Page 135 - ThePhoenix1995-96

COMMENTARY Thursday, March 14, 1996 - Page 3 SORRY, YOU'VE BEEN DISCONNECTED -------------------------------cA1~e~l~B~r~e~n~n~a~n~tl------------------------------- svery interesting. Western the end of these types of educa- ever, is that after a few turns, what is necessary. An evolution recyclable paper, and so do diplo- Maryland College's First Prin- tional institutions, and the present you're right back where you that moves those of us engaged in Iciples refer to creating and sus- methodology. started. Rhetoric, confused and this process from agenda compro- taining a "liberalleaming" environ- How do you reconcile the goal convoluted approaches, and what mises that weaken everyone's abil- "Sorry, You've Been Discon- ment. Those Principles also de- of fostering uniqueness, creativity, we define as "human nature" leave ity to learn (and to teach) to agenda nected" is a column on campus life scribe how developing women and and humanity in a student body education no better off than when setting where the goal is maximi- from a decidedly different perspec- men of "unique potential with rea- with the encouragement and sup- the "revolution" began. We've zation of students' potential rive. son, imagination, and human con- port of "programs" for students seen that before, and we don't need through learning, period. cern" is a challenge that WMC has committed to being "more flexible, to see it again. - Without that as the point of fo- accepted. more successful, and happier in the An evolution in education is cus, Principles become so much And WMC, like most places of world of work"? The answer is higher learning, has failed. you cannot. Either creativity and LOCK AND KEY Far from placing students "at uniqueness as a goal suffers, or the center of a humane environ- programming and indoctrination ment" that encourages "respecting for "the real world," or main- Jonathon Shacat others" and working towards "the stream, suffers. There never has common good," WMC and its un- been an effective method of rob- dergraduate population, by my es- bing Peter to pay Paul, although l.Habla espanol? ture. This exposure can be and being bilingual is a good qual- In the timation, embody few of the Prin- efforts apparently continue. into I f you think all faculty meetings achieved both in the classroom and ity to possess. ciples by which we are all supposed effort to incorporate two mutually are boring, then you would be via a semester abroad. Eliminat- Perhaps this requirement could to measure our liberal education exclusive approaches one, surprised to hear what hap- ing this requirement might prevent be lumped into the humanities experience. WMC leaves its students with no pened at the March meeting. some students from taking part in BLAR or even a more suitable one. real model out of which a liberal Richard Dillman, professor of a course in this field. However, the foreign language re- Principles such as education can be obtained. The communication, stood up and, In the SchoollYouth section of quirement definitely should not be any prior warning, result is that students of the look to soci- "thinking critically," ety, not educators, to define the pa- without the foreign language said he the March County 7, 1996 issue there is an omitted. the road again" thinks re- Carroll Times, "On "sharing rameters of "education" as it ap- quirement at WMC should be article involving this topic entitled Where were you the night of plies to them. Consequently, the eliminated from the Basic Liberal "Support for bilingual education is Tuesday March 5? I know where responsibility" and creative, critical, humane, and lib- Arts Requirements (BLARs). The fizzling." most WMC students were not that making "sensitive eral student mind at WMC is more entire audience (myself included) particular evening; the Westminster the exception, and the assembly was shocked, to say the least. The Chapel Choir Concert performed intelligent line-student, programmed and motion was "tabled" and will be by the Westminster Choir College at a later meeting, University. I would decisions" are no ready for assimilation into the discussed the faculty to think about en- of Rider were more students singing say abling there is more the rule. "world of work," longer relevant .. Why? Because significant this topic before making a decision. in the choir than those students in numbers of students here and Because I am unable to voice the audience. Why did so few stu- Mel Brennan around the nation are recognizing my opinion at the faculty meetings. One part of the article stales that dents go? Everyone studying for the unspoken truth to which both I would like tei do so in this col- bilingualism among native En- an exam on Wednesday? I doubt A sense of what is on the pe- they and the institutions have umn. As a Spanish major I am glish-speakers is""a desirable skill it. These people traveled some 175 riphery of these failures can be agreed: Principles such as "think- naturally defensive of this poten- in the world marketplace." miles from Princeton, NJ and very gleaned from the student social en- ing critically," "sharing responsi- tial change. I definitely agree. In my opin- few students from Western Mary- vironment, and the type of dis- bility" and making "sensitive in- Studying a foreign language ion, learning another language is a land even bothered to show up. If course prevalent there. Rumor, in- telligent decisions" are no longer gives a student the opportunity to necessity for survival in the world you did not attend then you missed nuendo, and gossip, symptoms of relevant, if they ever were at all. not only leam another language but today. Think about it, employers a stress-relieving, not to mention a twisted common will rather than It is clear that for most students, also to experience a different cut- hire people who are well rounded free, show. manifestations of any "common the piece of paper, not the ability good," pervade this campus like a to think, is what is important. For festering malignancy. They en- institutions, endowment fund in- courage a dynamic that leaves all creases, the prestige of new facil- individuals on campus susceptible ity one-upsmanship, and competi- to a lack of critical thinking that tion with their fellow schools is feeds upon itself. No organization, what's important, not maximizing official or unofficial, progressive the potential of their students. around I or traditional, seems to be able to Both students and institutions splinter itself from it. Not unlike also recognize that more corpora- a black hole, everything and ev- tions, sole proprietorship, and part- eryone is eventually ingested and nerships have instituted their own then spit out, somewhere on the training programs, ones that may other side. And even while the have little or nothing to do with numbers of students with which I programs at the undergraduate am close has lessened every year, level. Students the nation the malfeasance energy that char- have become aware of all this, and acter assassination and the _like this awareness is one of the things generate has finaJly reached me, that is at the heart of a type of ni- and is most likely the source of my hilism among students today, and obvious disgust and anger. The what contributes to the type of murmuring and hearsay, however, "festering" environment described exemplify only an aside to the es- earlier. What undergraduate col- sence of what is taking place in leges are left with then, is the job higher education today. of simply verifying for businesses Indeed the core issues, in re- whether a person can be trained, gard to both the student body and not whether they can learn, and the the administration, run far deeper criteria _ and cost - for simple veri- than the rumor mills, regardless of fication is questionable at best. how damaging or hurtful they What America is left with are might be. They point to more poi- the conditions conducive to a revo- gnant failures, ones not endemic lution in education. Indeed, many to WMC, but symptomatic of have called for just such an occur- higher education nationall~, and rence. The fatal flaw in embrac- they may signal the beginning of ing anything that revolves, how-