2008 Woodie Awards
A Campus Defeated
Pamela Brown
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Opinion
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In 1989, I came to Arcata for an interview in the Humboldt State University Department of Social Work. Given the natural beauty here and the opportunity to move back to my home state, I was pretty sure that I wanted to accept an offer that came a few days later. At the time I was teaching in a small private Catholic college in Iowa and someone who knew I had applied for a position referred me to a recent graduate of HSU to get her take on the campus culture. So I called this student who was employed at Red Cross. I asked if she would describe what her experience was like during four years here. After that conversation, I knew I wanted to be here.
The graduate described a campus where teachers taught not only in classrooms, but engaged in meaningful conversations with students during walks in the community forest, at coffee houses, on the quad and in their offices. She felt classes were exciting because people debated, were vocal, believed in possibilities, were genuinely invested in a more just life. It was a campus where people cared. She felt people had time for her. She couldn't say enough wonderful things about her experience at HSU.
The history of this campus is one of activism, service and a respect and appreciation for the natural environment. President McCrone served for thirty years and upon his retirement, we were hopeful that a new president would not only embrace the long-standing values of this campus, but also come with a vision that would carry us into the next century, would excite and inspire us. Most importantly, that a shift in administration would continue to emphasize that we are here to teach, serve and engage in a democratic participatory process.
I think that this campus is now lost. Our unique identity has been reduced to imitating other campuses, high fees and tuition, larger classes, a higher priority on research than on teaching and a corporate culture where the emphasis is placed on the dollar rather than humanity.
The graduate described a campus where teachers taught not only in classrooms, but engaged in meaningful conversations with students during walks in the community forest, at coffee houses, on the quad and in their offices. She felt classes were exciting because people debated, were vocal, believed in possibilities, were genuinely invested in a more just life. It was a campus where people cared. She felt people had time for her. She couldn't say enough wonderful things about her experience at HSU.
The history of this campus is one of activism, service and a respect and appreciation for the natural environment. President McCrone served for thirty years and upon his retirement, we were hopeful that a new president would not only embrace the long-standing values of this campus, but also come with a vision that would carry us into the next century, would excite and inspire us. Most importantly, that a shift in administration would continue to emphasize that we are here to teach, serve and engage in a democratic participatory process.
I think that this campus is now lost. Our unique identity has been reduced to imitating other campuses, high fees and tuition, larger classes, a higher priority on research than on teaching and a corporate culture where the emphasis is placed on the dollar rather than humanity.
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