As far as we're concerned, the purpose of attending a university is to prepare for one's future career. This means that the student should have extensive field experience in the specialization of his or her choice.
It's important for students to have a grasp on research and discoveries previously made in their chosen field of interest. That's where textbooks, lectures and other forms of classwork come in.
But the real way people learn, and the best way to prepare students for a professional career, is to have hands-on experience doing what they will do when they are hired out of college.
Many of us have been enrolled in a class in which all students do is watch an instructor write on an overhead or flip slides on a PowerPoint presentation. Although this method can be useful in some situations, we all wish more of our classes were hands on - as it really allows students to get a grasp of the subject matter.
That said, we applaud the anthropology class, which has taken a huge leap past many classes on campus by actually carrying out a lengthy archaeological dig.
Twenty-one students are involved in the dig, which kicked off Monday morning and will last through July 15. The excavation is in the area just east of the MSU Museum and is the former location of the first dormitory on campus. The dig marks the first archaeological dig on campus.
"Saint's Rest," as the dorm was called by its residents, was destroyed by fire on Dec. 9, 1876. Until the dig began, the location where the dorm once stood was marked only by a flat stone.
Today, students in the class "Field Methods in Archeology," are working on the excavation from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
This is a full-time job, and it's impressive that even during this week's heat wave (with temperatures Tuesday reaching nearly 90 degrees), the students are so dedicated at this project.
All students on campus would benefit from classes such as this one. Although it's a huge time commitment and hard work, the experience gained is invaluable, as is the feeling of self-worth and esteem that the students will have after taking part in such an important quest on MSU's campus.
Not to mention, students will likely learn from this experience, if archeology is actually a professional field they wish to enter. One can't always tell just from readings and lectures whether or not the topic is something one would want to make a career out of.
Hands-on field experience is a great way to test students' abilities, as well as build respect for the profession.
