LETTERS
TO THE EDITOR
Provoking Thinkers
It was a pleasure to read that Professor William O’Brien will be honored with this year’s UCSD Alumni Association’s
Distinguished Teaching Award. While I had good teachers at UCSD,
none were as exceptional as Professor O’Brien. He was a dynamic,
humorous, and thought-provoking lecturer in MMW 5. His passion
and depth of knowledge in European history was undeniable and made
it a joy to be in his class. My college roommate and I engaged
in lengthy discussions about topics and questions from his lectures,
something few other professors or classes had inspired.
Furthermore, while UCSD is often credited for its strong research
sciences and engineering, it’s refreshing that a Humanities
teacher is recognized for his significant contribution to the University.
Elaine Wong, Warren ’02 In your recent interview with humanities Professor Wm. Arctander
O’Brien, he stated, “I think neutrality is a myth,
just like presenting the ‘truth’ would be a myth.” The
hallmark of great teachers, especially at the university level,
is their ability to remain objective while carefully holding the
tension between conflicting ideas, enabling young thinkers to engage
those ideas without having to wade through someone else’s
bias. Asserting that “truth” is just “myth” is
exactly the kind of bias that distorts learning in the lecture
hall.
Terrence Morrissey, Marshall ’02
Professor O’Brien responds: I share Mr. Morrissey’s
conviction that a good teacher shows his students without needless “bias” that
the world of ideas is one of dynamic and “conflicting ideas.” We
disagree about how one goes about this. Mr. Morrissey believes
a great teacher can “remain objective” and communicate “the
truth.” My experience as a teacher and scholar has led me
to conclude that things are not so simple, especially when addressing
the kind of complex historical and literary issues that I regularly
teach. Here, “objectivity,” like “truth,” becomes
a myth—the belief that one can transcend one’s human
condition, one’s very subjectivity, and reach the objective
truth. Histories
of the same events and interpretations of the same literary works
continue to be written precisely because there is no way to be “objective” or
to settle “the truth” here. When I walk into a classroom,
my goal is to deliver the most penetrating, scrupulous, and comprehensive
interpretation I can, and to provide my students with tools for
honing their interpretive skills for life. I make it clear that
I pretend neither to objectivity nor to any final truth, and I
begin every class by inviting questions and comments on the last
one. For me, the classroom is a place for interpretation and dialogue.
Claims to possess “objectivity” or the “truth” preclude
both.
Professor Wm. Arctander O’Brien
Beating the Odds
I was touched by the story, “Beating the Odds.” While
my situation was not as dire as those in the article, I still feel
that I, too, “beat the odds.” The only child of a single
mother, I grew up in low-income housing, spending most of my time
in the house alone because the neighborhood I grew up in
wasn’t all that great. My mother worked
50-60 hour workweeks to pay the bills. Still there was little extra
money for much of anything, let alone, college. From the day I
visited the UCSD campus at age 13, I wanted to attend school there.
I knew, in my heart, that I would realize my dream. I studied hard,
worked part-time jobs in addition to extracurricular activities
and was accepted, receiving scholarships and grants to pay for
all four years at UCSD. I graduated with a
degree in Political Science in 1996 and went on to graduate from
USD, School of Law in 2000. Those four years at UCSD were amazing
and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity I received.
Thank you.
Martha Waltz, Marshall ’96
In 1969, having been discharged from the Navy,
I was accepted at UCSD. I received no financial aid, just student
loans, which
I repaid, and the money I made in on-campus, off-campus, and summer
employment. My parents provided no aid whatsoever. A college education
is not a right, not an entitlement, it is
a privilege. If you desire it, go earn it, and
stop begging.
Jeff Fried, Muir ’71
Editor’s Reply: The purpose of the article “Beating
the Odds” was to celebrate the successes of these young students
who are all becoming leaders in their various fields. Their struggles
are not dissimilar to your own or thousands of other alumni, and
we believe that is something to celebrate. But we should point
out that none of them came a-begging. These scholarships are the
result of very personal and generous gifts from alumni who came
to us, determined to make a difference in the lives of this next
generation.
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