THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1961 No! Dr. Pepinsky Several months ago Dr. Raymond Pepinsky, research professor of physics, made the statement that "the function of the university is research . . . Students are secondary to the purpose of the university." Because this statement, in an extreme way, is typical of a certain sort of faculty ideology, I think that we might examine it. The functions of the Univer• sity, as President Walker has repeatedly said, are research, extension, and leaching. This listing is not given in order of preference or impor tance it is given primarily to restate a basic proposition: The Pennsylvania State Uni versity exists for the benefit of its students and, indirectly, for the populace of the Com monwealth A teacher, by definition, is one who teaches, instructs, etc. Granted, he also teaches him self but as the word is here interpreted, he instructs oth ers. The university does not exist to provide an Ivory Tow er for basic research be it in philosophy or physics. Research, be it in the hu manities or the sciences, has given our civilization many benefits. He who denies the worth of such inquiries would be he who frowns upon invention, advancement, and the enlarge ment of human knowledge. It is only recently that re search in the sciences has been accorded the status of a worth while endeavor for its own sake, Anyone slightly familiar with the history of science knows of the malice heaped upon Copernicus and the death of Galilleo. In the past 75 years techno logical and theoretical research have expanded man's know ledge of his universe, and of himself, more than would have been dreamed of some 200 years ago. As the boutious gifts of the fruits of research have reached greater and greater heights so, too has the esteem in which we hold the endeavor known as research. This growing esteem is to be fully expected. The growth of esteem becomes dangerous at only one point when it reaches the stage of diefication. When research attempts to replace other functions (such as teaching) by merely assert ing its vast powers of Ihe purse and of scienfitic influ ence, at this point it is time for a few well-considered objec tions. OBJECTION: Research when conducted in an academic at mosphere, is relatively free of much of the external controls of business and industry. In return for this freedom By STEPHEN R. BLUM Contributing Writer that the university grants the researcher, I believe that the researcher is obliged to provide the university with prestige from experimental results and with help in caring for other university functions, in this case teaching. OBJECTION: It must not be forgotten that the world of eco nomic realities, at some point, must enter into even the most astute regions of academia. Re search must be paid for. I, personally, would not like to think that that share of my tuition (or my federal taxes) that goes into research is a share that I am asked to give and then just meekly attend the University, hoping that some researcher will find the time to teach me. Having contributed to the great god I wish it, in turn, would bring its great mind down to my low-status level (that of student undergrad uate fype) and give me an academic rather than a tech nological return on my invest ment. OBJECTION: I think it is usually true that a distin guished researcher is also a good teacher. That these scholars should not want to teach is depriving the student of the prime mat erial for learning (i.e. good teachers). It is, I think, a sad comment on this University, both its student body as well as its fac ulty and administration, that when the basic concept of a modern university is sudden ly challenged, by a member of that university's faculty, that no one stands up to offer but a small disagreement. Mr. Pepinsky, and certainly not he alone, must remember that this university must not be and cannot be a mere col lection of scholars. This sort of academic frater nalism reeks of academic snob bery of the worst order. It is the sort of snobbery which says: to hell with any teaching, I have far more important things to do. Mr. Pepinsky, TOCS did not only mean less country-club at mosphere and more study, it also was a sincere protest, on the part of students and facul ty, that we get to the business of teaching rather than the business of condemning any -.1 thing that interferes with our projects. SUMMER COLLEGIAN, STATE COLLEGE. PENNSYLVANIA Weather Watchers Hurricane activity may appear to increase during the next several years, but there is no cause for people residing in hurricane susceptible areas or insurance companies to become alarmed. The actual number of hurricanes will probably show no significant change, but in creased observational facilities aided primarily by a network of • weather satellites will de tect storms that prevdoUsly went unnoticed The vast tropical oceans that serve as the spawning grounds for hurricanes are character ized by their lack of weather information. Few ships fre quent tropical waters, s' weathermei send hurricane hunter plane: through the a. rea in search of tropical cy. clones durim the season. Because o the limite routes of then. flights, at least— one or two hur- ' MYERS ricanes each year probably go undetected as they develop and dissipate far from any land areas. These unnoticed storms do not cause any damage, but knowledge of their existence and characteristics would aid weather forecasters. A network of weather satel- Snowed by feel myers Hies equipped with ,television cameras, will soon provide weathermen with a Complete and continuous picturp .of. the earth's cloud formations. They will allow meteorologists to watch tropical depressions de velop into tropical storms and finally mature into hurricanes. This will provide valuable data on tropical storm develop ment, one of the fascinating mysteries of meterology, The usefulness of the Tiros weather satellites will not be restricted to tropical storms. The weather patterns in Africa, Australia, Asia and the vast oceanic areas of the world, usu ally incomplete because of in sufficient weather data, will probably be more accurately determined when the satellites are in orbit. Data gathered from these satellites should unlock some of the mysteries that shroud many weather processes, and it may also increase the ac curacy of weather forecasts for island and coastal locations, which must now depend upon scattered and often unreliable reports from ships at sea. WDFM Schedule Tod•y 8:00 p.m. Summer Serenade 7;00 p.m. Washington Reports 7:13 p.m. Albion Review 710 p.m.Newa and Weather 7:46 p.m. Album Review 8:00 p.m. Show Music: 8:30 p.m.Startight Review 0:38 p.m. Opinion 13 10:00 p.m. Chsmher Concert 12:00 midnight Sign Off PAGE Fi
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