criminal law
during the Fall of 1993 if this petition is approved. Upon
successful completion of my
juris doctorate I will return to Oklahoma to become active in the
administration of
Pawnee tribal affairs as tribal attorney and advisor, and vigorously
prosecute our right
to sovereignty before the Congress of the United States.
[5] When I began my “college experience,” I set a rigid
time schedule for the
completion of my goal. By the terms of that self-imposed schedule,
founded in my belief
that I have already wasted many productive years, I allowed myself
thirty-five months
in which to achieve my Bachelor of Science degree in Justice
Studies, for indeed justice
is my concern, and another thirty-six months in which to earn my
juris doctorate
summa cum laude. Consistent with my approach to all endeavors, I
fell upon this task
with zeal. I have willingly assumed the burden of carrying
substantial academic loads
during fall, spring and summer semesters. My problem now lies in
the fact that in order
to satisfy the University’s math requirement to graduate I must
still take MAT-106 and
MAT-117. I submit that these mathematics courses are irrelevant to
my goals, and
present a barrier to my fall matriculation into law school.
[6] Upon consideration of my dilemma, the questions
emerged: Why do I need
college algebra (MAT-117)? Is college algebra necessary for
studying American Indian
law? Will I use college algebra in my chosen field? What will the
University gain or
lose, from my taking college algebra or not? I decided I should
resolve these questions.
[7] I began my inquiry with the question: “Why do I need
college algebra (MAT-
117)?” I consulted Mr. Jim ____ of the Justice College and
presented this question to
him. He referred to the current ASU catalog and delineated the
following answer: I
need college algebra (1) for a minimum level of math competency in
my chosen field,
and (2) to satisfy the university math requirement in order to
graduate. My reply to the
first answer is this: I already possess ample math skills, both
practical and academic;
and, I have no need for algebra in my chosen field. How do I know
this? During the
spring 1992 semester at ASU I successfully completed introductory
algebra (MAT-077),
scoring the highest class grade on one test (see attached
transcript and test). More
noteworthy is the fact that I was a machine and welding contractor
for fifteen years. I
used geometry and algebra commonly in the design of many welded
structures. I am
proficient in the use of Computer Assisted Design (CAD) programs,
designing and
drawing all my own blueprints for jobs. My blueprints and designs
are always
approved by city planning departments. For example, my most recent
job consisted of
the manufacture, transportation and installation of one linear
mile of anodized,
aluminum hand-railing at a luxury resort condo on Maui, Hawaii. I
applied extensive
use of math to calculate the amount of raw materials to order, the
logistics of mass
production and transportation for both men and materials from Mesa
to Maui, the job
site installation itself, and cash flow. I have successfully
completed many jobs of this
nature all without a mathematical hitch. As to the application of
math competency in
my chosen field, I can guarantee this committee that there will
not be a time in my
practice of Indian law that I will need algebra. If an occasion
ever occurs that I need
algebra, I will hire a mathematician, just as I would engineer if
I need engineering, or a
surgeon if I need an operation.
[8] I then contacted Dr. _____ of the ASU Mathematics
Department and presented
him with the same question: “Why do I need college algebra?” He
replied: (1) for a
wellrounded education; (2) to develop creative thinking; and (3)
to satisfy the university
math requirement in order to graduate. Responding to the first
answer I have a “wellrounded
education.” My need is for a specific education in justice and
American Indian
law. In fact, I do not really need the degree to practice Indian
law as representative of
my tribe, just the knowledge. Regarding the second, I do not need
to develop my
creative thinking. It has been honed to a keen edge for many
years. For example, as a
steel contractor, I commonly create huge, beautiful and intricate
structures from raw
materials. Contracting is not my only experience in creative
thinking. For twenty-five
years I have also enjoyed the status of being one of this
country’s foremost designers
and builders of race bikes. Machines I have designed and brought
into existence from
my imagination have topped some of Japan and Europe’s best
engineering efforts. To
illustrate this point, in 1984 I rode a bike of my own design to
an international victory
over Honda, Suzuki, Laverda, BMW and Yamaha. I have excelled at
creative thinking
my entire life. I called it survival.
[9] Expanding on the question of why I need college
algebra, I contacted a few
friends who are practicing attorneys. All responded to my question
in similar manner.
One, Mr. Billy _____, Esq., whose law firm is in Tempe, answered
my two questions as
follows: “When you attended law school, were there any courses you
took which
required algebra?” His response was “no.” “Have you ever needed algebra
during the
many years of your practice?” Again, his response was “no.” All
agreed there was not a
single occasion when they had need for algebra in their
professional careers.
[10] Just to make sure of my position, I contacted the ASU
College of Law, and
among others, spoke to Ms. Sierra _____. I submitted the question
“What law school
courses will I encounter in which I will need algebra?” The
unanimous reply was, they
know of none.
[11] I am not proposing that the number of credit hours I
need for graduation be
lowered. In fact, I am more than willing to substitute another
course or two in its place.
I am not trying to get out of anything hard or distasteful, for
that is certainly not my
style. I am seeking only to dispose of an unnecessary item in my
studies, one which will
prevent me from entering law school this fall breaking my stride.
So little holds up so
much.
[12] I agree that a young adult directly out of high school
may not know that he
needs algebraic skills. Understandably, he does not know what his
future holds but I
am not that young adult. I claim the advantage. I know precisely
what my future holds
and that future holds no possibility of my needing college
algebra.
[13] Physically confronting injustice is my end. On
reservations where government
apathy allows rapacious pedophiles to pose as teachers; in a
country where a million
and a half American Indians are held hostage as second-rate human
beings whose
despair results in a suicide, alcohol and drug abuse rate second
to no other people; in
prisons where helpless inmates are beaten like dogs by sadistic
guards who should be
the inmates this is the realm of my chosen field the
disenfranchised. In this
netherworld, algebra and justice exist independently of one
another.
[14] In summary, I am convinced that I do not need college
algebra for a minimum
level of math competency in my chosen field. I do not need college
algebra for a well
rounded education, nor to develop my creative thinking. I do not
need algebra to take
the LSAT. I do not need algebra for any courses in law school, nor
will I for any purpose
in the practice of American Indian law. It remains only that I
need college algebra in
order to graduate.
[15] I promise this committee that ASU’s integrity will not
be compromised in any
way by approving this waiver. Moreover, I assure this committee
that despite not
having a formal accreditation in algebra, I will prove to be
nothing less than an asset to
this University and its Indian community, both to which I belong,
and I will continue to
set a standard for integrity, excellence and perseverance for all
who follow. Therefore, I
ask this committee, for all the reasons described above, to
approve and initiate the
waiver of my University mathematics requirement.
[signed]
Gordon Adams
