Putting the Carleton issue into a larger perspective

[Shawn Huffman]

List members,

This message was forwarded to UofT's department of French discussion list.
I beleive that it puts what is happening at Carleton into a larger
picture.  As such, Carleton can be seen as an experimental case, with even
more draconian cuts to follow.  Drama studies fits into humanities...  I
hope everyone sees the importance of making ourselves heard.  Students and
recent graduates, as well as all ranks of professors are affected by this.

Shawn Huffman



Dear colleagues, students, alumni, others:

This past Wednesday, Premier Harris addressed a summit on the future of
the universities. On that occasion he said that he sees little value in
academic degrees in the humanities, geography, and sociology, in which
"The graduates  have very little hope of contributing to society in any
meaningful way." (Globe & Mail, Nov. 21, Toronto Star, Nov. 20)

I am writing to ask you to take a little time out of your day to
consider this remark, especially in the context of this government's
other actions on education, and to make a public response. I have tried
to keep this note brief, because I hope that reading it takes only the
first minute of that time.

At the least, Harris's remark is extremely offensive. And at the worst
it is phenomenally stupid and dangerous. For those of us who have been
educated in these fields, and especially for those of us who teach in
them, we are being told that we are unlikely to contributing anything
meaningful.
(When I think of Harris's contributions to society I find myself
thinking of Arlo Guthrie, in "Alice's Restaurant," being told that as a
litterbug he wasn't moral enough to join the army.)

I wish I could say that I don't understand what Harris means by
"meaningful," but unfortunately I suspect I understand all too well.
Reflection, education, and research on anything to do with the human
world are deemed meaningless unless they immediately make money. It's
interesting that the humanities and social sciences are the traditional
home of meaning, but Harris sees none there. From John Snobelin's early
plans to create a crisis in education to Bill 160, this government has
attacked education. But now the principle guiding its moves are clear:
This is an attack on THINKING.

The Harris government would like to create an Ontario in which
"unproductive" thinking is strongly discouraged. Critical reflection may
be good for democracy, for justice, for a virtuous society, for a
vibrant culture, but these are not the goals of this government. And
Harris is short-sighted enough to believe that he can neglect those
goals in favour of business, that business can flourish without any
broad education.

I would like to ask you to write a letter, long or short, about the
importance of education. For most of you who receive this message this
is an easy and congenial form of protest, and one for which you can draw
on your own thoughts on and experiences of education. If we each write a
letter, and send or fax those letters to local and national newspapers,
with copies to our MPPs and to Harris, the effect could be overwhelming.

In addition, I would like to ask you to circulate this message as widely
as you can, to use the formal and informal networks that e-mail creates
to send this request to friends, colleagues, and students across the
province.

Thank you very much,

Sergio Sismondo
Assistant Professor
Philosophy and Sociology
Queen's University, Kingston