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Page 22 text:
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Dr. M.M. Sawhney sociology anthropology Ours is the era of uncertainties. A young mother looks at her newborn baby and wonders what kind of life this new human will lead. What kind of fundamental rights will be bestowed on him ' simply because he is a human? What kind of dignity will be considered essential for a man in the world in which he will live? When she thinks of the overpopulation, the problem of pollution, the apparently hopeless cleavages in the family of man and the inhumani- ties of man against man, she fails to get even a blurred image in her crystal ball. The irony is that the uncertain- ties seem to be multiplying with man ' s increasing abilities to create a better life for himself and for the unborn generations. It is ironical that the uncertainties are no less traumatic for those who have college education. It is ironical that the nation that had conquered more preju- dices, explored more frontiers and provided more com- fortable lives for more people, belongs as much to the age of uncertainties as most other nations. A very essential question arises. What can universities do in a society where, in the words of Arthur Schlesinger, the velocity of history is constantly accelerating, where life is changing so rapidly that some of the most basic ideas, values and institutions are threatened with obsolescence? Though the question is very complex, some useful guid- ance can emerge from the critical examination of the explicit and the implicit assumptions and myths which have guided human life and destiny in the preceding decades, even centuries. The university has to avoid falling prey to the assump- tion that the future of mankind is as certain as the amount of knowledge we accumulate. Rather, the future is as certain as the degree of relevance of the knowledge to the world of today. One frequently hears the allegation that within a few years the education received by a university student becomes obsolete. That which becomes obsolete is probably not education: it is training. Train- ing may create a successful economy or even nation, not necessarily a successful society. Man needs both. The university will need to break the myth that people can create a successful nation and assume that a suc- cessful society would automatically evolve. Maybe the university, by being kind of a personnel office feeding qualified and certified employees in business, industry, and professions, has helped in the perpetration of the myth. However, the university can feel justifiably proud of its contribution in the creation of the successful nation. At the same time the university should endeavor to expend more energy toward the creation of succesful society. Toward this goal, much more important than formal train- ing and instruction would be the kind of status the uni- versity assigns to the student and the kind of social and intellectual environment it creates for him. What kind of environment does the university need to create? The ideal environment is the one which is most congruent with the environment in which the student would play his future roles. In a participant democracy the uni- versity cannot justify creating an authoritarian environ- ment. Nor can it serve any useful long-term goals by creating an environment of perfect equality where the administration, faculty and students have supposedly equal voice in decision-making. For, democracy by its definition can operate only in a structured society. The perl Tl dersti topn valid inspi ttett liee; aieei ones exam Ihei 01 be does i I caofi corre tliett tools standi
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Page 23 text:
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IS as dgeto igalion I by a icomes Toio- on, not asuc- fbettie feeding idustry, ofttie •oyd ol lation, jxpend society, il train- lie uni- leed to smost I would he uni- it)y erei by its .IV, The university needs to emphasize equity and accept that perfect equality is nothing but a Utopian dream. The university of today is dealing with a very unique kind of freshman. The impact of the Instantaneous world of electronic information media can hardly be over- emphasized. While these media provide an extensive un- derstanding of the world we live In, they may not be able to provide the depth of knowledge necessary to make valid and meaningful decisions. As a result many a youth, In spite of some very admirable motives starts believing that there are two kinds of people — the ones who are free and the others who are persecuted, the ones who are enlightened and those who are prejudiced, and the ones who are for the peace sign and those who wave the American flag. The university environment needs to re- move these dichotomies. In that environment the youth ought to be able to Internalize that the American flag, for example, and the peace sign are not mutually elusive. The university needs to show by its deeds that the pride of being an American, or a member of any other nation, does not and should not prevent him from regarding him- self as a member of the family of man. Also, the world citizen does not have to deny himself an allegiance to family, community or a nation. In summary, I have a simple contention. The university cannot play the passive role of simply manifesting the current values of the society. Nor can It serve the society by simply defiantly assuming the role of Innovator of new values. Rather, the university needs to compromise the two roles by providing enlightened guidance and the tools of analysis for man ' s adventure of ideas and under- standing of the contemporary world.
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