PAGE 4
CHARLOTTETOWN, P. E. L ‘
H A H N: [environment of
(Professor Hahn is the former interim chairman of mus1c and formerly the conductor of the P.E.I. Simphfny. An American by birth, Canadian by c 01cc.
“FROM BEAUTY e — —- THE BEAST”
CADRE: As a member of the faculty and the university community as a whole, what are your comments on the $32,000.00 going to the athletic department?
Hahn: Mediocrity inevitably breeds mediocrity.
, CADRE: Obviously every educator has an idea or ideas about the direction or future of the Uni- versity he is associated with.
A. Where do you think a university should\be going?
Hahn: A university has only one direction —— the search for truth.
B. Do you feel UPEI is directing itself that way? Hahn: No.
C. Why not?
Hahn: It was born of miscegenation with the inevitable result. Of the 2 contrasting educational ideologies, which in theory were expected to co- xist, the unfortunate high school mentality repre sented by the more authoritarian philosophy of edu— .ation has proved dominant. That dominance, tra- i'tionally, has stood in the way of truth.
CADRE: :Do you think that the political clim- te on P.E.I. is conducive to the philosophy of edu- ‘ation you adhere to?
Hahn: No. The “white paper” relegated the university to the state whereby it had to be econo- mically viable vis a visthe Island. The “white pap- er” was to education what the citizenry’s hemlock was to Socrates.
CADRE: Leading from your answer to the last question, is the university economically viable for the Island?
’ Hahn: Many social and political science texts clearly state that an underdeveloped economy must put its educational emphasis on trade and technical training. Normally the practice is to sacrifice pri- mary, secondary, and university financing for the sake of “applied arts and technology.” I merely re fer you to the province’s education budget for the next fiscal year. 7
CADRE: With the seemingly new emphais on technical education provincially what then do you feel will be the consequences for UPEI?
Hahn: If the‘university is to be at all, it will most likely be as a small college existing to “ser— vice” the needs of Holland College. The university’s other function, when Maritime Union becomes a reality, will be perhaps a two-year feeding ground for Dalliousie or UNB.
CADRE: Mr. Hahn, we find your statement difficult to grasp, aren’t your predictions somewhat far-fetched?
Hahn: In Feb. 1616 the “establishment” con- demned Galileo as a heretic for stating that the earth rotated around an immoveable sun. Admit- tedly I am no Galileo, but our “Island” certainly possesses an establishment.
l ‘ y l
DATE: March 5, 1970 TO: Music Students FROM: Professor Hahn RE: “Novices and Illiterates”.
There appears to be confusion, in the minds of some, regarding my recent resignation as chairman of the music department. Whether or not the confusion is a result of sowing and reap- ing on the part of those who, obviously, possess- little knowledge of university structure, or even English language, is of no concern to any stud— cut.
I hasten to point out, to the novices and illit- erates, the following information:
1.Rezsignation from the chairmanship can in no way be construed to mean res1gnatlon as a teaching member of faculty;
2. Had I resigned from the university, I could not .have signed ‘my resignation from the chairmanship with my correct title, Pro- fessor Thomas Hahn.
A professorship -— at any level — is a rank conferred by the university on those whom the university sees fit to henour by the bestowmg of academic rank. Instructors and lecturers, thus, cannot be addressed as professor, but correctly as Mr. or Miss, depending upon their gender and marital status. Had I therefore resigned from the university I would not have, been». entitled to sign my resignation Professor, as my professor- ship endures only as long as I am a member of the university. It is inconceivable that anyone who possessed even minimal knowledgeof a um- versity could jump to such a hasty, ill—informed, ill-advised, unwarranted and unsupportalble con- clusion. That this conclusion was reached indi- cates either lack of knowledge or malicious in- tent.
To further clear the air I categorically state:
I resigned as chairman because I no longer
possessed the confidence of the majority of
the music faculty. Of this I am quite justi- fiably proud.
Despite all the tension and excitement re cently induced, by those who so obv1ously pos- sess little or no knowledge of a university, I as- sure and reassure all music students that the re»
signation of a chairman is a very minor occur- rence and offers neither cause for alarm nor a threat to stability. Contrary/to statements cal- culated to disrupt, it is not a matter of concern to any other university whether or not a. chair- man of a department at the Universit of Prince Edward Island resigns. I doubt if it is even of any importance within the University of Prince Edward Island. .
The only defence I can offer for those who try to unduly and unjustly alarm students over my insignificant resignation: is that perhaps their egos and aspirations are identified with the job of chairman. To some, at least in this depart- ment, there seems to be a mystique or aura at- - tached to the post of chairman. This is no doubt due to either a repressive education or the need for an image. Those among the uninitiated who are apparently striving to be initiatedflwill soon learn, if they are unfortunate enough to become initiated, that the job —— for want of a better word —— of chairman of the music department is a combination of pushing papers, dealing with itncompjetency and soothing tender egos. My only hope is that someone I actively dislike gets the job. /
May I take this opportunity to sincerely and publicly thank my esteemed colleague, Mr. Wal- ther, for not only his unswerving personal loy- alty to me, but his utter and total competence as a teacher—one of the few whose first thought is for his students. I add to this, thanks to Mr. Zaat for his unfailing loyalty to me.-
‘With deep sincerity and affection I thank those innumerable students who have, presently and through the last three years, offered so much support, help and raison d’etre. Without the knowledge that students exist who can be reach- ed and opened, the entire direction of the last three years would have been futile. Obviously, and this is understatement, Drs. MacKinnon and Brown “builded better than they knew”.
I urge all music students to cooperate fully and totally with him who exemplifies all that is admirable in our present university—the Dean of Arts. Any and all support, during the need- lessly difficult times ahead, Shown to the Dean of ANSI shall construe as support shown to me.
I close this lengthy memorandum with the words of one, who, though far nobler, suffered a similar fate: “E-t tu, Brute.”
MARCH 13, 1970
marketabilityl
CADRE: Do you feel that the sectarian differ- ences in the Island culture tend to impede the search for the truth?
Hahn: Only in so much as sectarian differen- ces have created diverse educational philosophies. Prince of Wales College in 1967 proved that a non- sectarian public university could flourish and] suc- ceed on PEI (too well). If men" of intellect, de- cency, and honesty guide a university it can exist in virtually any culture medium. That, of course, 1S why Prince of Walesworked; this is not to say
that it cannot succeed again at UPEI if leadership
of equal calibre can be found.
THOMAS HAHN
CADRE: How does one go about recruiting men of the calibre which you first mentioned —'- and who does it?
Hahn: A. You must stop the university from becoming a cheap copy of the business world where in money and power-hungry faculty and adminis- tratom can use their positions and authority to not only lard their purses but perpetrate their intellec- tual dishonesty upon the students. '
B. An honest man.
CADRE: Do you feel that the “univresity” in North America is becoming a less potent force in its traditional role of being a milieu for unimpeded development of the individual? '
Hahn: Absolutely! The university has taken on the function of the factory. It receives the raw material — the students —— it processes the mat— erual — credit courses —— it packages the resultant product — the degree —— and then forwards the goods to market. Does one go to university to learn—no matter what the price of learning—or does one go to create a future climate of economic security? The values of honesty, truth, objectivity, rational judgment, unending scholarship and hum- anity have no place in an environment designed for marketability.
Until such. time as students and faculty return to the state of dedication that is necessary ‘to
\ achieve learning (with all that implies) they will
continue to resemble managers, supervisors, fore- men, clerks, laborers and security guards as much as the universuty now resembles the plant.
CADRE: Don’t you feel that this is archaic and idealistic thinking in light of society’s progress towards a more technologically oriented society?
Hahn: What voice is left to mankind if not
. the university? Every other institution dedicated
to the “ideal” is rapidly distintegrating in? our gen- eration. The university however, is. disintegrating because it lost sight of the ideal. I suggest, the only way to prevent further disintegratiOn of the university is by returning to “idealistic” values.
CADRE: Do you feel that the prevailing atti- tude (if there is one) of students on this campus is conducive to, and supportive of, your concept of education? ‘ '
Hahn: Unfortunately, most of our . students are the product of education by establishment. The few remaining, who participated in the “noble ex-. periment” of 1967-68, are able to speak for them- selves. Properly aided in their intellectual pursuits, no finer students exist (potentially) than those of the Island.
CADRE: In closing — do you have any final \ statement for the CADRE?
Hahn: “For what is a man profitted, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or ’ What shall a man give in exchange for his: soul”? _ Matthew 16:26. r