Worcester Polytechnic Institute - Peddler Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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As this yearbook began to take shape, the need for a dedication became apparent. But for a long time no one could come up with an appropriate sugges¬ tion. On October 1, 1975 the problem was solved for us. Someone stole the weather vane from the tower of the Washburn Shops. So the 1976 Peddler is being dedicated to the Arm and Hammer. We could go into its history or its symbolism, but Two Towers does a better job and we do not like writing bookreports, much less reading them. The symbolism of the theft we will attempt to delve into though. Several years ago a radical approach towards the education of engineers appeared at WPI, it was called the “Plan”. One of the goals of the Plan was to make its graduates “Technological Humanists”. But in recent years something appeared that no one had counted on. Apathy. People all of a sudden did not care about anything. Many times you could hear one student ask another, “Are you apathetic? The other would reply, “Who Cares?”. . . . All over campus organizations experienced decreases in membership. Some disappeared altogether. This yearbook practically did not make it, Newspeak had its troubles, the Student Government is having problems and even The Committee for Concerned Students is having problems finding concerned stu¬ dents. But, there is another side to the story and it should be looked at. Many people feel that the Seven Week Term is too short and leaves no time for extra-curricular activities. Is it? We tend to doubt it, after all, what makes anyone think they can handle a ten week term if they can not handle a seven week term? (think about it, before you get angry). This is not the only cause, but it is one of the more obvious at WPI. (Apathy is a problem, not just unique to the college campus). Developing the “Technological Humanist” is an excellent idea. But it might be necessary to develop the “Concerned Humanist” first. But Alas, the Arm and Hammer is gone. It probably was taken as a prank (Senses of humor have been hurting also). When people do not stop to think about the feelings and property of others, then Mankind is taking giant steps backwards and it is a pretty sad state of affairs that exists. I he philosophy of the Arm and Hammer will always be part of WPI. Maybe it will be returned. For on top of all its symbolism, it was a damn nice weather vane.