Full or Part-Time?

—While your contributor R.S.L. ("Salient", No. 7, page 1) no doubt means well, he is ignoring a number of facts. While everyone, I am sure, would agree that the ideal is that all students should be full time and that all citizens capable of benefitting themselves and the community with higher education should be able to become full-time students; nevertheless, we must face the fact that in the majority of cases only those students whose parents can afford to provide them with the everyday material needs can indeed become full-time students. Admittedly if a student has a sufficiently strong constitution and can find sufficiently remunerative employment in the vacations he can support himself as a full-time student. No one would claim that this was a desirable arrangement and the majority just could not stand the double drain on their energies, so unless higher education is to become the monopoly of a privileged class we must accept part time study until such time as the University is able to supply cheap or free living accommodation for deserving students. R.L.S. might also care to ponder the situation of those such as myself who, unable to enjoy the privilege of a University education in their youth may now do so in the midst of their family obligations because of the part-time system.