University of Maryland College Park - Terrapin / Reveille Yearbook (College Park, MD)

Page 17 text:

The Disillusionment of Central Position cides. If we let our environment slide like this, the end may come sooner than we think. In 25 years, there will be no oil left on the earth. In 35 years, the ozone layer might be gone and skin cancer would become rampant. In 50 years, our government might be gone. In one year, our minds might be gone. R. Buckminster Fuller, called by many the ' visionary genius of our time, ' has written: ' Earth is a very small spaceship. We are all astro- nauts. Each human is a whole uni- verse . . . Coping with the totality of spaceship earth and universe is ahead for all of us. ' Our ' space- ship ' may be coming to the end of its voyage. Fuller has also pointed out that there are 28,000 pounds of explosives for every human being on earth. As we go to classes, parties, work, and take exams, these prob- lems seem far removed. Ironically, they are closer than ever, because at the university, people attempt to solve environmental problems. Research related to energy sources and conservation, pollution and other environmental concerns goes on all around us. Packed into the confines of the buildings and minds on this cam- pus, a world of knowledge is stored and explored. Thoughts and princi- ples of universal concern are passed from seeker to seeker with hopes that persistent study will bring solutions to universal prob- lems. That ' s what this school, this world microcosm, is all about. It ' s a universe-ity. 13