Opinion
     
     
      High-paid
     
     
      babysitters
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Do
      profs
      teach
      us
     
     
      anything?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      iagain.
      The
      fed-up
      women
      are
      back
     
     
      H
      with
      more
      to
      be
      ‘‘fed-up’’
      with.
      This
     
     
      time,
      we’d
      like
      to
      ask
      the
      student
      body
     
     
      a
      question.
      Do
      you
      agree
      that
      we,
      the
      students,
     
     
      are
      not
      getting
      our
      money’s
      worth?
      Just
      why
     
     
      DO
      we
      pay
      the
      professors
      and
      are
      they
      really
     
     
      teaching
      us
      anything?
      Sure,
      there
      are
      some
      very
     
     
      good
      professors,
      but
      of
      course,
      there
      are
      some
     
     
      who
      aren’t
      so
      gcod.
     
    

    
     
      Just
      what
      do
      WE
      as
      students
      want
      from
     
     
      our
      professors?
      That
      is
      the
      question.
      As
      we
     
     
      reflect
      on
      our
      past
      experiences
      in
      school,
      there
     
     
      is
      always
      that
      one
      teacher
      whom
      we
      admire.
     
     
      Based
      on
      this,
      we
      say
      that
      our
      professors
      are
      to
     
     
      be
      our
      mentors.
      We
      look
      up
      to
      them,
      not
      only
     
     
      because
      we’re
      sitting
      and
      they
      are
      standing,
      but
     
     
      because
      they
      offer
      direction
      for
      our
      future.
      It
      is
     
     
      our
      opinion
      that
      a
      professor
      is
      to
      let
      a
      student
     
     
      express
      his
      or
      her
      opinion
      without
      making
      them
     
     
      feel
      stupid.
      The
      professor
      is
      not
      to
      let
      the
     
     
      student
      feel
      publicly
      humiliated
      for
      any
      reason
     
     
      whatsoever.
      —
     
    

    
     
      Students
      pay
      approximately
      $400
      a
     
     
      course.
      This
      includes
      the
      cost
      of
      the
      course
      and
     
     
      the
      useless
      textbooks,
      either
      one
      ridiculously
     
     
      large
      hardcover
      book
      or
      numerous
      paperbacks.
     
     
      Why
      don’t
      we
      use
      these
      books
      in
      reference
      to
     
     
      the
      course
      instead
      ofas
      decoration?
      If
      we
      do
      use
     
     
      them,
      why
      doesn’t
      the
      professor
      ever
      tell
      us
     
     
      where
      we
      are
      in
      them?
      In
      most
      cases,
      they
      are
     
     
      so
      busy
      trying
      to
      illustrate
      their
      point
      with
      acute
     
     
      little
      story
      that
      the
      lecture
      is
      off-topic.
      Both
      the
     
     
      students
      and
      the
      professor
      forget
      what
      the
      story
     
     
      was
      meant
      to
      illustrate.
     
    

    
     
      And
      then,
      of
      course
      there
      is
      the
      rare
      case
      of
     
     
      actually
      using
      the
      textbooks;
      however,
      when
     
     
      the
      textbook
      is
      used,
      the
      lecture
      is
      taken
      word-
     
     
      for-word
      from
      the
      textbook.
      This
      causes
      the
     
     
      student
      to
      wonder
      why
      he
      or
      she
      shouldn’t
      just
     
     
      simply
      read
      the
      text
      and
      not
      bother
      to
      attend
     
     
      class.
     
    

    
     
      Professors,
      generally,
      are
      there
      to
      give
     
     
      interesting
      opinions
      on
      seemingly
      interesting
     
     
      topics
      of
      their
      choosing.
      Should
      we
      really
      pay
     
     
      large
      sums
      of
      money
      to
      be
      ‘‘educated’’
      by
      so
     
     
      called
      intellectuals
      who
      think
      they
      know
      more
     
     
      about
      the
      subject
      than
      the
      text?
      Is
      it
      our
      fault
     
     
      that
      we
      have
      to
      be
      inexperienced
      students
      in
      a
     
     
      world
      which
      requires
      ‘‘expert’’
      knowledge
      and
     
     
      opinions?
     
    

    
     
      THE
      FED-UP
      WOMEN
     
    
   
   
    
     
      October
      14,
      1993/X-Press/11