Take 'liberalism out of liberal education'

In regards to the April 23 Wildcat article "Arizona graduates lack general knowledge," it should come as no surprise that college students no longer receive the well-rounded, liberal education that was once the norm.

Traditional general education courses such as history and literature have been phased out in favor of leftist frivolities such as "gender issues."

These classes may promote "sensitivity," but they do not engender learning. It's time to take the liberalism out of liberal education.

Kenneth J. Porter
mathematics sophomore

UA is not a 'cookie-cutter program'

I object to several of the opinions expressed in the April 23 article, "Arizona graduates lack general knowledge," regarding a survey done by the Arizona Association of Scholars.

The "classical general college education" is a thing of the past. Students come to college for a reason. They don't come to repeat what they have already learned in high school, i.e. American history.

There is a future purpose in mind - medical school, law school, graduate studies, a job to support themselves, etc. We can't just keep heaping requirements upon them and expect them to graduate in four years. With new requirements, something else has to give. But what will that be? And who decides?

I graduated from the UA with a B.S. in chemistry. If I had been required, as a student, to take American history (which I had in high school), I would have missed the opportunity to read such authors as Homer, Aristotle, Shakespeare and Sappho (none of whom I had the opportunity to read in high school).

I also would have missed the art of the Renaissance and the Impressionist periods. I probably wouldn't have taken college acting.

Students should be allowed to explore their interests, to have a part in shaping their degrees. They should not be put into a cookie-cutter program that only allows them to take courses of interest outside of the requirements, at added cost and added time.

Finally, let's put this study into perspective. The number of graduating seniors surveyed for this study at all three state universities was 167.

Do you know how many students matriculated last year, at the three state universities? More than 17,000. With a sample size of less than 1 percent, how statistically significant is this study?

Rachel Anger
laboratory manager
chemistry department

Labeling UA 'Marxist' is amusing

Gavin Murphy's assertion that the UA deserves the label of a Marxist camp is quite amusing considering that the largest college in this school is the college of business. That is not to mention the great diversity of people and ideas that we're blessed with in this campus, as anyone working for the university can attest to. Beyond his unfounded attacks on the University, it is unfortunate that he decided to single out would-be wearers of Che T-shirts as the clearest sign of the university's downward spiral into anti-social behavior, and its subsequent unworthiness of state funding.

As a history major, he should know that the admiration our generation might have for him has nothing to do with his guerrilla tactics. He was a combatant, to be sure, just like Washington, Bolivar and Zapata.

However, he was also a man who lived what he preached and died for what he believed in. His determination sustained him even through his vicious attacks of asthma, as he continued his quest for what he understood to be the betterment of humanity.

Mr. Murphy probably also knows that soon after the Cuban Revolution, Che became a staunch critic of the Soviet Union, an antagonism that at least in part led to his ill-fated expedition to Bolivia.

Thus, Mr. Murphy should remember what a wise man once said: "Do not confuse your vested interests with your ethics. Do not confuse the enemies of your privilege with those of humanity."

Luis Jimenez
Latin American studies graduate student