rorum
Laissez faire education gives more freedom
Degree requirements stifle individuality
By Allen Hancock
It's time to completely -tlx>1
ish the degree system in higher
edut hIion Why eliminate the
pinnacle of our studies.'’ B\
eliminating the degree, the stu
dent, rather than the mstitu
lion, would have the respnnsi
hilitv and freedom to tin late
the parameters of tidlit at ion
Commentary
I shall begin l>\ addressing
the coni erns of those who
would prefer to maintain the
degree system hirst, support
ers of the status quo say that
without degrees, businesses
would have no wav of i ornpar
ing the qualifications of appli
cants lor a position
But degrees do not provide
.m objective basis foi adequate
comparison A biology degree
from one si bool may have dis
tim tlv different requirements
than .1 biology degree from an
other school. (Anyone who has
had to transfer to anothei
si bool knows this all too well)
The liberal arts component of
degrees also varies from one
si bool to another
Furthermore degrees do not
indicate the quality of edui a
lion Degrees do not distin
guish A students from (I stu
dents. do not indicate how well
a student integrates the teach
ings from different i nurses, and
degrees do not indicate if the
student has retained what he or
she has learned years earlier
Second, advocates of degrees
suggest that employers could
not tell if a potential employee
had adequate training Flimi
nating degrees, though, does
not mean we would eliminate
transcripts, resumes or inter
views People seeking employ
ment would have to refine their
written and oral coilimunii.a
lion skills to convince person
nel agents that tliev possess the
appropriate hai kground rather
l!i,in reiving on the artifit r "I a
degree The imliv idual wimid
also have greater opportunity to
express other desirable charm
leristic s six li .is motivation.
i reativ itv. sense of humor,
punt tuii 1 it\ or emotional stahil
it \
Similarly the emplover
would have to reline their hit
ing i riteria to include these mi
pintant hut often overlooked
human i haiat teristit s I he
result businesses would select
i andidates that more closet}
meet then needs, saving them
money in the long run People
looking for cmplov'intuit would
ipiii klv learn w hat part it ulai
i harat teristics the\ need to
compete in the job market, and
employers would quit klv learn
to not hire people on the basis
ol a slit k interview
Third, some opponents ol
leissez faire education contend
that students would have no
motivation to learn anything
bevolltl the knowledge needed
for a part it ular |ob This argil
intuit haishlv underestimates
human nature It lor no other
reason, students would want to
take a w ide range of courses be
t ause employers would quit klv
recognize that their best work
ers have a broad base of know I
edge
Students could also spread
the liberal arts component of
their education over many
vears. which would diversify
student demographics and
make the cost of education
more manageable Perhaps stu
dents would even enjoy rather
than dread these courses with
out the pressure of require
merits
In any t ase, the v alue of etfu
cation to both the individual
and to society transcends train
mg for employment Ivducation
should stimulate our intellect
to ask ourselves the questions
that give us perspet live and
make life more meaningful
With these motives, heuristic s
would leatl students to evaluate
the reasons tor l.ikiii^ i nurses
rather tiian i omplai rnllv at
tending t ourses without ques
tinning u In
\ou I shall assert the adv an
last's ot eliminating degrees
H\ ( hanging the edu< atmnal
system in this mannei rve
i onld tailor our own edm alum
1 oi example a woman aspires
to design resorts to make them
appealing to visitors Should
she pursue a degree in art liitei
hire' Design7 Leisure studies '
1’syc hology ’ \nv one ot these
programs would require her to
take <i number ot unnecessary
courses at the expense ot more
appropriate i nurses and oppor
trinities
Without degrees students
i mild easily take i lusters ot
courses from different depart
meiits or different institutions
that i ompliment ear h other toi
their own specifii needs I his
would encourage students to
develop an interdisi iplinai y
perspective The current sys
tern discourages the kind ot in
noration edm atlon hei ause it
requires immense stamina for a
student to lump .ill the hurdles
ot bureau! rai v to ns five a sell
designed degree
Similarly students who have
not narrowed their interests
and students who dei iile to
i hange fields would not lose
their investment of coursnwork
necessary to satisfy deg rue re
quirements ()t course tai ulty
would still advise students who
Please tell us what you
think by filling out tfie
reader survey in the
Oregon Daily Emerald
on Wednesday May 30
1 ell us
what
you think.
\ multiple choice
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need .1 mult' < nm rcle frame
work ol courses and extrai ur
in ill,it ,n tivilies In pursue their
i .ireer
I’resealK - people w I{!)<>111 ile
glees have little stature I mil
p.irrd to those ulm ilu regard
less ol then edm ,iliiiii.il h.H k
ground \ ju■ is«in with onl\
one health i lass letl to gradu
.lie lor example has essential
l\ no i redoutiiiIs in the eves ol
sot iet\ and employers 1 his
i anses students to blindlv work
toward earning a degree rathei
than paying attention to the
prut ess ol edlit .ilion W ithout
degrees, a person s merits
ai hievementx and personal
i liar.n teristit s would dn late
stature The toi us of si hooling
would respet tlullv return to ed
in ation
I'm.ills degrees siinplv add
to the Itutealit ratit strui lure ol
film ation Individuals need to
r
h(»< uini’ educationally autono
moils Would von Id the im ner
ol ,i rest,nirant t«*lI you what
you should eat loi your best
good' Would you wan I tin1
government to toll you wlnit i .1
reer you must pursue ’ t )l
t nurse not I lieu u ll\ let .III ail
ministration tell students what
they need tor their eilui .ition '
People should have 1 barge ot
their own edut alion
I ligher edui ation has mam
yirtues and .1 nnmher ot prolr
leins l et us t.ike a step toward
solving some ot those problems
try revoking the concept of de
gives
Mini II.1111 in k r,irnril a II S in
Ijnininniriiltil .s'/iri/ie.s ,1/
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peni/en//i working on a \/as
tt'i s ni/un.ilt'nl .1! thr / nneisi
(V
(trvgon l)nil\ _ -
Emerald
I* II II,.» I|'l I ..** n. < >M U'*n *» ' *1 ‘
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i ■ • ■ i■ i! . by i t ? * * *: r t f 1 * * *' «1 ’ 1 Put >1 i s'* <’■ J V .It the
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THE FAR SIDE
By GARY LARSON
X rr> Oof your
;1 I'm the. KicKen >©u
I.'rtW* doy
_ ... __,_iHou^ht
* *fd fr* ,j, rrv»r .' kVbui^ you
«? fo Know your |,WI<5*
F;f, iS ? ^Ka
Scene from Dinner on Elm Street