The recent shooting at U.C.L.A is just plain wrong, and points too two major issues in American University education. Firstly, there needs to be a better mechanism where faculty and a disgruntled stiduent need to work out differences. If the quality of the students' work is not acceptable, then there needs to be more attention given to the student's work.
Another point is that graduate school is a tough place to be because the environment is filled with tension and ego. Proposals to let members of the university carry weapons is just plain wrong. The University administration needs to soften the tension between faculty and graduate student. Holding grudges against professors and the other way around is just plain wrong. Too many times the graduate student feels intense pressure from graduate commitees and rules and regulations that are filled with tension and in some cases bias.
Faculty and student's need to work together to stop the violence and contribute research that is important to social life. A graduate professor once told me that graduate programs should be filled with competition and tension. This is nuts because we need productivity not people in the academy carrying out grudges.
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