Provost disrespects students, faculty

Editor:

Although I do appreciate the editorial in the Oct. 27 Arizona Daily Wildcat denouncing ProvostPaul Sypherd's sweeping and detrimental cuts in the journalism and statistics departments, there is still much more that must be addressed.

Provost Sypherd's plan is to make the university "user friendly" for students by making a simplistic and rudimentary core curriculum for undergraduates. What a brilliant idea! For all those undergrads who are tired of the personal touch that this university gives them there is now a brighter future in which every single undergrad takes the same three year-long classes. These classes will, in one year, teach everything an undergrad needs to know about the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. Of course, there is always some resistance to change and this time it comes from that useless faculty that only teaches classes here. Sypherd doesn't seem to be fazed, however Ä he'll just implement his plan without the faculty. Who needs tenured teachers to lecture to faculty anyway? Anyone could teach the classes he plans to require.

By the way, what does the development of the new undergraduate college at the former IBM location have to do with the new curriculum? Where exactly would the courses for undergrads be taught Ä at their own college, perhaps? That would certainly eliminate the parking problem on campus, not to mention the housing and classroom shortages. Sypherd may even convert part of the new "user friendly" campus into dormitories for those non-research related students who would have no real business on the original campus anyway. Those students who would like a little more diverse education would just have to find a way to commute to any classes they may have been able to register for here. Let's just hope SunTran gets their chance to bus all those who don't have cars. Or maybe the provost would recommend a university-run bus for everyone. It would be fun, just like camp.

Sypherd's blatant disrespect for students and faculty alike is inexcusable. The fact that he takes no one's opinion into account except his own shows an attitude that can only mean one thing Ä he doesn't care! How can he present himself as one who wishes to help students and the university as a whole and yet be so flagrantly callous? The faculty brought serious objections against his curriculum proposal. His response: I'm doing it with or without you. The students brought valid objections against his department cuts. He listened to "virtually none" of them. He alone knows what is right for an entire university and he doesn't want to hear any whining about it.

Thank you, Sir Provost, may we have another? You have finally voiced the attitude that so many of us unworthy, tuition-paying, non-beneficial undergrads have felt for so long. We are expendable. Funding for research will come from somewhere but it doesn't have to be us. Therefore, who needs to be bothered with our education? If we want one badly enough, we can always go elsewhere. Well, not to worry, we just might.

Lupe Eamon

Undergraduate

Undeclared Freshman

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