University of Virginia Library

Isolation

The first step is to isolate all
engineers so that interaction with
other members of the university
community is impossible. This is
accomplished partially by early
commitment to engineering as a
major. Also helpful is the large
number of required technical
courses, all attended only by
engineering students and having
heavy enough workloads to prevent
extra-curricular activities or social
interaction. The courses are taught
with great emphasis on cook book
application of principals to the
needs of industry. Cultural impacts
and social responsibility are
introduced in a few senior courses
as an after thought.

The few non-technical courses
which are required and specified are
taught in the engineering school
almost exclusively to engineers.
The remaining non-technical
electives are so few that depth in
any one pursuit and breadth are
mutually exclusive. Partially as a
result of this sort of curriculum,
Toolies are shunned by other
students; many are labeled "geeks"
or "turkeys" causing further
alienation and withdrawal.

The solutions to the Knacker
problem on the college level are
obvious fro the above criticisms of
curriculum. The only serious
sacrifice to be made is technical
competence in industrial
engineering tasks which can and
should result from post-graduate
work or on-the-job training. The
job of the university is to build well
adjusted, well rounded, individuals
capable of maintaining meaningful
relationships with other people and
capable of coping with all the
problems of living in a sophisticated
society.