Tuesday, October 31, 2000

October 31, 2000 446pm CST The other day, I mentioned how I didn't like being a KU student. I suppose I should explain that. I had actually written a long entry about how I felt out of place at this school because it was so large, and that I would really prefer a smaller school. But when I hit the publish button in Blogger, the whole thing got fouled up, and I lost the text. I don't know if it is Blogger's fault or the browser's fault, but my entry was gone. So I hastily wrote that out while I was frustrated. Truthfully, I haven't particularly enjoyed my experience at KU, but it hasn't been that bad. I have met a lot of really neat people. There are some really great faculty members here, and the students are pretty fun. It just seems to me that the University is run very much like a business. I have this image of the University in which easy-going students amble across the lawn on their way to their next class in which a pipe-smoking, tweed-wearing philosophy professor will deliver a lecture on Aristotle's notions of Noetics. The University is removed from the influence of corporate or political interests and can conduct research and education without interference. The truth, however, is that today's universities depend on support from the government and corporate world. Furthermore, most people seem to go to college so they can get a job. So we have career fairs one day, and the next day there is a giant ad set up on the lawn where representatives from the cellular telephone provider can explain all of the benefits of their service. Advertising takes place on campus with the sanction of the University, and there is very little that can be done about this, because we need the money. 5:16:41 PM    comment []