Wednesday, march 14, 1979
poga4
daily nebraskan
o)OODDjQ(lGl?DS
Universe pioneer's birthday a worthwhile holiday
Today is Albert Einstein's birth
day. Until recently it was a date that
passed relatively unnoticed, but re
cent scientific advances have re
affirmed the strength of Einstein's
theories, leading one British science
writer to recently remark, "Ein
stein's theories are the bedrock . . . It
is Einstein's universe."
Those are pretty heady words to
accord a mere mortal, but the truth
is that the importance of Einstein's
work has never been equalled. His
early theories on the equivalence of
energy and matter, on the unity of
space and time are the foundation'
blocks upon which modern physics
have been built.
Americans, because of their herit
age, have always admired the pioneer
spirit and Einstein may have been
one of the greatest pioneers in
history. His pioneering wasn't limit
ed to a country, it encompassed a
whole universe.
Scientific inquiry, although in
creasingly limited by ever-shrinking
budgets, still is making rapid strides.
It is the consensus of many scientists
that as new facts are gleaned and
more secrets are uncovered, Ein
stein's stature as one of history's
greatest minds will only be enhanc
ed.
So it may be fitting that this day
be set aside. Perhaps some day it will
even become a holiday of sorts. If
that suggestion seems frivolous, re
flect a moment on Einstein's in car ed
ible accomplishments. It is frivolity
to honor a man Whose works began
the bridge which someday may prove
to span the vast chasm between
humankind and God?
French schools9 lack of screening draws freeloaders9
At first the figures on shocking: 30 per
cent of those entering the French univer
sity system finish. What kind of grueling
experience awaits students once they enter
the hallowed halls of higher education?
A closer look at the facts puts that
figure in a better light . v
First of all, there are no entrance re
quirements for French universities.
Because of this lack ot screening, many
students find themselves up against a
system they cannot handle.
Others, after several years of working
for a certain diploma, are either discour
aged or eliminated by competitive selection
processes.
And still others, although In the minor
ity, enter the university simply to freeload
off the system. Students are entitled to
cheaper meals and public transportation,
help in finding part-time jobs and library
privileges.
Class attendance
The administration defines a student as
anyone paying the 150-franc ($37) enroll
ment fee and has no way of knowing if all
"students" attend class regularly.
GODSON jj pifel
Although anyone passing the high
school "exit exam" is entitled to enroll in
the university, restrictions on a student's
mobility to do what he wants to are soon
imposed.
Students are allowed to repeat a year
only once. After that, they must advance
to the next level or, if they still haven't
passed, change majors.
This sounds logical and reasonable
enough, until one considers that students
often "fail" a year not because they are un
prepared, but because a competitive exam
had to draw the cutoff line somewhere.
This kind of make -it or break -it competit
ion can best be paralleled to entering med
school in the States.
Passing grade
: Ifa student's field of study is not so
crowded as to require a competitive exam,
advancing to the next year is simply a
matter of scoring a passing grade on the
end-cf-the-term exam. However, a failing
mark in one class out of a year's load of
seven is all that is necessary $to fail the en
tire year. Students are then obliged to re
take basically the same courses they just
finished, with the hope of doing better the
second time around. - -
. . - i 3.., ,."-: :
iff -';
Increasing the difficulty to succeed in
the French university, system is the fact
th&!Vfuu3y there is only one exam that
nutters all year-at the end of the term,.
Therefore, starting a class in November,
it is often difficult to maintain a steady
work pace when the exam is seven months
away in June.
Often there are "partials"-exams at
midterm In February. These are about the
only guideposts a students gets to deter
mine if he is working in the right direction.
Limited diplomas
If an academic field is overcrowded
with qualified candidates or if the govern
ment decides it needs to cut positions to
save money, diplomas in certain areas of
study will be limited or suppressed entire
ly. The government can do this not only
because it runs the other schools and uni
versities that will eventually hire university
graduates.
Although many feel that such a limitat
ions policy is effective in curtailing diplom
aed "chomeurs" (unemployed), others
argue that this cuts down on the student's
freedom to study whatever interests him.
Knowledge for knowledge's sake bumps
into the cold reality of the real world and
the limits of a university's capacity.
Finding a job worthy of the diploma
one has just slaved to earn is becoming in
creasingly difficult. No longer are a
"license" (earned after three years) and a
four-year "maitrise" automatically suffic
ient for landing a good job .
Diploma inflation (the same amount of
work for a decreasing value) has createc
the ironic situation of those with the mos
simple diploma-or better, those with nom
at all-able to find jobs more easily than
the guy who's been in the university for
half a decade.
In her various articles in the Daily Ne
braskan, Mary Jo Pitzl prides herself in not
experiencing "culture shock" during her
stay, in Bordeaux, France. However, I am
beginning to wonder if she can find any
thing positive about Bordeaux, the teach
ers, the social life, the exams or the postal
system (which seem to work well enough
to get her articles to us).
Finding things to criticize about another
culture is one of the moire obvious results
of experiencing cultural shock. I might sug
gest that when something is different, it
does not necessarily mean it is "bleak,"
just different. Perhaps I am misreading the
tone of her articles and she is merely trying
to be cute. That may be. But as one who is
interested in the effects of cultural shock
on students going abroad, I would like to
thank Ms. Pitzl for providing me with such
fine examples.
Suzy Prenger
Coordinator
Overseas Opportunities Center
Death penalty
I would like to respond to Mr. David
Eric Moeller's rather shallow attack on Sen.
Sen. Ernie Chambers and Professor Martin
Gordon, opponents of capital punishment.
You say that "in contrast to the method
of death the victim has suffered ... the
punishment is merciful and quick." How
sad that you completely missed that point
and confuse revenge with justice. It, for
one moment, capital punishment could
bring the victim back to life, I would be its
biggest proponent. But what purpose does
it serve? Capital punishment only points to
that regrettable aspect of human nature
that demands an eye for an eye, something
somebody we should all listen to warned us
against. Yes, something should be done,
but instead of taking the role of God and
deciding who should live or die, we should
give even the wont killers the real, honest
help they need to overcome their obvious
problems.
Perhaps you really do believe the death
penalty to be 1 deterrent, but before
forming such an opinion, the facts should
be closely scrutinized. The ?ast majority of
murders are not those committed by the
evil-hearted deranged maniac who careful
ly plans and waits for his victim. They are
committed by husbands, wives and boy
friends who, in a moment of passion, are
pushed over an emotional brink, losing
control for that fatal instant. Do you really
believe they deliberate on the possibility
that they may be executed for what they
are about to do? Often, they don't even
realize it themselves until the act is over.
How can we tell if anyone is ever deterred?
Statistics don't show it. Would you ask the
man on the street if he stopped himself
from stabbing his wife in last night's argu
ment because he considered he might be
electricuted instead of sent to jail for hfe?
And how do you justify the arbitrary and
discriminate way the death penalty is
applied overwhelmingly to the poor and
minority groups?
Hopelessly idealistic? Very possible, but
incomparably preferable to your alternative,
which is in effect, to give up and stop car
ing. If we all do that, is there any reason to
be alive at all? Of course the feelings of the
victim's family are to be considered, but
retribution won't change the fact that their
loved one is dead. Getting the murderer out
of society's mainstream is one thing, but
killing him solely to appease a demented
sense of justice is never the answer. Would
you be willing, assuming a certain defend
ant's guilt was ever proved beyond a
reasonable doubt, to make the irreversible
decision to have that person die?
This may seem like a lot of questions,
and we may never have the right answer,
but one thing is certain; sweeping the
troubled people of society under the rug
through capital punishment, justifying it
with tags of deterrence, will always be the
easy, but never the viable alternative.
James Elworth
UNL School of Law
Heckling questioned
In the Daily Nebraskan for March 8
. Hadi 0 Rgiei and Terri Rittenberg seem to
imply that since Yitzhak Rabin, in their
opinion; is a criminal and a liar, it's all right
for people to heckle and shout Vim down
Would they apply this principle to others
whom some among us regard as Bars and
potentialcriminals?
Shall we shout down advocates of capit.
al punishment, abortion; nuclear arms,
nerve gas, etc.? Shall we heckle opponents
of busing,' national health insurance,
capitalism, and other controversial issues if
we see them as criminal and wrong? Or
shall we merely keep such people away?
Shall we fire all teachers with criminal
and wrong views? Shall teachers throw stu
dents with such views out of their classes
or merely silence them?. And who is to
establish the class of opinions that are non
criminal and not to be shouted down? Will
Rghei and Rittenberg please explain so that
corrective measures can immediately be
taken all around?
Mordecai Marcus
Professor of English
Debate illustrates obscenity
In response to the "Creationism and
Evolution" debate of March 1 as described
in the Daily Nebraskan (Monday, March 5),
I have this paraphrase of the prophecies of
Amos (Amos 5:21-24) to offer in com
ment: I hate, I despise your debates, and I take
no delight in your frenzied discussions.
Even though you offer me blind faith in
a scientific method, or total dependence on
an idolized bible (both agreeing that the
only real truth is literal truth).
I will not accept ft; and your foolish
attempts to "defend God.
I wiQ not look upon.
Take away from me the cheers for your
favorite theory; to the "obvious logic of
your preconceived notions
I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters, and
acts of justice like an everflowing stream.
.In an age of desperate human need and
endless possibilities for human service, my
commitments, las. ah educator and as a
Christian inote ine' to 7 suggest that such
"debates," and the energy invested in
them, tare1- rich illustrations of the true
meaning of obscenity:- 1
Larry Doerr
. : ' ?' Campus Minister-Commonplace-UMHE