Montclair State College - La Campana Yearbook (Upper Montclair, NJ)

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John T. Harding Non-Traditional Student J What can you possibly do with a degree in linguistics? friends ask. My wife ' s answer: Become a teacher and persuade ten other people to study linguistics. My own answer is that I ' m al- ready using linguistics. In journal- ism, covering the telecommuni- cations and computer industries; in a newsletter I write on the use, misuse and abuse of the English language in America and in oc- casional magazine articles. Linguistics is far more than the study of grammar. In fact, a grammar in only one way of de- scribing how a language works; moreover, all grammars leak. There are other ways of describ- ing how a language functions. One of the most useful courses I took in the six-year, part-time road to degreedom at MSC (af- ter an 18-year hiatus) was The Language of Propaganda. Poli- ticians may be more notorious for using language to sway public opinion, but corporate execu- tives do it, too. To a journalist, knowing how these techniques function is the first step in getting past the smokescreen of petti- foggery to the truth. John T. Harding (BA in Linguistics and English. January, 1987) has 23 years experience in journalism and writes on telecommunica- tions, computers and consumer electronics for the business sec- tion of The Star-Ledger. Newark. In addition, he writes and publish- es ' ' Editor ' s Revenge. a newslet- ter on usage. And he has been known to march through the Stu- dent Center cafeteria on March 17 playing the bagpipes.

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When I First Came To College, I Was Idealistic, Expecting A Change From The Conformist ' live For Today ' ' Mentality I Suffered Through In High School I Was Really Looking Forward To Meeting Open-Minded, Individualistic, Intelligent Thinkers. Dy Jim Williams I felt that college, by its very nature as a higher learning institution, would attract people similar to me. That was three years ago. Save for a few special people, most students here are just reveling in four more years of high school. College for them is not a learning experience, but rather a reprieve from the real world. Any kind of social or political involvement on the part of these people is merely the following of some vogue trend, only to wither away when a new (and more exciting) trend comes along to take its place. Take South Africa for example. That cause was in about a year ago; now the excitement has faded. Why? Do they really think the atrocities have stopped? Or were they afraid to become more involved in the fight against racism and perhaps examine some of their own ideas? Maybe they couldn ' t dump their own racist stereotypes and permanently erase words like nigger from their vocabulary. I don ' t know, but in any case, the fervor over this issue came and went among college students in less than two years. And still the suffer- ing continues. The point I am trying to make is that college, like high school, is chock full of trendy, shallow, confused individuals who are vying for wide-scale mass ac- ceptance by their peers. They believe in the acceptable causes, participate in acceptable activities, and generally behave in the traditional manner that society expects of college students. I have observed several vogue col- lege ideas that have permeated this campus in the time I have spent here, and I have some questions to ask of the people who suscribe to these ideas. 1. COMPLAINING ABOUT STUDENT APATHY Have you actually taken the time and effort to try to right the wrongs of our society? Do you serve as an exam- ple to those less willing to get in- volved? Are you genuinely concerned about the world around you? I would hope so, but my experiences have shown me that most of you think apa- thy is a cool sounding word and do little beyond that. 2. MOCKING OUT RELIGION Are you generalizing the disgusting actions of those who exploit religion for profit to all religion in general? Do you take into account various social ser- vices (soup kitchens, homeless shelters, aid to struggling third-world peasants, etc.) provided by various religious groups? Have you internalized your own set of morals, principles, values and ethics? 3. PLAYING THE NON- CONFORMIST Have you truly rejected our society ' s values (prejudice, greed, elitism, com- petition, etc.) or are you the same so- ciety in a different package? Are the various hairstyles and modes of dress something you believe in, or just a neat thing to do? You have the greatest potential to be the individual thinkers and leaders of a new social order. Unfortunately, most of you probably have no idea what that means. 4. PARTYING Are you so inhibited that you can ' t have a good time without drugs and alcohol? Do you pollute yourself just to feel like one of the crowd? Do you actually think you are being rebel- lious by doing something generations old? My Clifton High School class of 1984 ' s slogan was Where ' s the par- ty. Need I say any more? The more I think about college stu- dents today, the less surprised I am. We are, after all, products of our soci- ety. And in a society such as the Amer- ican one, is it any wonder that peo ple are blinded by the smokescreen of self-indulgence and immediate gratifi- cation? Is it a shocking revelation that acceptance at any cost takes prece- dence over personal growth? I think not. Here, shallow flings take prece- dence over genuine committment to ideals. You are here at college to recieve an education. However, you can learn more from observing than by reading books. You are blessed with the op- portunity to open your eyes to the world around you and learn about oth- er people and our society as a whole. But most of all, you have the chance to discover yourself and see what works for you. If this is done in the true sense, it quite often involves re-exami- nation of your beliefs, goals, and ideals. This can be, by far, the most challenging facet of a college educa- tion. Very few people choose this route, but if you are daring enough, it can be a positive, enlightening experi- ence. Come graduation time, you will also have more than a mere piece of paper to show for it.