Relatively early in my U.S. Air Force career, I served as an assistant professor at the Air Force Academy. It was a great assignment, and I considered it an honor to teach and work with the intelligent and hard-working young cadets who took their commitment to serve this great nation seriously. What a contrast I see between that experience and the disgraceful actions of many students and administrators on our collegiate campuses today. All incoming freshmen should take the course “Living 101” with the following course objectives and background sources from required text books:
1. Students will recognize, distinguish and practice these “Golden Rules:”
a. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (from Jesus in the Holy Bible, books of Matthew and Luke).
b. “Hurt no one, so that no one may hurt you” (from the Quran).
c. “Do not to do to others as you would not wish done to yourself” (from Confucius).
d. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (from the Torah, Leviticus 19:18).
2. Students will demonstrate, through knowledge and practice, the principle of not judging other students, faculty or administrators using their own standards; otherwise, they will be judged by those same standards (from Luke 6:37).
a. The content of one’s character, not the color of their skin should serve as a basis of one’s judgment (from Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech).
b. Students are free to express opinions on any issues, but must likewise respect the freedom of others to express their opinion on the same issues (from the United States Constitution, First Amendment).
c. Disagreement with an idea is not a reason to abolish or demean the idea (from Aristotle, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”).
3. Students will comprehend and articulate the fact that life is not fair (from Ecclesiastes 9:11, “I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.”).
a. When referencing equality, students will understand the phrase “all men are created equal” in our Declaration of Independence is part of a larger sentence that provides context. It reads, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” While we may not be equal in our talents and abilities, we, as American citizens, are equal in our opportunity to attain our God-given rights of life, liberty and justice. Our government assures equal opportunity, not equal rewards.
b. The fact that someone has some thing or quality that you do not does not give you a right to the same. (from Exodus 20:17, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”)
4. Students will demonstrate requisite knowledge in understanding that hard work, sacrifice and discipline are integral parts of the educational process. (from Booker T. Washington, first president of Tuskegee Institute, “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.”)
a. You are students, not teachers nor administrators. (from Jesus in Matthew 10:24, “A student is not above his teacher.”)
b. Your presence here does not make you a more worthy person than any of your high school peers who are not here. For instance, a lawyer, doctor or college professor is worth no more than a plumber. In fact the plumber is often wealthier, happier, and far more valuable to society under most circumstances. (me, from my life experiences).
Roger Smith, a local author, is a frequent contributor to the Times Free Press.