OPINION:
As a physicist, I was deeply saddened by the recent tragedy at Brown University, but given the highly challenging and competitive world of physics, it is not unsurprising that a deranged and failed former student might do this (“Suspect in Brown University shooting and MIT professor’s killing was once a physics student,” Web. Dec. 19).
In the viciously competitive world of academic funding and “prestige,” too many academics have forgotten that the primary focus of universities should be to prepare students for professions and impart a sense of the human condition and our shared humanity. Much of the focus at the “best” universities, however, is on garnering grants/funding and placing unbearable expectations on students to make their advisers and institutions “famous” so the grants keep coming.
This pressure can have a brutal effect on students. In my graduate days, I saw many students drop out and some even end their lives. Something fundamental has been lost in the societal role of the university and ethics, so it’s sadly unsurprising that a large swath of the public does not view academia in a positive light. This has led to defunding and persecution of universities all over America.
I call upon all academics and leaders of academic institutions to remember that students are human beings, not slaves or robots. We have to help and guide them, not take advantage of them, and we must prepare them to contribute to and serve humanity instead of feeling ashamed and alienated from it.
MICHAEL PRAVICA
Henderson, Nevada
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