Rochester Institute of Technology - Techmila / Ramikin Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

Page 16 text:

AV Communications St Kkn HOLZEMER fer the course next year, and if the course is offered the following year, the same instructor will be teaching it, In essence, the administration admit- ted that there were grounds for the students' complaints by offering them the option of taking the course again free of charge, but then refused to of- fer a viable alternative Isn’t a student about to spend thousands of dollars on an RIT education entitled to know this? Another prime example of the ad- ministration's lack of concern for its customers' took place on wrhen classes were cancelled for a teaching con- ference. Most people will agree that such conferences are worthwhile. But the fact that this conference closed the institute down in mid-week after the quarter had already been split up by Christmas vacation and snow days, showed a lack of concern for both stu- dent and teacher opinion. The ad- ministration seemed to ignore the fact that students had to make up these classes at inconvenient times, and that some professors were just too lazy to plan for make-up classes. The ad- ministration didn't see the irony of further disrupting an already in- coherent quarter with ' teaching con- ference.' When one of the main organizers of the event was asked to explain the scheduling, he said, We planned it for the middle of the quarter to im- press on the professors how important these new educational technologies are. Such an answer makes a parody of the fact RIT claims its professors are professional educators who are tops in their field Isn’t a student about to spend thousands of dollars on an RIT education entitled to know this? Throughout the official bulletin RIT reminds its potential customers that it has excellent relations with in- dustry. It is no secret that RIT courts industry with fervor unseen in other schools. This is only natural since RIT is a 'career-oriented' institute. This courting of industry has been to RIT s material advantage: witness the modern, up-to-date-facilities, par- ticularly in the schools of Graphic Arts and Photography. However, RIT should also guard that business and industry do not subordinate the greater interests of the students and the larger goals of education to their needs and profits. This could easily happen at an institute too concerned with raising money and good relations with industry, and not enough concer- ned with the welfare of its 'customers.' RIT would do well to show equal con- cern for developing good relations with its students as it does for its own economic growth. Shouldn't a student about to spend thousands of dollars on a RIT education be made aware of these problems? RIT should emphasize in the bulletin that an RIT education is not the best professional education for everyone. Bringing up some of these problems in the official bulletin would require a much more open attitude on the part of the RIT administration. Let's hope that RIT has the foresight to make some of these changes and to practice self-regulation in other areas before further student alienation and government intervention becomes a reality. -RUSS HARRIS 15

Page 15 text:

of increased competition among colleges for a diminishing number of students. As colleges and universities have seen their student body decline, they have begun to use more aggressive marketing and sales techni- ques to attract more students- Clearly, RIT has been more successful than many other schools in attracting stu- dents. In large part this is because career education is in vogue. RIT has legitimately been able to claim that it has long experience in this area of education, and this has attracted many students. Vet it is also clear that RIT is subject to the same fluctuation in de- mand that affects other schools. Ac- cording to a recent article in the Repor- ter 'Enrollment in CCE, forecase to be the place for the growth in higher education, reached its peak in 1966 and has been declining ever since, dropping a surprising 18 per cent. The exaggerated paranoia the administra- tion exhibited at having to do a bit of financial belt-tightening this year demonstrated where the administra- tion s larger sympathies lie. Of course, the administration is committed to 'education' but it is no secret that the administrators at CCE are worried and are pushing to increase enrollment. If we were to write a critical guide to RIT to offset the exaggerations of the official bulletin, what should be in- cluded? No doubt, there are any num- ber of legitimate gripes. Some of the most obvious criticisms have already come out in the campus media this year. An article in Counterpoint poin- ted out that in the opinion of many in the Institute College, the program is a patchwork quilt of unrelated programs, its components spread all over campus ... It frequently appears that RIT looks at the Institute College as some sort of bastard relation. Isn't a student about to spend thousands of dollars on an RIT education entitled to this information? In an article in Reporter, John Hosuler, Chairman of Rochester's In- dustrial Management Council, com- mented that many RIT students are well prepared in their technical areas but do not, unfortunately, seem strong in some of the basics such as English grammar, or the ability to do some mundane things like write let- ters. Isn't a student about to spend thousands of dollars on an RIT educa- tion entitled to know this? Many articles in both Counterpoint and Reporter have discussed ad- ministration intransigence on the deferred payment issue, as well as the administration's general callousness toward students A quote from a Counterpoint editorial is an example: The administration treats the stu- dents with contempt, the students look upon the administration with suspi- cion, and tension grows.' Besides the elimination of deferred payment, the following example of the administration s reaction to a class complaint about a particular professor is illustrative. A class of graduate stu- dents in photo-science complained wn- animously that their professors lec- tures were unclear, his homework problems poorly constructed, and that there was a real lack of feedback bet- ween the professor and the students in the class. Eventually the administra- tion agreed to let the students take the course again at no extra cost. But that's not as reasonable as it sounds. First, the department is not expecting to of- 11

Page 17 text:

16 HOLZEMtR