Spring Break
Goodbye to geology
Editorial
Issue date: 2/3/04 Section: Commentary
Last week, Ross Mackinnon, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences approved the termination of the geology and geophysics department at UConn. We believe this is extremely sad, as geology was a science many of us enjoyed taking, to learn and to meet prerequisites required by the university. Yet, the reality is students were not drawn into this major after taking one or two classes and the department was left with a mere 24 students. Why weren't more people interested in developing a career out of this curriculum? Maybe the department will be better off repackaged into other sciences, but it won't be better off if it is completely dissolved.
Geology is the study of the earth, classified as an Earth Science. Everything around us is built upon the earth and it has influenced much of human history. Without geology, we wouldn't understand volcanoes or earthquakes, landslides or floods. We wouldn't understand dinosaurs, diamonds, glaciers or gold. Another important phenomenon geologist's today study is petroleum. With the state of the world, especially with the conflict in Iraq, this study should be gaining more recognition. However, for some it is easy to overlook these fundamental studies and by abolishing the department of geology and geophysics department the university is even worse, taking them for granted.
Even students have taken this department for granted by their clever titling of the "Age of the Dinosaurs" class as "Rocks for Jocks." As savvy as this classification may sound, anyone who has taken this class or other geology classes can attest the classes are not an "easy A." In fact, they are filled with new information, hard work and many preparations for exams are required to do well. Now, UConn will not produce anymore fine, young geologists. In fact, the only people who will be allowed to remain in the major are those who are "grandfathered out," those who enrolled in the program before this year. The professors in this discipline will be shuffled to other departments, such as Physics. The professors and their new departments are lucky, because to lay them off would only make the situation worse.
Even though the department is gone, MacKinnon is quoted in the Hartford Courant as saying, "It's not the end of earth sciences at the university, it's the end of geology." It is a sad reality when a department, which contributes so much to society and the world as a whole, must be left behind.
Geology is the study of the earth, classified as an Earth Science. Everything around us is built upon the earth and it has influenced much of human history. Without geology, we wouldn't understand volcanoes or earthquakes, landslides or floods. We wouldn't understand dinosaurs, diamonds, glaciers or gold. Another important phenomenon geologist's today study is petroleum. With the state of the world, especially with the conflict in Iraq, this study should be gaining more recognition. However, for some it is easy to overlook these fundamental studies and by abolishing the department of geology and geophysics department the university is even worse, taking them for granted.
Even students have taken this department for granted by their clever titling of the "Age of the Dinosaurs" class as "Rocks for Jocks." As savvy as this classification may sound, anyone who has taken this class or other geology classes can attest the classes are not an "easy A." In fact, they are filled with new information, hard work and many preparations for exams are required to do well. Now, UConn will not produce anymore fine, young geologists. In fact, the only people who will be allowed to remain in the major are those who are "grandfathered out," those who enrolled in the program before this year. The professors in this discipline will be shuffled to other departments, such as Physics. The professors and their new departments are lucky, because to lay them off would only make the situation worse.
Even though the department is gone, MacKinnon is quoted in the Hartford Courant as saying, "It's not the end of earth sciences at the university, it's the end of geology." It is a sad reality when a department, which contributes so much to society and the world as a whole, must be left behind.