Too often, students are graduating from the University at Buffalo without basic knowledge in certain areas. Currently, students are required to show an understanding of the working of the library system, but that is not enough. Testing for coherence should be mandatory not just for library skills, but also in several other less popular fields. There should be at least 12 other workbooks in addition to the library skills workbook.
First of all, the university's commitment to bocce ball is almost non-existent. After an offer of a healthy grant from the Bocce Society, the school was unable to secure a location for new bocce courts. The green and red balls were waiting, along with a dainty white pallina. Not only is the school failing to provide adequate allocations for bocce education, has failed to enforce the completion of a Bocce Workbook for students before they graduate.
In addition to not caring about ignoring barbeque games - including the Croquet and Horseshoes Workbooks - this school is churning out students who know little to nothing about important cultural events. In order to remedy these atrocities with alacrity, the school must implement a Simpsons Trivia Workbook, White Stripes Lyrics Workbook and Lord of the Rings Trilogy Workbook.
The lackadaisical attitude of the students and this school also extends to the civic realm. Without knowledge of one's country, we cannot move forward as a productive society. The first step toward remedying this situation is turning the floor of the Flag Room into a giant map of the United States. All graduating seniors must be able to locate the states with flashing poles, and then complete a State Capitols, State Birds and State Trees Workbook.
Almost as important as working the minds of students is working their bodies. While the university is primarily an institution for improving the mental capacity, it should feel a responsibility to graduate seniors who are physically fit as well as mentally fit. This would by accomplished by including a Crunches Workbook, Push-up Workbook and Bench Pressing Workbook.
The success of the Library Skills Workbook should be an excellent example. Thanks to its enforcement, all UB graduates know how to use libraries perfectly. At alumni reunions, graduates often talk fondly about their experiences in libraries since graduating, and any numbers that come up in conversation are automatically given the topic assigned to them by the Dewey Decimal System.
This school has made great strides in increasing the quality of education and raising the standards of all students. The next logical step is the integration of Workbook Skills into a wider array of fields. The university has a chance to be on the forefront of history, and it must proceed boldly in order to ensure future success for all its students.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
