March 4th to March 18th, 1982

 

The Other Press

 

ALY Ara e a ¢ eee a

 

 

 

Danger in Education

by Annette Murray

‘1 can’t believe it. Canada’s just
left the British Commonwealth!’’
exclaimed a fellow. BCIT student one
morning last year. Bleary- -eyed from
the previous evening’s struggle with
break-even analysis, | awoke abrupt-
ly. Why hadn’t | heard about it?
As hard-working BCIT students, we
had responded to society’s call for
‘“‘more plumbers whose pipes hold
water and fewer philosophers whose
theories don’t (in the words of a
former U.S. Secretary of Education),
and had little time or inclination to
follow current events.

Recent announcements of post-
secondary education cutbacks in B.C.
have generated controversy concern-
ing priorities in education. As
increasing numbers of students
choose business or technical training
over a liberal arts education, liberal
academics bemoan the new. conser-
vatism that, acording to UBC
President, Doug Kenny, leaves stu-
dents ‘“‘less capable of tackling
major social issues.

“They (university presidents) have
spent a number of generations,
cushioned by an increasingly affluent
society that could afford their i

irrlevancies, promoting the idea-that . ..

an anti-business, anti-scientific, gen-
erally leftist intellectual wasteland
represents civilization and culture.’
wrote SUN columnist, Les Bewley,
on February 16th.

Bewley argues the case against a
liberal arts education: ‘‘Young —

people who can’t find useful and
rewarding careers aren’t going to

enjoy much culture or a rich and
varied life on unemployment insur-
ance or social assistance’.

Universities are responding by
expanding their career-oriented de-
partments at the expense of liberal
arts courses, which, they are cutting
back sharply. Students spend an
incredible amount of time and money
attending school. Most liberal arts
students are aware that a liberal
arts degree will not, in most cases,
provide a job, and that they may
be forced to take technical training
to find employment. Why, then,
spend all this time and money
when they could, as Mr. Bewley
says, confine our ‘‘study of impor-
tant issues to a newspaper and a
free public library card?’’

Because, Mr. Bewley, sharing the
experience of learning exposes stu-
dents to many different ideas and
opinions, and thereby helps prevent
blindness such as yours. A _ suc-
cessful Canada needs people of
every type. A population of highly
educated drones is not the answer

but nor is a population of computor

programming, merchandise-pushing
robots who are not conditioned to
ask ‘‘why?’’
_ Students who bypass the liberal
arts completely, in.favour of career-
oriented courses, miss the opportun-
ity to learn the languages
of our political and cultural elites,
and a dangerous communication gap
is the result.

| wonder if the BCIT student
ever found out that Canada has,
on that day, finally approved a
new constitution.

~

co

willing to sacrifice

for your education?

How much are you

 

Criss Chaniotakis:

‘‘Quite a bit, education is
very important to me, I’ve
sacrificed quite a lot so far.‘

‘| photo by Warren Laine

 

 

 

_ we have to pay more. |

Shirley Cheng:

“Maybe | spend a few
years. Cutbacks just mean

have to work.’’

photo by Warren Laine

 

 

 

Editor
The Other Press:

after reading lan Hunter
for several months now,
that he may actually prac-
tise faulty thinking, believ-
ing it to be a virtue.
If he carefully re-reads

Mr.Hames;

| am most elated that you
have been reading my work
for several months, but |
think it is you that should
try an effective thinking
course.

First, you write ‘slander’
when you are thinking of

libel: my comment about
Mr. en was writ-
ten.

| would like to

 

Second,
(prove my sanity by inclu-.

| am inclined to believe, —

William Day’s letter | think
he will see that the slander
to Mr. Thompson occured
when he referred to him
as a civil servant who
held a political bias and
NOT that he was biased
towards the Social Credit
party specifically.

If Mr. Hunter wishes to

ding a quote. Former
Saskatchewan premier Tom-
my Douglas was talking to
then B.C.  premier-elect
Dave Barret, in 1972.

“For Christ’s sake,’’ advis-
ed the former Saskatchewan
premier ‘‘don’t give your
civil servants bargaining
rights until you find out
who are the Socreds. The
biggest mistake | made’

was granting tenure to old-

Hunter not think

make that charge, it is an
entirely different matter.
Dare’ | suggest that
Mr. Hunter try one-of the
Effective Thinking courses
offered at the college?
Mea MAXIMA culpa.

Barry Hames

Hames not think either

time civil servants and then
learning that many of them
actively worked against the
government for our entire
term of office! You want
a year to weed out those
actively opposed to you
and then grant bargaining
rights.’’

| rest my case Mr. Hames.

2d

Other Y ours
lan Hunter

Tom Boer:

“I’m willing to work for it
in order to support myself.
I’m alittle confused about
the issue. | really don’t
know much about it. We
should fight against unfair
cutbacks.

photo by Ian Hunter

 

 

 

 

 

_ cutbacks in education:

We don’t know who this
person is or even how we
got a picture of him, but we
have reason to believe that
he is ardently against

 

photo by Ian Hunter

 

5 must nme line, -

 

‘name of the author for _

which are not signed will
be no more than Fi