Shame on the University of Califormia

California is a place where civil liberties have generally been strongly supported. In particular, Califonia students have long enjoyed freedoms greater than those in many other states. Students control their scholastic publications and broadcasts. Perhaps just one indicator of the success of journalism in California is today's announcement by the National Scholastic Press Association of finalists for its prestigious Pacemaker Award. Of the 51 finalists, 11 are from California; one of those is a middle school.

So, it is especially troubling to hear of a slow effort to pinch off the lively and robust -- and successful -- journalism programs in the Golden State. And, it has little to do with school financing, Gov. Schwarzenegger's plan for teacher tenure revisions or the so-called No Child Left Behind Act. It has everything to do with a pompous and self-righteous university system being unwilling to recognize that learning comes in varied forms -- sometimes even without books.

A colleague in journalism education -- a fellow adviser -- has resorted to sounding an alarm and taking his dissatisfaction public through the Shame on UC Weblog. The writer posts:

We’re not content to watch as our shrinking population of journalism classes shrinks even further. To stand by as the number of working advisers shrinks, too, until there’s no one left to fight for what many of us believe is the best thing going in many schools.

And so we lie. We submit course descriptions that play up the presence of literature and essays in our curricula and downplay the reality, which is that the all-consuming, richly rewarding task of producing a student news publication leaves little time for anything else. (Follow the logic here to its conclusion: Take away the publication and add literature and essays and what do you get? An English class, not an elective, and certainly not a free and functioning student press.)

A solution must be found. Everyone knows the UC system is the tail that wags the dog of eduction in this nation. Witness the revised SAT if you doubt UC's influence. Therefore, what is good for California is good for us all. Read the blog. Post a suggestion. Fight the good fight.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.