Opinion | Bethel should not prioritize employability over all else
Opinion | Bethel should not prioritize employability over all else
As seen in volume 113, issue 1 of The Collegian
When I chose to attend Bethel College, I did so looking for a liberal arts education. I have varied interests in the social sciences, humanities, and arts. I chose a small Mennonite college, which would give me the freedom to explore my interests. Bethel, so far, has succeeded in this. I worry, though, whether students in ten years will be able to say the same thing.
This academic year is the first year with full implementation of the Employment Experiences (EE) program. EE, according to the Bethel website, has the goal of “preparing students for meaningful lives of work and service.” Through the program, students work 80 hours a semester for the college or a community partner, and in return receive a $2,500 reduction of their tuition, in the form of a work grant. This, I believe, is wonderful. The program has monetary benefits for students well beyond what they would receive from a typical on-campus job. What I take issue with, then, is not the program itself, but is the fact that every Bethel student is required to be a part of the program. Every Bethel student must have an EE position. Per the contract by which I am currently bound for my EE position, if the student is terminated from their position, and fails to get another job offer within one week, they may face immediate suspension from the college. I don’t depend on EE for a tuition reduction, I depend on it for the ability to attend Bethel College at all.
Additionally, Bethel has a new required class for all second-year students: Vocation Seminar. The goal of Vocation Seminar, as might be expected from the name, is to help students find their vocation. An admirable focus, for sure. However, I question the fact that it, like EE, is required of all Bethel students. There are very few classes absolutely required for all Bethel students. First-Year Seminar, to introduce Bethel to first-years; Basic Issues of Faith and Life, for soon-to-be graduates; and now Vocation Seminar, for those of us in the middle of our time at Bethel.
Preparation for a career is part of a liberal arts education, it’s true. However, I would argue that the focus of a liberal arts college is not to create good employees, but to create educated, independent members of society. Those people may be good employees as well, but that is a result of a broad knowledge base, and their ability to think critically. It is not a result of being forced into vocational training. By making a student’s place at the college dependent on their employment status, and by forcing them to take a class entirely focused on their future career, Bethel does not empower students to live more meaningful lives – they take away their students’ autonomy, and their chance to learn initiative and personal responsibility.
I support Bethel providing resources for students to explore their future vocations. I don't support the college transforming into a school whose purpose is to create good workers. If Bethel wishes to survive as a Mennonite liberal arts college, I believe the administration needs to ask what they most want to give their students: education, or employability?