Editorial: University, students need to raise standards

A few weeks ago, UConn held a "Countdown to Commencement" event to provide seniors with information about graduation, but as far as promotion went, the focus was squarely on the free food and t-shirts. We believe that this is emblematic of a greater trend, a circle where faculty patronize students, and students demand to be pandered to.

In the "Countdown" event, part of the stated goal was to help seniors unwind, so free food isn't necessarily uncouth, but the emphasis was certainly away from any other purpose. We have to ask: When did it become the administration's responsibility to ensure that the students are having fun?

It goes beyond handouts, of course. Professors who count drafts as part of the page requirement of a "W" course, and refuse to give "F" grades are all contributing to a culture of infantilization.

It's not fair to criticize teachers for what is essentially a testament to their sense of empathy, but it's an empathy not assured outside the walls of the university. If you hold a person to a high standard, then they can rise to meet it. Otherwise, they are bound to flounder.

Of course, there would be no call for this patronizing if the students did not provide the need for it, either by slacking off or asking for unnecessary favors, and refusing to show up to an event if free t-shirts or lunch are not provided.

The problem is that there's no such thing as a free lunch after college.

It's natural that, when offered two paths, the one of least resistance is preferable, but it's also short-sighted. We aren't at college so that we can get a degree. When we graduate, our actions will not just determine our fates but where this country, or even society in general, is going to stand in the future.

Now obviously there are people who do work incredibly hard at college - far too hard in some cases. Our point is not so much that students should never have fun and should instead work themselves to death, but that a re-prioritization is in order and standards need to be raised. The general attitude seems to be that less is still enough, but we need to realize that we are all capable of much more than this low aim. Will is the only real impediment to overcoming any problems we might run into.

But it's going to be harder if we continue to be presented with lackluster challenges. We need to be pushed to defy expectations, rather than merely meet them half-way.