Page 14 - TheGoldBug1974-Jan1975

P. 2 F~jday, January 17 's anyone listening? , Liberal arts Western Md. CJO At a special meeting of WMC's philosophy club, vocating bull artistry on essay exams: rather he is belongs to the college community. Dr. Jonn Dr. John spoke on the concept of liberal arts. He saying that the liberl artist lives in a "community pointed out that in the early Greek culture, such of options" and so must be tolerant, open-minded, -estresses that the college is here not only for the studies existed for the enrichment of only those who and above all take a positive outlook orrlite much as benefit of students, but most definitely for the weren't slaves. Hence since that time, the con- those of the Renaissance did. faculty as well "junior and senior scholars." In cepts of liberal learning have been associated with proof of the faculty involvement with the school, a particular class of persons. The ideas surroun- the after-hours rneetlng was attended by fen ding liberal arts have expanded and changed over Lost somewhere in the movement of radical faculty members and 24 students. Liberal learning the eras. In Change magazine, the University of positivism is the final Side, the Normative. Whereas includes many more things than just classes and Chicago President talks of such education as the certain courses in ethics were once required, they homework. It includes living. And living includes arts of communication and using the mind, hence are no more. Dr. John considers it a definite loss more than wasting time when the studies are indispensable to further learning. Speaking of it as t.hat there seems to be a lack of concern to identity temporarily over. If students showed more interest the arts of becoming human, the president of the U. and make some commiument to normative values. in some of the more advanced activities around of Chicago calls liberal learning "the trans- He is concerned with the normative values campus, perhaps they could better show that they formatio.n of young animals into human beings." essential for students to live with each other in can handle more advanced privileges both socially mutual respect. and academically. There really is more to liberal At the end of his talk, Dr. John answered learning than is apparent Liberal learning is an infinite held of experience questions. One qu_::stion seemed to ask just. who and Dr .. John admits "it's impossible to tackle the whole thing." He speaks of four basic sides of education: the Substantive side, the Instrumental side, the Altitudinal side, and the Normative side. What a teacher's job is The 60's and 70's have been pretty much a . neoromantic era in education according to Dr. John where impulses have been applied more often than reason. This included a reaction against "the establishment," i.e., grades, requirements, and Keith Appler credentials. Although Dr. John sees this as a "good corrective in some respects to excessive If you're entertaining a public-school classroom largely on their own in teaching, writing detailed rationalism," he adds emphatically that there is a to your' reservoir of knowledge on a regular, ac- lesson plans, composing quizes and tests, substantive aspect to liberal learning that is credited basis, you will eventually run into the mediating in classroom brawls, etc ... This is ac- essential. He speaks out in favor of "serious ap- "Education semester". Greeted with- mixed companied by what is called "participation" which plication and discipline." As an example Dr. John feelings by its participants among the senior class, includes such things as individual tutoring, uses the study of the Divine Comedy. To truly un- this is the hectic semester which features Ed. presiding over homerooms, doing cafeteria duty, derstand it, one must not merely read it but also courses crammed into a straitjacket along with the and mediatlng in hallway brawls. must learn the history involved, the idiom, and the unique lab experience called "student teaching". symbolism, things which will not 'be learned without application. "A real education is not Including four courses and running for six weeks Of the Ed. students intervtwed. none seemed something that is likely to happen as the fruit of the with each class meeting up to eight times a week, entirely happy with the Education semester as it .-- following of romantic impulses." the first period of the Ed. semester is an attempt to stands. Most felt that the first part of the semester, with its concentration of courses, was unnecessary complete a semester's work in less than half the and that it could actually be spread out over a The Instrumental side is broken down by Dr. lime. These four courses are drawn from a variety semester of its own. "The whole semester should be of basic, practical course offerings and include a John into Methodological and Communicative. Of devoted to the teaching experience", stated one this he says not all experience can be handled in the "specia.l methods" course in the particular area of student teacher. Some felt more screening of same way, that one must learn how to handle each ~~~i~~~Lv:~~~~nsst,ud~~~~eT~~Sr~n~xw~~~~s l~~e, ~~~ supervising teachers was necessary, as some could new substance. For communication Dr. John says are under the greatest pressure. be dtscribed as "lousy" Others were disgruntled at Liberal learning is the foundation of culture with students having to provme themselves with breakfast and overtones of snobbery and high culture. In order to dinner during October _Break. According to the share the culture, basic skills are necessary such as Til last eight weeks of the Ed. semester are grade and class being taught, the grade-school reading, speaking, writing, hearing, and observing. devoted to "student teaching" itself. Paying an pupils were characterized as both "spirited and 11. seems Dr. John would call for an opening of one's Interested" and as being "brats". pores in order to take in the whole experience of " ~!~~a~S~~~h~fs~~~~n(t~l~~el~~~~e~o~te~:;i~~~:~~o~~~ On the whole, however, most Ed. students felt the liberal learning. of various levels throughout the general vicinity experience, especially that of student-teaching, to Atutudinallv Dr. John says "The liberal artist where the individual schools assign them to a be worthwhile. Debby Lineous, at Westminster has to learn to live with something less than ab- teacher appropriate to their field. Here they take on High School, found that student-teaching "has solute certainty, cosmicly and disciplinarlty." With the responsibilities and priviledges of full-time given me a good indication of what a teacher's job ambiguity as the watchword. Dr John is not ad- faculty. By about their fourth week, they are is." Food Stop beefin.g do something atout· it Debbie Day St.udents casually stroll into a college cafeteria MacDonald and Bob Yingling-to this conference as all you take. It might also be nice to stop the "food for the evening meal, only to be confronted with a a student representative on November 21. Meetings follies" that_go on at both the east and west ends of pile of large plastic bags containing perfectly good were held covering such topics as meat prices, the cafeteria-t.e. ground-in cookies adorning the roast beef. A sign placed in front of them reads: purchasing power, employee training, and what chairs and sugary mashed potatoes appearing as "The cost of this could take a sizeable chunk out of students expect from university dining services. runny centerpieces. YOUR tutution!" Further investigation reveals World starvation, an issue gaining more and more Finally, we could get the almost ncn-exlstant, that the contents of these bags represents the national recognition every day as it permeates into perpetually dormant Food Committee, supposedly average amount that comes back uneaten on news headlines and Sunday sermons, was also said to exist under the S.G.A., into action. Food students' plates every time roast beef is on the discussed. Dr. Keene-a former college professor in Committees at other colleges serve as the stepping menu-approximately 20 pounds of meat, enough to Math and Economics, now a speaker much in stones between students' suggestions for better fill, say, half a garbage can. The result of such an demand due to his extensive work in Bangladesh to meals and their eventual realization. They also exhibition-a marked reduction in wasted food. help curb its acute state of starvation-gave a 'very plan special meals approximately once a month, - provocative lecture on the world food situation. In and fake the responsibility to decorate the cafeteria The scene was Washington College, a small, India, the search for food to stay alive is a family's accordingly. We could set up a suggestion box- coeducational institution of about 700 students, sole prerogative. Children constitute their second after the smart alecks get tired of playing with it, located in Chestertown on the Eastern Shore. goal, for their progency will be the only ones to care we could really start working towards making what Similar problems are shared at other universities for them in their old age. Therefore, they shun all students expect out of university dining services everywhere, as came out at the annual fall con- efforts at birth controL If a man fathers ten into what students get from university dining ference of the National Association of College and children, he is lucky if three survive-most die services. • University Food Services, held at Washington before the age of 5. Such a life is a far cry from the Anyone interested in gelling this Food Committee College November 20-22, 1974. Food service one we enjoy. The United Stales constitutes only 6% on its feet should drop me a note to Box 303 or call directors and their assistants convened from of the world's population, yet we use 40-45% of all me on third floor Elderdice. All we need are three Region II, comprising New Jersey, Delaware, the world's products, Dr. Keene pointed out. or four students who are genuinely interested in the Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, What can we do, you may ask, about this committee, and who would be willing to meet once a and the District of Columbia. They agree that situation? we can start by cutting down on waste in month. students always.find something to complain about, our own cafeteria. Phis means trying not to eat with Why not stop beefing about the food and start and university food is an easy scapegoat. our eyes when we go through the line. To coin a doing something about it? I was fortunate enough to accompany Mrs. phrase of Gerrv Ford's-take all veu want. but eat