DECEMBER 14, 1984
Humanities Needs Emphasis
by Phil Galewitz
Daily Collegian Writer
Editors’ Note: This article
reprinted from the Daily Col
legian.
The teaching of the
humanities may need some drastic
changes to enhance a university
student’s broad and liberal educa
tion, the staff director of the Na
tional Endowment for the
Humanities study group said.
Dan Schecter said students
must be brought face to face with
the basic questions the humanities
try to answer.
Humanities departments must
take the lead in reshaping the
teaching of humanities. Parents
and students must also be im
mediately involved, Schecter said.
Universities’ administrations
and faculties must agree on what
an education is and what it should
mean, Schecter said.
Jim Martin, associate professor
of psychology, said humanities
help people to understand
themselves better and also help in
learning about the world in which
Qerow to
by Michael Kitchen
Collegian Contributing Writer
Douglas Gerow will succeed
Dann Johns as President of the
Student Government Association
next semester.
Gerow (Fifth Semester,
Business Economics) is the cur
rent vice-president of SGA. He
also served two semesters as a
commuter senator.
“I just want to continue with
the tradition of the SGA,” said
Gerow, “to provide student opi
nions, views, and concerns to the
faculty, administration and the
University at large, by developing
working relationships with key
people and then working with
them.”
Gerow said he considers John’s
presidency this semester “a suc
cess.” “He redirected the focus of
SGA, opening up the government,
making it a more open forum,”
he said, “And Dann has done a
lot for promoting the acceptance
of student government by the
faculty and administration.”
“The most important thing
though, which Dann started was
bringing up discussion of an
honor code at Behrend College,”
said Gerow. “The fact that the
faculty and administration are
talking about it shows what sort
of influence SGA can have.”
“Another important issue
we live. Getting involved in the
political process and participating
in government are two examples
of ways an education in the
humanities can help a person.
“We must be more than techni
cians in helping to find the mean
ing of life and other complex
philosophical questions which
need to be answered,” Martin
said.
Many large technical firms look
for people with a humanities
background which helps to teach
students to think in addition to
only solving problems, Martin
said.
Carl Wolgemuth, associate
dean of engineering, agrees that a
student with a broad and liberal
education is more appealing to
large .technical companies.
Students are taking humanities
classes not because of a University
prerequisite but because the ac
crediting agencies in the field say
so.
Beverly Harris-Schenz, a
member of the National Endow
ment for the Humanities study
group, said by taking humanities
classes students will become aware
that many problems which appear
unique really are not when com
pared with history. Also people
Succeed
brought up is that of the alter
native grading policy, proposed
by the Student Caucus of the
University Faculty Senate as a
12-point system of grading,” said
Gerow.
“I also think Dann handled
quite well the newly conceived
concept of standing committees,”
stated Gerow. “He used these
very effectively, especially the
ICC with Greg Goldsmith, for
promoting the goals of student
government.”
“Another issue student govern
ment dealt with which was ex
tremely important to all students
is the activities fee,” said Gerow.
This is a fee added to student tui
tion, used for increased funding
of student activities at Behrend,
and throughout the university.
Looking toward his own ad
ministration, Gerow sees several
issues as “central goals” on his
agenda.
“We’ll pursue the honor code,
ultimately to implementation, ”
he said. “We’ll follow the grading
policy, hopefully to implementa
tion,” he added, “and we’ll con
tinue to press diligendy for an ac
tivities fee.”
Gerow said his first goal will be
“to try to guarantee that Berend
Colege will have a student with
voting rights on the University
Faculty Senate, a right which has
■iTHE COLLEGIAN
NEWS
will learn that human beings share
a lot in common with each other
throughout history.
In many respects the expecta
tions- of university students has
lessened by broadening their lear
ning experience, Harris-Schenz
said.
Theodore Kiffer, director of
general education program in
humanities and social sciences,
said it is a tragedy that students
can receive a baccalaureate degree
without even reading a poem or a
great piece of literature.
Kiffer would like to see students
take a series of related classes
sharing a given theme to build
coherence in learning. Giving a
large smorgasbord of classes and
having students pick them has not
worked in higher education. More
restrictions are needed to make
sure students take the right
courses.
The purpose of a liberal educa
tion is to broaden one’s perspec
tive on life, and ideas like having
all students take two years of
liberal arts would help, Kiffer
said.
A key aspect of a broadly based
education must include several
quality courses involving
psychology, philosophy and
Johns
been denied.”
Another priority of Gerow will
be to somehow increase atten
dance at SGA meetings. “This is
something we need desperately, ”
he said. “We deal with issues in
volving money, grades, and
honesty. These have a direct im
pact upon students.”
Analyzing the Student Senate
of Behrend, Gerow believes the
Senate has done a good job
representing the views of their
constituents. “They’ve been ef
fective jn representing student in
terests and effective in question
ing the; givens and traditions of
the- .student government, which
has been beneficial,” said Gerow.
“This makes us really look at
ourselves and see where we need
to be changing.”
“Still,” added Gerow, “there
are very few senate members
directly, involved with day-to-day
operations. They need to have this
familiarity, to completely unders
tand how student- government
operates.”
Gerow said he’s “very, much
looking forward to serving as
SGA president next semester. I’m
proud to be a Behrend student,”
he said. “This is great place to
learn and to grow. Great univer
sities are made great by great
faculty, great friends, and by
great . students,’ he added.
“Behrend has all three.”
religious studies, for example.
Because of the lack of interest
in the humanities, students are
very present minded and are not
concerned about philosophical
questions, Schecter said.
“The place to begin rebuilding
human values is with higher
education,” Schecter said.
College is one of the few times
in life a person has to think about
life in a philosophical manner and
to take away this opportunity
does harm to one’s education,
Martin said.
Daniel Walden, professor of
American Studies, said in the long
run students are missing a true
liberal education if classes in
humanities are skipped. In addi
tion, two things must be ac
complished to increase the quality
of an education including
humanities, he added.
First the teaching of humanities
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has to be fostered and encouraged
by every college and every
discipline in the University. Se
cond, the University owes it to the
student to refine the current
humanities courses and bring
them together, Walden said.
The report, delivered by the Na
tional Endowmwnt for the
Humanities for the group, listed
many elements which humanities
core courses need, Schecter said.
These elements included:
- understanding of development
of western culture
- reading of masterworks of
American, English and European
writers
- demonstrating a proficiency in
a foreign language
- understanding the significant
ideas and debates in philosophy
- becoming familiar with a non
western culture including history
of science and technology.
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