The Massive Expansion of the City College of New York - Essay Example

1. Education is the most powerful weapon, and an unquenchable quest for knowledge is visible in every nook and corner of the world. According to Steven Brint, having equipped with education is essential to “survive in the society.” Initially, such a system of education was based on philosophical and sociological aspects. Moreover, a concept existed that quality education would eventually help one to overcome many of the normal issues of social life. This is the reason why compulsory elementary and secondary education remained the primary demand of the citizens in many parts of the world. Schooling or education had gained some criticisms as many critics argued against the benefits of school learning. The structural-functionalist system focused on “society level interests and the construction of an institutional order to serve those interests” (Brint 13). Later, society witnessed reformative changes in the educational sector; and precisely, it was the Open Admission system.

As time elapsed, changes were adopted by The City College of New York. The shift toward open admission was one among many significant changes. The Open Admission practices covered a major sphere of life, quoting from the verses “it encompassed admissions, faculty hiring, curriculum, and overall mission” (Biondi 114). It had to encounter protest at the beginning of its establishment itself. This dispute was accompanied by political calamity, thus getting attention from the media. The pathetic thing to notice is the negative attitude of approach towards different categories of people. In order to resist and safeguard the rights, movements were formulated; for instance, the “Black Student Movement.” And such movements in fact controlled “the university policy, structure, and culture”(Biondi 115). The movements also led to the expansion of the gap between black and white races, giving birth to a new rivalry in the city. Such open admission system approach of The City College of New York also opened the way to the socio-economic crisis in the state. Eventually, what remained a major factor or a contribution of this system was that the minority who longed for education could fulfill their ambition even though they had to encounter hurdles on the way to its acquisition.

1. The Open Admission system was highly criticized by many reformers in the state. Martha Biondi and Jerome Karabel were the two contemporaries who criticized such kinds of policies introduced by the university like The City College of New York. Both of them went through an elaborative critical analysis and study of such innovative programs. There are numerous evidence and strong points to substantiate the point of view of Biondi who looked at certain negative sides of this system. In fact, this was based on the pitiable condition of educational institutions to assist the students with basic provisions. “Surge in enrollments, and a failure to add the necessary resources and services for the new student body, prompting a high dropout rate” were reported (Biondi). He argued and condemned the inability and inefficiency of the system to facilitate the requirements of the students due to the financial crisis during the period.

Whereas, when considering the opinions and arguments of Jerome Karabel, a similar notion of discomfort is found in such a kind of functionalism of Open Admission. According to him a major problem associated with this was the political inequality that in turn affected the growth of the open functionalist system in the state. It remained a hindrance to the progress of many colleges and universities. As it is reported, “At a time when other public institutions were expanding at breakneck speed, CUNY was inching forward at snail’s pace”. This political crisis further resulted in many other issues even social discord, as violence was reported. Precisely, the educated blacks had constantly fought for rights and they were labeled with violence. Finally, it is crystal clear from the fact that due to the interference of education with politics and social evils, a greater failure was noticed in the new educational change.

1. The move towards open admission was a significant change that occurred in the century. Both the authors believed that the factors affecting the move towards open admission were precisely due to their quest for knowledge. The open admission paved the way for possible education to all categories, without having any discrimination on the basis of color, race, and economical background. But both of them state that the reformation in education would ensure social equality. According to him “none did more to reduce inequality of educational opportunity than the adoption of open admissions.”(Karabell 21). Furthermore, Biondi also reported that an open admission system could eradicate social discrimination as blacks also got the privilege of education.

These two authors maintained numerous similarities and disparities in their way of thinking. To a certain extent, both of them went in favor of the open admission and its positive sides, while they have not forgotten the adverse effects of Open Admission. They strongly condemned its inefficiency to facilitate the requirements, and the term used to indicate is “struggle.” Apart from this on the positive side, they also appreciated the empowerment of weaker sections that had an intensive quest for knowledge. This indication of struggle is emphasized by both of them and how it affected the students of the specific country during the course of time. They also had distinct viewpoints on several aspects of the Open Admission system. According to Karabel, the alliance resulted in “pursing degree” (42). It was due to a collaboration with the upper class that minorities benefitted in their educational career. Biondi looks at it from a pessimistic point of view that how the quarrel existed and its adverse effects on the weaker section, specifically the blacks and Puerto Ricans.