My Yearly Rant
It has come up in various meetings within the university in recent months, that student societies are struggling to maintain crowds and committee membership. While there is a recognised cycle over years of increased and decreased general interest in societies, I must say that this time new factors are involved.
This University is just another casualty of
what was called the U.L.-isation of Education. In the
This fine institution has taken up the same
standard also, and is currently placing more emphasis on the academic
qualifications. This has led to a system of semesterisation
in all faculties with an increased amount of exams, and projects to be studied
for. The University campus has become a victim of the market place, which
supposedly demands more graduates, with more qualifications. The university
reacts to the demand impetus by churning out graduates, and in closed meetings
referring to students as “units”. This new-found dedication to production is
most graphically illustrated in the new corporate image “NUI comma
What seems to have been missed is how this affects the human side of education. It is commonly recognised that the so-called “invisible hand” of the free market lacks any human qualities, being motivated purely by the need to increase and maintain profit, supply and demand.
Students reacting to the increased demands of their courses must, to succeed, spend more time at their studies. This obviously affects student societies, which are by their very nature extra-curricular,. Student participation is the very lifeblood of a society, whether it be the PDS, Lit. & Deb, music, history or engineering society, we can do our best on limited budgets, but we must have our raw material of people who can willingly give their personal time, without damaging their degree or post-grad studies. The way it is going though, students will have to give all their time to their studies, leaving clubs and societies to fade away into insignificance.
So what, you may say, sure aren’t societies only free drinking sessions. Sure, there is a social side to societies, but they also provide skills, which cannot be taught in the silence of an ordinary lecture. Involvement with societies opens your mind to new ideas, whether it be hearing a unionist view of the peace process or hearing another student speak passionately on a subject. The ability to speak before a crowd, and the confidence to ask a question when others will not, are qualities you should leave college with, if you are really suitable to face the world. As always there is someone who has expressed this sentiment more eloquently than myself, this time it’s author John Connolly:
“There is little point in having something worthwhile to say if you lack the basic skills with which to say it; simply being capable of rudimentary speech is not enough. After all, a lump of wood can float, but that doesn’t make it a swimmer”
Brian
Dawson
PDS,
3rd Arts