tim@umn-ucc.UUCP (03/28/84)
This is a flame about the University of Minnesota's Computer Science
Department and the attitude about education in general in Minnesota.
I am a student studing Computer Science. I have enough credits and only
need 4 more classes to graduate. I attempted to sign up for all four of
these classes (all were offered). The only one I got was the one that
was not a CSci class.
I figured, "OK, but I am a graduating senior. Surely they will let me
in." HA!! I am not going to graduate. My life is being held back by
this stupid piece of paper that almost impossible to get at this University.
I simply cannot get the class!
Let me give you some numbers. Last year there were about 1200 CSci
Majors at the U of M. There are 18 professors. Many classes can have more
than 90 people in them. Most any required class will have at least 65
people in it. This is insain.
Think of what this does to the quality of professors at the U of M. If
you were highly skilled and had your choice of where to teach, would work
at a school like this? I can't understand why the good teachers who are
left are here. I can understand why the dean of IT (the college that CSci
is under) quit. I don't think it has been replaced yet.
I can't be too hard on the U of M. They are dependant on the state for
funds. The percentage used for education in the state is falling. I
think this is a great state, but I think that it in trouble. It is not
going to get all the high tech business that is so important to it if it
doesn't get it's act together. The only reason that I have for not
transfering today, is that I have a job here that I don't want to and
can't afford to give up. Another school in the Minneapolis area is an
idea, but it might be nice to graduate from a school with a good reputation.
Money and politics of the good state of Minnesota are slowing up the
developement of the computer systems here. What students use here is a
Cyber 820 running NOS. Students are issued account that validate them
for 300 baud or slower. The editor they use is call xedit (an OK line
editor, but still a line editor). The pascal on this computer will not
read a string without using special functions or by some other method I
never understood. It must read two charictors at a time. It is the
worst pascal I ever used. People tell me that it is the origional...
it is real close to be sure. Money is needed for a better system.
Yes, we do have a cray. To use it you submit jobs to it from a cyber
or a VAX. If an undergrad student wants to use it, he/she can buy an
account. A grad student can buy an account or apply for a grant. The
University uses a little over 3% of the computing power. The University
and outside business put together use 33%. The governor of this state is
pushing us to get some more super computers. While it might draw some
people and companies, I think impoving some other things is more important.
There are two reasons for writing this. 1) I am preventing my ulcer by
venting some steam, but 2) more important, I hope to save some people
from transfering here. I am a transfered to here. I am considering
going back to Michigan Technical University. If I had done that last
summer, I would be graduated by the end of last fall!!!!!
Tim Giebelhaus
{umn-cs tektronix}!umn-ucc!tim
Giebelhaus.CTCOTA@HI-MULTICSrfg@hound.UUCP (R.GRANTGES) (03/29/84)
Tell you what, Tim: Why don't you go back to Michigan. Maybe they will give you advanced standing. Hurry. And while you are there, take a course or two (or three) in English (the non-computer language). Glad you told us your background. For a minute there I was afraid they had forgotten how to teach English at the U. Perhaps it is only fair to let you in on the big secret that everyone else at the UofM learns as a Freshman:Register Early! Get in line before 5 a.m. if possible. Sorry no one told you, but I guess there are some things one has to learn for himself. Dick Grantges (IT '53) hound!rfg
spaf@gatech.UUCP (Gene Spafford) (03/29/84)
Two comments:
The problems you describe are not unique to the University of
Minnesota. There are many schools suffering from a lack of adequate
computing resources and a shortage of qualified instructors. We see
many of the same types of problems here at Georgia Tech. Most of the
university administrators understand the kinds of difficulties we face,
but the political situation is such that little can be done about some
of the problems involved. One of the solutions taken here is to limit
the number of undergraduates allowed into the major; we could easily
find 2 or 3 times as many students who would like to enter the program,
but the quality of education would suffer. It's like thrashing --
performance goes down exponentially with linear increase in load.
The solution? I wish I knew. A first step is to complain, loudly and
forcefully -- to the politicians and to the college administration.
Don't blame your faculty, and don't be too quick to blame the system at
your campus. Often the blame can be placed higher up the
organizational chart, usually with the legislators who allocate funds
based more on political effect rather than good sense. After all, many
of the students are from out of state and the ones who aren't don't
usually vote. Furthermore, politicians want results which will be seen
before the next election -- not 10 or 20 years down the line.
We have had, and continue to have, a very serious problem in this
country with regards to education. Our elected officials seem to
believe that pumping money into the military is better for the country
than supporting education. Supporting education is really supporting
our future. The cost of one fighter plane could refurbish all of the
research labs at a major university. The result could have effects on
our defense, our economy, and perhaps our future as a species.
Instead, what does our government do? They cut out loan and
scholarship programs for students. They reduce research funding and
grants. They spend more time debating whether to allow prayer in school
than they spend trying to support the teaching of *real* knowledge.
Maybe more scientists and educators should dirty their hands with
politics. Maybe we should form political lobbies. Maybe we should
hurry up and figure out a way to get off-planet and start our own
society. BUT, one thing we should all do -- express our concerns and
our opinions to our governmental representatives. Maybe enough noise
will produce some results.
Second comment:
I realize that your original article was written in haste and anger.
Did you bother to proofread it before you sent it? If so, then I hope
that the non-computer science course you are taking is one in English
composition. Or were you just trying to emphasize your point about the
declining quality of education at the U of Minn?
--
Off the Wall of Gene Spafford
The Clouds Project, School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA 30332
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf.GATech @ CSNet-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,unmvax,ulysses,ut-sally}!gatech!spaf