Professionalism vs. Student Power
Hacker, Dr. Edward A.
"Professionalism vs. Student Power" The Charnel Halls of Ivy Professionalism vs. Student Power Dr. Edward A. Hacker THERE ARE CERTAIN academic matters such as teaching, curricula, examinations, grading, etc., which...
...What is not understandable, on rational grounds, is why some faculty condone and even encourage these unorthodox, unnecessary and unprofessional practices...
...This argument usually takes the following form: "College and department curricula are not relevant to students' interests...
...Therefore, since undergraduates lack professional status, they should not share the professional prerogatives of the faculty...
...The demand for student power is essentially irrational, as it is the demand for ignorance to preside over knowledge...
...When this fallacy is pointed out an ad hoe argument is invariably given to remedy the situation, which generally takes this form: "If students aren't given voting membership on committees of their choice, then they will be resentful and will not communicate with faculty and administration...
...The judgment that students have to be bribed to communicate indicates a view of the student body as morally askewed as it is false...
...HACKER (continued from page 4) standing...
...therefore, colleges should be democratically governed, which means that students should share power with faculty and administration...
...This argument goes astray in assuming that the principle of democratic egalitarianism means that all people are equal in knowledge and experience...
...The premise of this argument has merit, since effective two-way communication between the three factions of a college is a prerequisite for sound education...
...For the vast majority of students, I do not believe this statement is true.-Students are never reluctant to express their opinions to faculty or administration when they know that their opinions are seriously being sought...
...The tail should not wag the dog...
...I am in no way denying that the lack of such relationships is a serious problem for many students (as well as for others in our society), but I am denying~ that the classroom, in a course in sociology, philosophy, history, etc., should become an encounter group or a "rap session" in which the personal problems of the students are discussed...
...A college should allow and even encourage controversy and research on current social and political issues, but if it allows its resources to be used as an instrument to further the political ends of any group, then the college, by committing itself to definite political beliefs, negates a vital condition for free intellectual inquiry, which is the ideologically neutral environment so necessary for open and fruitful discussions on controversial issues...
...I am in no way advocating infallibility, as it is all too obvious that a goodly number of 'professionals,' both in and out of academia, are incompetents...
...This assumption is false, since it is perfectly possible (and, indeed, is generally the case) that the type of government which determines the policies of a country need not be the type of government which determines the policies of institutions within that country...
...therefore, students, in order to bring about the required reforms, must have voting membership on all curriculum committees...
...Nixon is receiving some competition from Congressman John Ashbrook and another fellow...
...Reading and experience have revealed to me that students' interests, currently in vogue, fall into three categories: Mystical, Experiential and Social...
...No form of government can ipso jure make ignorance equal to knowledge, inexperience equal to experience, or folly equal to wisdom...
...This argument commits the fallacy of division, since it assumes that what is true of the country, as a whole, must be true of every institution within the country...
...In conclusion, I give one argument against student power, which I call "The Argument from Professional Relevancy...
...Wayne TELEVISION WTTV-Bloomingtan, Indianapolis WPTA-Roanoke The Alternative April 1972 23...
...At George Washington University two coeds were raped within one-half hour and two Oregon State University girls were similarly treated, while a third was stabbed to death in her dormitory...
...By talking to faculty who favor giving undergraduates professional privileges, I have found that their arguments fall into three categories, which I name: (i) The Argument from Democracy, (if) The Argument from Communication and (iii) The Argument from Relevancy...
...Their mystical interests are shown by their fascination with astrology, tarot cards and other magical devices...
...Knowledge cannot be conferred by definition...
...The Argument from Communication This argument is generally used to support student voting membership on academic and administrative committees...
...e A professorship in peace studies is to be established at Colgate University...
...I shall critically address myself to each argument...
...a weakness, which if not corrected, will destroy the educational efficacy of American colleges...
...the unnecessary is bearable, if it is innocuous...
...Their social interests range over such topics as ecology, politics and problems of social justice...
...Their experiential interests are shown by their concern with drugs, sex and the participatory aspects of religion, communes and 'togetherness' groups...
...Some students are correct when they complain that college education is irrelevant to their needs, but the converse then must be also true, their needs are irrelevant to college education...
...These students think they know what the issues are...
...they have no use for under(continued on page 23) 4 The Alternative April 1972 CONTINUING CRISIS (continued from page 11) His first challenge comes in New Hampshire where Mr...
...I think not, since a college classroom is not a psychological clinic, nor is the instructor a trained psychological counsellor...
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...And rubbing elbows with faculty at a curriculum meeting gives the warm feeling of egalitarianism...
...Should college curricula be altered to meet the students' need for meaningful and significant interpersonal relationships...
...Lately this prerogative has been challenged, for it is now considered fashionable, by a certain vocal minority, to have undergraduates teach credit courses, to have students grade themselves in some courses and to have students as voting members of curriculum committees of departments and colleges...
...The Argument from Democracy This is a favorite argument of those who champion student power...
...After all, teaching a course is more of an "ego-trip" than taking one...
...It is desirable to have both formal and informal channels of communication between students and faculty, but such channels of communication should not become pathways to power...
...Edward A. Hacker T HERE ARE CERTAIN academic matters such as teaching, curricula, examinations, grading, etc., which traditionally have been the prerogative of the faculty...
...It is understandable why some students should agitate for academic privileges hitherto regulated by faculty...
...The general refutation of all versions of The Argument from Democracy consists in asserting that colleges are not, and should not be, democratic institutions, and in revealing the absurdity in the argument that a democratic form of government is one in which nonprofessionals are competent to make professional decisions...
...It is used to justify student-taught courses, selfgrading and student voting membership on both academic and administrative committees...
...Relevancy" to these students means action, not insight...
...Yet, though freedom to do one's own thing does seem to be flourishing in some areas of America, the Bill of Rights was shown to be a hollow thing indeed when Ralph Ginzburg - - one of the few men in recent American history to actually be convicted of obscenity - - began a three-year sentence in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania Federal Penitentiary...
...Selfgrading (how many students give themselves "D's" or "F's") assures a passing grade...
...Relevant courses, to these students, are workshops for implementing techniques of social and political reform, and that which is not immediately useful in furthering their goals, such as the traditional college curriculum, is condemned as irrelevant...
...The Argument from Relevancy This argument is based on the assumption that the interests of students should be given priority in all educational matters, especially curricula matters...
...In general The Argument from Communication is refuted by pointing out that voice and vote are-not necessary correlates...
...However, the conclusion of this argument is a ~mn sequitur...
...This complaint formerly baffled me, for I could not think of a single course in .humanitiew or sciences that was not relevant to understanding our present culture and civilization...
...The unorthodox is welcome, if its superiority over the orthodox is demonstrable...
...But, if such professional incompetents exist, as indeed they do, then all the more reason for not allowing non-professional incompetents to share professional power...
...I am no longer baffled, since subsequently I have learned what students mean by social and political relevancy...
...In my opinion it would be a travesty on college education to teach courses in astrology, tarot cards, etc., simply because some students have an interest in such irrationalities...
...The first form is, "Since this is a democratic country, every institution in it should be democratically governed...
...It goes like this: "Communication between students and faculty, and students andadministration, is academically important...
...There is, and should be, a relevancy gap between college curricula and systematized superstitions, unless one is asking for a return to the Dark Ages, a request no rational person would seriously consider...
...The argument is: ~ Decisions concerning requirements for professional qualifications, training in or for a profession, and professional judgments on colleagues should only be made by those in the profession...
...If a student's personal problems are of such a nature that he feels compelled to discuss them in every classroom situation, then he should seek qualified psychiatric help,, instead of advocating that the curriculum be changed to meet his needs...
...The principle upon which the premise of my argument is based is that professional matters should be decided by professionals, the presupposition being that the professional is an expert and, hence, there is a greater probability that his decision on professional matters will be sounder than a layman's...
...The extent of the success of the student-power movement is a measure of the weakness of academic professionalism...
...The second version of The Argument from Democracy goes something like this: "Colleges should be democratically governed and a basic principle of democratic government is egalitarianism...
...therefore, students should have voting membership on all committees of their choice...
...The argument comes in two forms...
...My answer to this argument is that if "relevancy" means that which aids in implementing a specific cause or ideology, then the college curricula should be irrelevant...
...Perhaps the most common complaint the advocators of student power have is the irrelevancy of college curricula to their social and political interests...
...therefore, students being equals to faculty and administration should share their power...
...but unprofessional practices within a profession cannot be justified by either love or logic...
...Relevancy," to the students who use this word as a slogan, does not mean that which helps us to understand current issues...
...Capital punishment was described as unconstitutional by the California Supreme Court, and in Lagos, Nigeria the Army executed six shoplifters...
Vol. 5 • April 1972 • No. 7
