Rider University - Shadow Yearbook (Lawrenceville, NJ)

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B JW mg ,av-1 by Dr Carroll C Pratt, Prof of Psychology The credibility gap that we hear so much about today with respect to political and social proclamatlons has much in common with one of the central dogmas of Freu- dian psychology about individual behavior Both are thought of as deliberately or unconsciously concealing or distorting what goes on behind the scenes or below the surface The psychoanalytic practice of assuming that what a patient says does not reveal what is really troubling him as been carried over into everyday life with the result that we frequently ask ourselves Now what did he really mean by what hejust said? There has always been a discrepancy between political pronouncements and the truth of the matter whatever that may be' but in recent years it has increased so much that credibility gap has become part of our national 5- vocabulary. Education has tended to reinforce skepti- cism, for we like to think we have taught our students the strategy and virtue of scholarly and scientific attitudes. ' assailable Don't believe anything until the evidence is un . There are indications that the pendulum is swinging in the other direction, or rather, in many quarters there is hope that such is the case. It is too bad to go through life wearing a question mark, for trust is so much more pleasant than distrust. Freud was a needle-witted genius, but he was by no means always infallible. And when our young people gain influence in the body politic, they may be able to persuade their political leaders to tell it like it really is. lf any of our seniors read these words some years from now, let them note whether the words are pro phesy or foolish optimism. ' 17 N9

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products have been identified wherever the products oc- cur. They are preparation, both direct and indirect, plateaug moment of insight, and refining. Direct prepara- tion, the accumulation of raw material and refining Cre- writingy consist of almost all of our schools' teaching now. But there is indirect preparation, the seemingly un- related experiences that are significant in creative pro- duction. Einstein studied mathematics but also read Dos- toevsky before discovering relativity. Morse was a graduate engineer but also a recognized painter before the telegraph was wrought What of the plateaus, the several incubation periods that occur, the subconscious Melvillian seas that spawn the feminine births? Aimless walks, play, relaxing, intoxication of the senses are all a if if Q W' . '+ lf, est? ,, H3 V' I, 11515 l l , 5 V ipuxcjai A i ' V CP ,ma !i1' .. F ' it 4, l l A i l W' ,IQ - 2-. , , A 16 - .JB MJD' part ofthis. There are times in our school experience where the thinking and logical must be balanced by the non-think- ing and intuitive. A quiet little 10th grade girl once replied to my final exam question, How could you make our classroom more creative? She wrote of a giant milk bottle filled with pillows and suffused with music and light of varying colors. One subject was Love and, in this class, as success or failure occurred, lights and music ebbed and flowed. Suppose a non-Skinnerian box. The student reclines below an open top. One, two, three sides fall. Remaining is a platform from which the learner floats. SQ 'YE nv , ixX A - Fbilafu,

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by Dr. James lL Guimond, Assoc. Prof. ofEnglish l think that all three groups-administrators, faculty, students-are divided within themselves on the question of what Rider needs. In general, we all agree that Rider needs to be a better college. But on specific issues we disagree about Rider's needs, because throughout the United States there are two very different ideas about what constitutes a better college. A good many administrators and faculty, and quite a few students, believe that Rider will be better when it be- comes a more prestigious school in essentially traditional academic terms. This group believes that our country's institutions are essentially sound ones which can be im- proved by a more rigorous application of the knowledge and values embodied in conventional academic dis- ciplines. Consequently, they believe that Rider will be im- proved if it has more students with high grade points, more PhD's on the faculty, more scholarly and scientific research-the hallmarks of traditional academic ex- cellence which serve society as it now exists. A second group, made up mostly of students but in- cluding some faculty and administrators, believe that many American institutions, including colleges, are in dire trouble. They fear that racism, the war and the de- struction of the environment are unavoidable con- sequences of our present institutions and the manner in which they operate. They believe that our academic val- ues-insofar as they have perpetuated these in- stitutions-are values to be feared and indicated. They feel that colleges should be places where students are trained, not to absorb and adapt, but to question and criticize. Consequently, they think Rider needs courses, faculty and students who will examine, criticize and even act to change any part of our American Way of Life which is dangerous to life as it exists on our present planet-which is the only one we have so far. Both these groups exist at Rider, as well as on other campuses. They regard each other with increasing indif- ference and contempt. Each believes it understands the other perfectly, and neither seems able to listen to the other with respect or intelligence. There is nevertheless a possibility that each group has something to learn from the other. If so, Rider has yet another need-a need to learn. SQ 18 wfffllrlif , :clggk-T 'VJ W 3:-'ff'io ' A' i,QZl,,:1 - 4' . is 1, s ':' '-: H225- .QE V. . 127'-2. .A . Aigitill. T' zz- T ggi... -V .N ,ga-A--i.,' Bef- - gg-aj,gl,,.:.Jm-5-l. iris? -'U-.',4, lf: Ei ig- 11:,.., A l. 1 1. fl L' Em:-.-ax'.4 lv , . 1 :gil-wx viii. . .mr Q ll f K .-Z- mfgfi i iii! pic-I. as sz ,.-L.,'1..,l5,,y3l'... V .rife . -ffrfzfle: s .. f. .de- : Q- l?':,gil':ivli u. sv- 2 ll--4, ,gl - .. ,A .:.V,, , . -mfgni 1- , . fx if l'?fs,v'1'1 ' . .-.1'v1:, .3 W S,-,A