Tuesday, October 23, 2001

Quality of education, not looks should be priority
Commentary by Bethany McCormack

This semester, too much attention has been given to campus renovations. In 10 buildings over the summer, $6 million was spent to improve lighting systems, carpeting, desks and chairs. Audio and visual equipment was also added to the rooms.

What money was spent to improve the quality of teaching within those buildings?

Waits Hall, completed in time for the beginning of the fall semester, was completely refurbished with redesigned bathrooms, widened hallways and loft apartments added on the third floor. The improvements cost $9.2 million. What money, however, was spent to better enable students to study within the residence hall?

Work on the Rickel Building is underway this semester and scheduled to be completed fall 2002. Improvements will include an indoor track, locker rooms with a sauna, a larger weight room, a climbing wall, an indoor pool and an outdoor pool with a hot tub. How will these improvements affect our education? Do college students need a sauna and a hot tub in order to learn?

Such changes are easily visible and attractive to students, faculty, parents and, most importantly, prospective students, but the changes can be misleading.

The quality of the education offered by a university is not measured by the aesthetic appeal of the campus and buildings. It can certainly be a factor to consider, but not the only ingredient.

When assessing the quality of a TCU education, look behind the walls and the buildings to the actual education being offered.

There are great things happening at TCU. For example, the Jewish studies program at TCU brings well-known scholars each fall to speak, such as Elie Wiesel, author and Holocaust survivor who spoke last year, and this year’s speaker, civil rights lawyer Morris Dees.

Experienced faculty members offer students insight into the learning experience.

Some examples of renowned faculty members at TCU include José Feghali, Gold Medal winner of the 1985 Cliburn Competition; radio-TV-film professor Richard Allen, recent winner of a daytime Emmy award for his work as a television writer; and Jim Wright, former speaker of the House of Representatives.

In order to make this campus a leading educational institution, programs should be offered at TCU that can’t be found at any other university. Faculty at TCU should be world-renowned. Speakers should be brought to campus who complement the education received in the classroom.

Campus improvements need to be more than surface deep. The same energy which has been applied to construction should be applied to the programs and services offered to students. Our education is not formed by the classroom but by what happens inside the classroom.

TCU is building, growing and improving, but don’t measure the school’s worth based on physical changes. TCU should be judged by the quality of the education you receive here.

Opinion editor Bethany McCormack is a junior news-editorial journalism and English major from Dallas. She can be contacted at (b.s.mccormack@student.tcu.edu).