SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1953 THE MICHIGAN DAILY PAGE NINK ' Liberal Arts Need Studied by Colleg By JANE HOWARD Questioning whether a graduate of the College of Engineering is sufficiently equipped to meet allt aspects of the world around himt after his University education,i representatives from ' both the school's faculty and student body; have recently taken stock of thee liberal arts education an engineer1 receives in his four years here.- Assistant Dean Walter J. Em- mons maintained strongly that "engineering is a much broader field than most people suppose." * * * EMMONS developed his point by explaining that any individual's well-roundedness depended largely on his intellectual curiosity and whatever advantage he took of the cultural opportunities offered him. "Nobody," the Dean continu- ed, "can learn a lot about any- thing in four years of college."1 He proposed that a graduate'st total education might be mea-t sured by the question, "howI broad is his mode of communica-E tion with others" ' An engineer, Emmons comment- ed, might answer this adequately as a result of required courses in mechanical drawing, mathematics,z and chemistry, all of which con-e tribute to his degree of expression. MANY OBSTACLES, however,x block the theoretically satisfactoryI means of acquiring a liberal edu-( cation as well as specialized en-( gineering training via extra cur-( ricular concerts, lectures and vol- antary outside reading. Bill Diamond, '54E, a member of the Engineering Steering Committee, represented student viewpoint in his assurance that "engin school" enrollees are heartily in favor of as much liberal arts education as possi- ble. Diamond's statement concurred with an article by Thad D. Epps, '53E, in an issue of The Michigan ;Technic, the engineering college's monthly publication. "Engineers," Epps remarked, "should have as much liberal arts knowledge as they can, so that they can be well-rounded and have at least a general knowledge of all fields." A COMPARISON of University announcements reveals that pros- pective engineers must cram 144 credit hours into four years on campus, while students in the lit- erary college must accumulate only 120. For this reason engineering students have less out-of-class time to devote to non-technical activities. Under Professor William Hag- erty of the engineering college, tentative plans are now under con- sideration whereby engineers might gain a broader liberal edu- cation along with the necessary knowledge for their own special- 'zed fields. * * * DIAMOND said that this pro- gram, which would be given in conjunction with the literary col- lege, upon its possible completion next fall, would completely re- vamp shie courses, to give a gen- eral broad background of their liberal arts subjects. At present, according to Dean Emmons, engineering students in two fields, civil and chemical, may enroll in a five-year pro- gram and at the end receive degree of both A.B. and B.S. However he added tha many men want to study f years. The problem lies pa the draft situation and pa the students' eagerness to3 into their fields. * * * BUT if the demand wer enough, more generalized c lums could be worked out i fields," he pointed out. As the catalogue now all engineering students have ten hours of Englis six of economics. Other technical electives vary g among the different subdi of the college, with ma quiring an additional six in non-technical fields. IT WAS, however, point by Diamond that "an engi student interested in famili himself with a field such a ical science or history wou to use all his elective hours prerequisite courses necess a more advanced underst of the subject." HE WOULD thus spendl self-selected courses on on field, and would miss out real comprehension of< equally important subjects Professor Thomas Hunter engineering college adder many engineers do achiev positions in fields other thE own, such as law and busin cited as examples the six en currently in the United Congress. New Course InMaterialssE flleers n Offered .. at "not or five irtly in By HARRY STRAUSS artly in The first University student in w '4 get out the history of the engineering col- 1 lege to receive a degree in mater- ,. ial engineering will graduate in e great February. urricu- Although a course in materials' n other has been given to all freshmen in 4 the college, it has only been re- cently that additional courses in reads this field were added to the cur-' must riculum. h and * non- THE PRESENT staff includes, reatly specialists in the field of refining, visions steel and glass. The future build- ny re- up of the department has been hours planned to include men from all sections of the materials field. According to Prof. Richard ted out Schneidewind of the metallurgi- neering cal engineering department, the iarizing field of materials is sub-divided s polit- into three parts: the metal field, Id have the oxide (clay, glass, etc.) and for the the organic field (plastics). ary for At present the metal indus-t anding try is the largest in the country, but Prof. Schneidewind pointed out,s "in twenty years, plastics will his few close the gap."f aly one One of the foundations of the t on a materials field is polymers, for o t h e r it is this combination of two or more molecules of equal weight r of the that will permit the use of syn- d that thetics for the heavy work. e high It is through this "polymer class kn their of materials" that advances in, WEST ENGINEERING BUILDINC ess. He the fields of medicine such as a gineers s bstitute for blood, purification States in rubber, in plastics, and many other fields, have been made. ......:.... E nd First Hundred Tradition,Histr Beh ind Curriculum In its hundred years of exis- the annex of the college house tence the College of Engineering equipment complete enough to has developed for itself a tradi- carry on the most extensive re- tion- as well as a history. search, yet simple enough to aid Begun in 1852 as an addition students in acquiring the fun- and a supplement to what was at damental skills necessary to that time an exclusively literary their profession. curriculum, the college has in the In these buildings experts share course of its history become a their knowledge with students by personality in its own right, the semester, and in many cases * * *produce new knowledge through AT MICHIGAN, the engineer- findings in their various fields of ing college has become a tradition scientific research. of the Engin Arch as well as one of slide rules and drawing boards. IN ADDITION to technical It has become one of a monthly knowledge, the engineering col- publication and an annual dance legethrough its honor system as well as one of smelting or plan- attempts to teach the student to ning bridges. "make decisions on his own," ac- The two main buildings and cording to Engineering Honors * Council President Tawfiq Khoury, pp 'SSE. At the present time it is the only college in the University to have this system. DAILY PHOTO new! EORSTIZqfI~ LAMBS' WOOL HOSE The first time such wonderfully soft, won. derfully durable lambs' wool sox have been :'£ \ available! Made of 75% lambs' wool and 25% nylon, with extra nylon reinforcement at toe and heel. Shrink-resistant, moth-repellent. Wide range of solid colors in attractive 6 x 3 rib. $20 Handsome figured pat- terns in wide range of colors. \AX A Stte Street on the Campus We Extend Our Sincerest Congratulations to the Engineering School on their 100th Anniversary RECORDING ENDURANCE TEST RESULTS WEST ENGINEERING ANNEX-HOME OF LABS AND 'TECHNIC' F Ii , , i SELL ING TO MICHIGAN MEN FOR 105 YEARS MOLTEN METAL-HANDLED WITH CARE NEEDED-A SHARP EYE AND A STEADY HAND For 100 years of success in acquiring and, more important, applying scientific know- ledge thru its faculty and graduates do we heartily congratulate our own Engineering College.