Letters to the Editor
Research equals money
This is a response to the April 18 Wildcat article entitled, "Top teacher must publish or leave," by Cyndy Cole. First of all, I was very disappointed to see that a teacher who obviously cares about his students and is a true mentor for others could get fired for not publishing. I understand that this is a Research I school, and therefore, it is important for the teachers at the university do research. But, I also see that the reason why research is so important comes down to one word: MONEY. Research brings in grant money, which in turn helps to reduce the costs that the university must shell out for resources. But, are we as a society every going to realize that money is not what this life is about? To me, life is a gift that I have been given, and the reason why I am here is to support others and listen to the students who are going through the trials and tribulations of college. Money is not going to matter the day I die! We need to start supporting teachers such as Dr. Todd in his endeavors. So what if he doesn't publish and meet the money-hungry standards of this university! He is doing something for the students that is more important than putting something out there with his name attached to it. Wake up and smell the fresh air of human kindness! Aren't the students the ones who are paying to attend school here? I can guarantee you that they would rather interact with a teacher who cares about them vs. a teacher who is so into his/her research that he/she doesn't care about the students. I know "teachers" such as this. They spend about 95 percent of their time doing research and 5 percent teaching. And, if they would rather not teach, they "buy out" and pay a certain amount of money from their salary so that an adjunct teacher will teach the course for them. How pathetic!
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