University of Virginia Library

Education

equitable student-faculty ratio in
the actual teaching of classes. (And
if you wonder why we are forced
into such an intolerable situation
demand an answer of Vincent Shea.
In order to impress upon the State
Legislature the overcrowding crisis
he is forcing classes to remain in
small rooms which are designated as
"1.10-classroom, academic use"
while larger areas such as Cabell
Hall Auditorium which goes
without such a designation remain
empty. Why? The State Legislature
must be led to believe that our
"academic use" facilities are fully
committed so that they will
appropriate new funds for new
buildings.)

Perhaps we should press for a
faculty-student review board for
contesting arbitrary grading
practices or unjust and libellous
curriculum evaluation reports:
perhaps indeed we should be
pressing for that most radical of all
suggestions: at total reassessment of
the goals of this institution stressing
that the attainment of an education
and the earning of a degree are not
necessarily incompatible, despite
current appearances. And perhaps
we should cease petitioning and
lallygagging about. Perhaps we
should force the initiative.

Perhaps we should start by
telling T. Marshall Hann that he can
have his Polyunsaturated University
as the State University while we
devote our talents to producing
scholars rather than degrees; halt the
rampant expansion right here and
now. Decide that learning is our
desire and education is our
business, and start the
housecleaning by kicking the
Education School in the backside
until it begins to produce teachers
who themselves can produce high
school graduates competent enough
to enter the University realizing
that what they want and need is an
education. Proclaiming education as
our goal and speaking about
"violations of principles that are
the cornerstone of this institution"
while tolerating this sort of
intellectual rest home in the center
of the grounds is a most heinous
form of gamesmanship.

Education is the problem.
Expansion is no solution. Will it
really prove necessary to force
Pavilion VIII to the wall before we
can achieve some manner of reform?