letters
Just teach
How many times have you
had a professor who was a
whiz concerning research and
new ideas, but was incompe
tent as an instructor? To the
15,000 plus students enrolled,
this University is an institution
of learning.
I realize that a professor has
a dual role as a researcher as
well as an instructor. I even
realize that tenure is based on
their research ability and
number of articles and books
published. I even realize that
many professors would rather
not teach. So why in the name
of learning, are they required
to teach?
I propose a University that is
both an institution of research
and higher education. Let
there by two faculties: one for
research and the other for
teaching. Let the reseacher
research, but please allow the
teacher to teach. But, it can be
argued, how does the student
expand beyond the confines
of the classroom?
Certainly the researcher is
the expert. Since the teacher
must communicate with the
researcher to remain contem
porary, she can easily mediate
such researcher-student
interest.
The student-teacher rela
tionship is predicated on com
munication. Thus, the teacher
must not only possess the
skill to communicate effec
tively, but the art to build new
ideas onto old thought struc
tures. No matter what the pro
fessor’s expectations, if she is
not building onto already ex
isting structures, she is the
carpenter building the roof
before the walls are erected.
Steve Ingham
math, psychology
Destabilizing
As students of the Universi
ty, can we accept the Reagan
administration’s current Cen
tral American policy as truth?
Furthermore, are we going to
allow Reagan to escalate the
Central American region into
another Vietnam? There must
be an answer to this dilemma.
To begin with, students are
not as apathetic as the Reagan
administration wishes them to
be. Nor will they accept the
oversimplification of the Cen
tral American crisis into an
East-West conflict. This view,
generally agreed upon by
scholars, tends to overlook
the historical background to
the crisis; specifically, it por
trays the Central American
crisis as a purely Soviet at
tempt to destablize absolutely
•‘legitimate" governments.
While it is granted that there
is probably some truth to
Reagan’s accusations, this
policy refuses to recognize the
historical facts. First of all, the
Central American people con
tinually have been denied
what we consider a given; ade
quate food, clothing, and
shelter. Moreover, when these
people organize their plight,
they are labelled communists
and are systematically
eliminated.
Reagan’s answer to this
dilemma in Central America is
a military one, He proposes to
increase military aid to the
countries favorable to U.S.
policy. Specifically, Reagan
wants to supply the military
hardware to eliminate the “ter
rorists” destablizing Central
America who have no popular
support and who are backed
by the Soviets via Cuba.
As students, and more im
portantly as concerned
citizens, we need to counter
Reagan’s attempt at “double
think." We need to let the
Reagan administration know
we will not accept an East
West answer or a military solu
tion to the current crisis in
Central America. We need to
exercise our right in the
decision-making process,
write letters, make phone
calls, be active, and let our
leaders know where we stand
on these issues.
Keith Huffstutter
Ramifications
One more contribution to
the ROTC debate.
I congratulate Pres. Olum
and the faculty for their
balanced stand.
This is not a simple issue,
all of its parts and ramifica
tions must be considered. Part
of the issue is whether or not
the department is in com
pliance with University rules
regarding homosexuals. We
also have to ask, if ROTC isn’t
in compliance, what is the
best way to change that?
Another valid consideration
is whether ROTC’s presence
on campus is valuable enough
to warrant a waiver.
The questions to ask are:
Will the expulsion of ROTC
change the Army’s policies
regarding gays? No. Expulsion
would only be a theatrical
gesture. Who would be hurt by
the explusion? Only the
students on military scholar
ships and this University. It is
not an act of cowardice to
refuse to compromise the
University in order to engage
in empty media gestures.
The 1960s gave me quite
enough of people willing to
sacrifice any institution to get
on the evening news. In addi
tion, the 1960s gave me quite
enough of vicious personal at
tacks such as Mary Hope level
ed at Derrick Bell. The fact that
a man with Bell’s experience
in civil rights should deem the
expulsion of ROTC as an inap
propriate way to change the
Army’s policies should be an
eye opener. Hope, rather than
attack Derrick Bell, you should
give him your deepest apology
and ask him the best way to
help gays who want to be in
the service. That is if you are
truly interested in helping
homosexuals and not just in it
for the theater.
Jim Linn
molecular biology
Peaceful gays
Should everybody have the
right to kill and die in this
great land of the free? A vic
tory in this battle for equal
rights in the military science
department only readies us for
the ultimate war. The war that
will rid earth of this disease
called human kind and give
this land it’s well deserved
peace at last.
Why not gay death troopers
for the job? Alexander the
Great’s best soldiers were his
gay battalions that stormed
Egypt. What efficient exter
minators these cohesive
groups made. Oh, my sad soul
is crushed.
Where are parts of the gay
movement headed to? Does
the hunger for power and
destruction accompany them
in their new consciousness?
Do we not remember when
gayness was a haven for draft
dodgers? When gays were for
peace?
Thinking about it these past
few days I am ashamed that I
actually participated in that
rally. Please forgive me, peace
loving people. This is one bat
tle for equal rights I hope we
lose. I don not want to be
equally responsible for the
destructive forces of war.
A. Smith
Denigrating
Jonathan Siegle, theatre
reviewer, writes, "It is
necessary, however, to ques
tion the choice of this
Shakespeare play over so
many others equally entertain
ing. ‘The Merchant of Venice’
reflects a view we don’t accept
today. Yet because it’s
Shakespeare we continue to
produce it. For the same
reason we no longer do black
face minstrel shows, we
should consider no longer do
ing this play.
That Shakespeare was the
master playwright is unques
tionable, but like all of us, he
was imperfect. When, for ex
ample, was the last time
‘Timon of Athen' was
performed?’’
Don Bishoff, writing for the
Register-Guard, suggests that
the academic controversy will
rage forever over whether
Shakespeare intended
Shylock as villain or victim;
one obvious answer is that
he’s both.
That Siegle implies that the
play advances anti-semitism is
to denigrate the intelligence
and sensitivity of the theatre
audience. By the final curtain
we are as likely to view
Shylock with compassion as
with prejudice.
The reviewer’s suggestion
that we should no longer be
doing the play is not compati
ble with the journalistic prac
tice of free speech.
Pat Matter1
English
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