Scientific research will not diminish liberal arts

I appreciated last week’s excellent Red & Black coverage of UGA’s 2000-2010 strategic plan and the progress of research with respect to that plan. However, I must disagree with the implication left by the accompanying editorial that an enhanced focus on research might diminish the University’s standing in the liberal arts.

A great university must have outstanding programs in the humanities and arts in addition to those prominently funded by external awards, such as the natural and physical sciences. One area is no more important to its status or to its students than the other. It will certainly be possible to make progress with funded research in the sciences without negatively impacting the humanities and arts. In fact, the experience at leading U.S. universities suggests that improved standings in one area often benefit standings in the other.

Moreover, we should question the notion of a bright line between the sciences and the humanities and arts. Solutions to the pressing problems of today and tomorrow require more collaboration and training across multiple disciplines as we seek to understand our world and its challenges in all dimensions.

We pay close attention to the University’s National Science Foundation rankings because they are an important indicator of the overall health of our research programs. Ultimately, however, what we should and do care about is whether UGA is in the vanguard of universities that are working to solve the great challenges facing Georgia, the nation and our planet. Understanding fully what it means to be human is an inseparable part of this effort, and our liberal arts programs are essential to this endeavor.

David Lee
UGA Vice President for Research

Encourage safe driving choices

In response to Kori Price’s article on Monday “The art behind escaping a traffic ticket.”

Rather than learning to get out of a ticket, I feel that safe driving choices should be encouraged. It is true that sometimes you slip up and accidentally run a red light or stop sign, but “run[ning] red lights for the thrill” is unacceptable behavior. Not only is it dangerous for you, but it also puts other drivers and pedestrians in danger.

If you think that breaking traffic laws by running red lights is acceptable, where do you draw the line? Is drinking and driving also okay? Don’t wait until you or a loved one are involved in a life-changing accident to make safe choices. Buckle up, pay attention to the road, and drive at a reasonable speed.

I will not pretend that the needle on my odometer is perfectly in sync with the speed limit, but in six years of driving, I have never seen blue flashing lights in my rearview. If a policeman does find me in the wrong in the future, I will hope for the best and be respectful of the outcome. I understand that they are doing their job to keep all of us safe.

I hope that the price tag on Ms. Price’s ticket will make her think twice about her driving habits the next time she gets behind the wheel.

Hayley McNash
Senior, Smyrna
Interior Design