Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 20, 1997)
CONTACTING OS NEWSROOM ttORESS ! '-A' 346-55M Oregcr Daty Erne* I E-MML P O 3CX3159 j ooe^rjrjgc- uoragonaJu t jgere Oregon 97403 i QNUNE EINTION: «•«•» xrej:' &5j -xfc !---I EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah KickJer EDITORIAL EDITOR Mike Schmierbach NIGHT EDITOR Laura Cadiz CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald Longer stay won t improve education Forcing students to stop doubling up’ on credits is a poor nay to teach more The University has an official mission state ment; it's something about broadening minds and advancing education and all that fun stuff. Recently, it seems like the University also has an unofficial, but far more in fluential, mission statement as well: Make more money. The latest revenue-increasing scheme is a pro posal currently being evaluated by the University Senate. Lf passed, the plan would prevent students from using classes that filled requirements for the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees to also fill the “group" requirements. This could mean students will have to take an additional three or four classes to fill in the gaps left when they can no longer “double up” on cred its. An additional three or four classes add up to an extra term at an institution where many students struggle to graduate in five years. An extra term adds up to thousands of dollars. The stated purpose of the proposal is to increase the breadth of a University education. Frankly, we r AN EMERALD EDITORIAL don’t know how much broader our education needs to be. Most majors already require a wide range of classes, including more than enough courses to fill the group requirements and provide for a variety of educational experiences. In addition, the ruling will probably affect a min imal number of students. Most math and science majors are working toward a B.S., which means they will take enough courses in the science group to fill both degree and group requirements. Simi larly, most humanities majors will take a range of arts and letters classes in addition to the tw o years of language required for the B. A. a majority will re ceive. Obviously, the University' has found a few stu dents for whom these generalizations do not apply’. Most likely, these are students in intense, pre-pro fessional programs, where the bulk of their require ments are in the department. Demanding an addi tional term’s worth of class from these students, who have intentionally focused their studies, is ridiculous. If an individual department is worried its stu dents aren’t getting a solid education, it should change the requirements it has for majors. Students select programs, not general University require ments. And if the University is worried about the quali ty of education students are receiving, simply in creasing the number of requirements is not going to solve the problem. Spending more money and so liciting more donations for faculty pay — not buildings — would help make classes more valu able. Actively combating grade inflation would force students to earn the grades they receive and to think harder when studying. True reformation of the education experience will not come because the University Senate makes us sit through one more 300-person lecture class in the social sciences. It will come when 300-person lecture courses that require little more than con sciousness end, and a well paid, qualified faculty member stands in front of classrooms that put a greater emphasis on academic effort. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald ed itorial board. Responses may be sent to odeQoregon. uoregon .edu drawing Board r ..RENtnKPom ft ABOUT TO COME OUT 1 WMWSWOUU) WE DO ABOUT ?• VIDEOS? **’»?$! R? HtY, WHAT'S NEMH CLINTON VIDEO? Trust me f PAY \ AT7TKTKX 1 AIR FARCE ONE SsrP nr UR. ■ ma« a ‘<OfWAT J k FRED THOMPSON im CONSPIRACY theory Thumbs a To Measure 52 Oregon's schools desperately reed more money. Mea sure 52 provides up to $150 million for schools. This isn't a difficult equation. Ballot Measure 52 is hardly die ideal solu tion to the state’s funding problems: as a bond measure, the money will have to be repaid, in this case through lottery dol lars. The lottery is hardly the best choice for funding our schools, but the incredibly short sighted and ignorant voters in ttas state have left us little choice. In order to prepare students for the future and pro vide an adequate ed ucational experience, the school system needs every doBar it can get We urge a “yes" vote on Mea sure 52 to provide a few extra dollars. To Hyundai Every day, we hate this company a little more. The latest infu riating effort by this massive multi-na tional corporation is to dodge local wet lands restrictions that would block phase three construction of the Hyundai plant. The local rules allow a company to ask the federal government to evaluate and over rule a wettands based ban on con struction. This is not the first time the company has decid ed it would rather go over the heads of lo cal government offi cials and the commu nity members they represent than work with the people. Hyundai is supposed to be providing bene fits to the community by bringing jobs and dollars. Instead, it pays almost no taxes (thus draining, not aiding, the local economy) and threat ens the environment. Hyundai admits that phase three would destroy a wetland; it just wants the feds to let it wreak havoc. If Hyundai loves Eu gene so much and doesn't want to leave (as representatives have claimed), it should show an inter est in the desires of the community and help strengthen the area rather than pil laging it.
