Broome Community College - Citadel Yearbook (Binghamton, NY)

Page 11 text:

The most volatile component of the educational system and the one for whom the system exists is the student. It is here that the success or failure of the educational system will be felt. It is not so much a quantity of knowledge, as an attitude toward knowledge that it is important to foster. Education does not stop with graduation; a capacity and desire for continued growth must be present. This capacity and desire is basic to a questioning attitude. It is important that the student develop a sense of respon- sibility. He must hold no one in awe, he must accept nothing blindly, he must compromise his principles for no one if he is to find himself and maintain that grip.

Page 10 text:

The classroom should be one of the most important cen- ters of questioning on any campus. It is here that the profes- sional educator makes his influence felt. Literature, history, mathematics, and technical courses should serve to stretch the mind. A journey in search of Mr. Kurtz or Eldorado can be a journey in search of ourselves. An examination of the French Revolution or the principles of Sir Thomas More can reinforce a balanced view of life and man. Struggling with a mathe- matical formula or developing a technical skill can serve to broaden our experience. All these things can happen with a willingness on the part of the student to learn and an enthusiasm on the part of the teacher to teach. This enthusiasm can bring life and relevancy to a subject; it can impart a love of learning to a student.

Page 12 text:

This year the students’ sense of responsibility was mani- fested in the several controversies which centered around Student Council and Tech Talk, the campus newspaper. Con- troversies revolved around the Dress Code, the mandatory Alumni Fee, Senior Class elections and the dismissal of Philosophy instructor, Joseph Talarsky. The success or failure of the students in these questions was subordinate to the mere fact that they occurred. Both sides had a lesson to learn in terms of human relations and diplomacy. The most important benefits derived from trying to re- solve these problems must center around the human lessons learned here—stubbornness and pride can wound the pos- sessor; tactlessness can be self-defeating; no one, and no action can or should be above criticism.