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Editor:
I can't disagree more with Jill Dellamalva's Oct. 4 column "General education is a benefit to students." I believe her column was hypocritical and misguided.
The most glaring problem in her article is the definition of general education. I am sick of having "general" education refer to a humanities education. Why has it been decided that the most important skills for everyone to possess are in the fine arts, social sciences and humanities? Students from other colleges are forced to take a large number of humanities and social sciences classes. Why don't humanities and social science students have to take engineering or business classes?
If any college needs an increase in "general" education, it would have to be Arts and Sciences. Why do English majors only have to take a semester of math (which is often considered to be the universal language)? Economics education is also grossly ignored. The same holds true for computer science. In today's society, computers are integrated into almost every career, yet majors in fields such as English and foreign language can sneak into graduation without taking any substantial computer courses.
I do not want to be accused of belittling the value of a broad education that includes humanities, social sciences and foreign languages. These are undeniably important fields. I myself have always loved history and literature. But we have no right to force others, who may not share these interests, to take a large number of these types of classes.
Perhaps when students majoring in the humanities get a well-rounded education, they will be in a better position to demand that students in other fields expand their humanities requirements. In the meantime, I hope students like Jill stop battling against academic freedom and fail in their attempt to eliminate the uniqueness of the other departments and colleges. If Ms. Dellamalva wants to be in a school that wants everyone to conform to a narrow selection of humanities and social sciences, then I suggest she go back to high school.
Andrew McClory
undecided freshman
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