I was not trying to single out Brooklyn College in particular as a place
where the human population exceeds the computer population by a
distressing amount. I was trying to point out that under current
economic circumstances even a school with a strong commitment to provide
its students with computer facilities and web access is going to have
trouble doing it.
As for academic detachment from the teeming masses - this has been with
us for a long time. It's just that now we can't afford it. This country
is rapidly separating into two nations economically, and education on as
many levels as possible for as many people as possible is one of the few
things that can slow down that process. Achieving that will require
real-time, real-world commitment from the scholarly community as well as
those who are the officially-designated "activists." I realize that
many, if not most, of the people in xmca do have this commitment, but
unfortunately there are a lot of people around who don't.
Sorry if I've offended anyone's feelings, but I do feel strongly about
these issues.
Regards to all,
Rachel Heckert