FOCUS:
The process of education is getting in
the way of the purpose of education.
A fact that has been uncomfortably present
in the academic community for the last half
century, festering with each year, was manifest
ed in the attempted freshman orientation this
fall. In an effort to acquaint new students with
issues which will effect their lives at the Univer
sity and in the country, a series of three orienta
tion discussions was organized by the ASUO.
These meetings in small groups were to hope
fully involve the freshmen in a dialogue. This
was not the case.
Orientation group leaders were confronted
with groups of confused young people desperate
to find out how to get a rubber stamp on their
registration card, what DIS means, and how to
find a counselor. They had no time to consider
and reflect. This is not surprising. What is frigh
tening, though, is that “procedure” remains
after orientation week, in too many cases, more
important than education.
Every year campus publications pay their re
spects to registration with a mixture of anger and
humor. Every year campus publications also pay
their respects to the time-honored ritual of
throwing girls into the Millrace, again with a
mixture of anger and humor. Unfortunately, be
ing thrust into the Mac Court maelstrom has far
more lasting consequences than being dunked
in a polluted stream.
Every year there is a demand for computeriz
ed registration and an outcry raised against be
ing treated like a number. This is not necessarily
the conflict it may superficially seem. Registra
tion is a technical procedure—education is not.
Every year there is something missing.
Change.