Editorials
TITLES:Do they really mean anything?
By Linda McCart
Thus far, Capitol Times has
taken a brief but closer look at
the degree titles of Capitol's two
largest divisions.
Degree titles. Twenty years or
even six months down the road
students may ask who really
cares. Employers may not care;
friends and family will probably
not notice the difference.
But degree titles, whether
significant or insignificant, do
connote something and it is im
portant to pinpoint the meanings
of the rather unusual titles that
Capitol does grant.
To correct our mistakes:
Our apologies to Jim Czarniecki and John Springborn, whose pic
tures we transposed in the 'Campus Commentary' of our February
issue.
In the same issue, we overstated the pledges received by the alumni
phonathon. The final pledge total was $25,066.00.
Finally, we inadvertently misspelled the name of Charles Aleksy,
Supervisor of Safety and Police Services. We apologize.
Capitol
imes
Linda A. McCarty .Executive Editor
James E. Fitzroy •••• Managing Editor
Tony G. Perry Managing Editor
Jeffrey G. Shatzer Production Manager
Photography Editor
Neil A. Myers Composition Editor
Angelo Vecchio Sports Editor
Michele S. Haley Events Editor
Kimberly C. Bush Business Manager
Advising and consulting
The Capitol Time welcomes letters from readers. Letters intended for publication must indicate the writer's affiliation, if
any. All letters MUST be signed by the writer. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Capitol Timm reserves the right to reject
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for space limitations.
Friday, March 16, 1984
Vol. 18, No. 6
Editorial
Contributing Staff
Kathleen E. Heraghty
Sean Ferry
Don Strausburger
After all, one must spend at
least four years of one's life earn
ing one.
We took a look at the Bachelor
of Technology degree and found
it is different in structure and
purpose than a Bachelor of
Science in Engineering. Thus, a
technology degree is named such
and is recognized by many
regional employers as a practical
"hands-on"education in
engineering.
But if we turn to the 8.8. A.
and the M.A. we see degree titles
which may have lost their tradi
tional meaning to a point where,
as Dr. McKenna of the Business
Division said, "What is a B.S. in
Board
John Patterson, Bern Shariman
Capitol Times Friday, March 16, 1984
one school may very well be a
8.8. A. in another."
But many degree
titles remain un
changed. Is it
because the "col
ony" chose to keep
that which its
"mother country"
established for it?
McKenna also said that a
degree is suppsed to connote
something and if you have to stop
and explain it then its meaning is
obviously lost.
Unasked questions
lead to grumbling
By James Fitzroy
Grumbling about the way
things should be is a privilege en
joyed by all Americans. Everyone
indulges in it, to the point that
one could assume it is a right
guaranteed by the Constitution.
Grumbling is a useful process
for the stressed person who needs
to blow off steam. It becomes a
hazardous process when it
replaces more productive ways of
dealing with perceived problems.
Like asking questions. Like try
ing to become informed about
things that bug you.
Questions do sometimes lead to
stone walls, but the stone wall
would give one's mind a real ob
ject to dismantle, an obstacle to
overcome. Unasked questions
create a void that the imagination
fills with all manner of possible
answers, all of which are pro
bably erroneous.
While researching stories for
this newspaper, the reporters
came across the same issue from
some quite different sources.
An interview with a faculty
member found him perplexed at
the propensity of some students
to blithely proceed on
assignments, quite unsure of ex
actly what was required. The
solution seemed plain to him: Ask
questions! (Of him, not your
roommate.)
In any major, insecurity about •
Page 6
"Everyone knows what an
M.B.A. is but a Master of Ad
ministration, well, you have to
stop and explain, "he said.
McKenna also drew a very
perceptive analogy when he com
pared Capitol to a colony and
University Park to the mother
country. When the "colony" was
established back in the mid-60's
the "mother country", unsure of
what kind of "beast it may
become was very careful of what
kind of degrees to let its colony
have."
And like America, Capitol grew
up, McKenna said.
But many degree titles remain
unchanged. Is it because the "col
ony" chose to keep that which its
"mother country" established for
it?
Or has the "mother country"
refused to allow a change?
what one is expected to achieve
will only result in a confused pro
duct. Other professors interviewed
on this point had the same
answer: Ask me questions! They
all considered the student willing
to ask questions to be the most
serious student.
Students who are afraid of ap
pearing dumb by asking questions
are dumb only in the sense that
they are denying themselves exact
ly what they came to Capitol
Campus for--an education.
This same inhibition applies
when students are dealing with
other members of the staff at
various offices set up to deal with
the non-academic aspects of our
college experience.
Staff members tell of an
"upsetting" amount of misinfor
mation brought to them by
students who say "my friend
said" that this or that is so. The
student usually has to begin again
with whatever process he or she is
trying to get through.
There are no guarantees that
you will always get the exact
answer to a question, even from
the persons who should have it.
Policies change. Professors and
staff members are human. Com
puters are not always right. But
the question asked and answered
will give you something to go
with. The question unasked will
only lead to frustration and add
to that ominous background noise
in the hallways--grumbling.