Sometimes I have to wonder about the decisions that college and universities make in the face of a crumbling economy. In February, Rutgers University announced that it would spend $500 million in the next three years to expand and upgrade its campuses. For those of you who are not from New Jersey, Rutgers essentially has three main campuses throughout New Jersey – one in Camden, one in Newark, and the main campus in the New Brunswick/Piscataway area. Some of the expansions that the university will be undertaking are as follows:
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Stunning Freedom of Speech Restriction at Virginia Tech
Every once in a while I surf to some websites that deal with higher education policy and how freedom of speech is being handled on college campuses. The website (called Minding the Campus and linked to the left) posted an article the other day regarding a “Loyalty Oath” that professors are being asked to sign on to at Virginia Tech. I did a little bit of digging and the entire text of the loyalty oath can be contrived from the information posted at this link.
Honestly, it’s gratuitously boring and not worth getting into the details on the text itself on this blog. However, the Minding the Campus website did make the following comment in its article:
Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) is attempting to force faculty to take an ideological oath to “diversity.” Promotion and tenure will depend on a willingness to embrace the vague but militant ideology dear to the left side of the political spectrum.
And the article goes on a little bit more with a quote from a critic of the policy. From my view – which is admittedly the 10,000 feet above the issue level – I never really liked the concept of a forced diversity in terms of developing a curriculum or a pedagogy. In other words, I think history should be taught as it was, I think the great works of literature that influenced the world should be taught as they are, I think that testing should be provided based on the minimum levels needed to succeed in society and not include any type of cultural or socioeconomic bias.
It’s a tough thing to write about in this type of blog entry format, but maybe an example will help. As an English major in college, I was forced to take a class called African Women’s Literature. That’s cool – I like to study up on new topics within the realm of what I “like” and English was obviously a subject that I liked. However, the class was so far out of sync with the rest of the curriculum that it was truly an awkward (not educational) experience. I know why the course is included in the curriculum at the time – to increase the diversity of study for English majors. However, most if not all of the concepts, readings, and discussions from that class are completely gone from my mind now because they have no bearing on anything around me…and this is coming from a guy who frequently volunteers his time in black communities.
And that’s just it…that’s the point. When a university is trying to integrate “diversity” into its foundation, they generally wind up missing the point entirely. If my alma mater wanted to be sure that its English students received worthy instruction on topics related to the black population or are historically famous in black literature, then there are any number of excellent American authors, politicians, and activists that could have fit that bill, but within the context of non-racially segregated themed courses. To say it another way, why couldn’t we cover W.E.B. DuBois when we talked about early 20th Century literature? Why couldn’t we talk about Frederick Douglass when we studied war-related literature?
As it turns out, my old college canceled the course in African Women’s Literature (thank God). I guess someone with some stroke over there had the same thought that I had and the same thought that Minding the Campus has regarding the situation at Virginia Tech.
Google Book Search is an Amazing Service
Whether the masses know it or not, Google has been recreating the Library of Alexandria in an online format. While it is still a work in progress, the Google Book Search is home to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of printed documents that have been digitized for your searching needs. In terms of actual books, works that are out of copyright are available for full download and printing at no cost to the user.
The applications of the Google Book Search are almost endless. The first things that pop into my mind are the English classes that I had to take in college. Well, not the classes themselves, but the hundreds if not thousands of dollars that I spent on books. Take Shakespeare – I had to buy two different anthologies of Shakespeare titles. In the mean time, Google Book Search has the entire works of William Shakespeare available for full download. Full download! Come on!
I could easily be in a few thousand dollars LESS of student loan debt if this service was available ten years ago, damn it.
Since I know a lot of college students (and those who talk to college students) find their way on to my blog, I’m making the strong recommendation that you check Google Book Search for the texts needed in your literature and English classes before you go spending hundreds of dollars on anthologies. Speaking as someone who is in a great deal of student loan debt, trust me – every little bit counts when trying to save money in college!
Taking Off A Year – Next Year, Actually – Could Be Worth It
Last April, I posted an entry talking about how taking a year off after high school would be a good way to broaden a young student’s world view. This mindset is something new for America, but it is one that I think could really help some of our younger citizens develop personally. As an adjunct professor and a guy who volunteers as an advisor to young college students around the state, one of the more concerning phenomenons that I’ve witnessed over the last few years is the increasing amount of sheltered young people that our society is producing.
While I understand that the transition from high school to college is literally life-changing, many students are entering college without any ability to live on their own. I see kids who are constantly on the phone with their parents, make daily trips back to their hometowns, and cocoon themselves from any new experiences on campus. To some small degree you have to appreciate why employers don’t want to give these people jobs once they graduate. The ability to think on your own and solve problems as they arise is critical to being successful in today’s world.
Anyway, the point of this entry is how taking a year off between high school and college might have always been a good idea for some students, but it might be a good idea for all students given some pending legislation. As the New York Times reports:
Last month, President Obama proposed what some experts called the most sweeping changes in federal college aid programs in decades. But even if Congress approves the new and expanded programs, they will not take effect until July 2010.
So here is a heretical idea for this year’s high school seniors: Take a year off and go out and do something else. Then, when it is available, see if you can take advantage of that aid money — more fixed-rate student loans and bigger grants to the poorest students.
Brilliant! This is a great idea that has many unintended (or perhaps intended) consequences. First, those who take next year off to develop themselves as human beings will be better prepared for the rigors of college life. Second, colleges will be forced to re-evaluate their expenses and whether or not they offer a valuable service given the realities of today’s market. And last but not least, you have the actual intended effect of the recommendation above – take a year off and wait until more subsidy dollars flow to your educational pursuits.
If coordinated correctly, this idea could initiate a great shift in the higher education system.
More on Major Student Loan Debts and “Victims”
Yesterday, I wrote about the economic possibilities that could come from canceling all outstanding student loan debt. Over the last week, though, I’ve been reading some articles and new ideas on the entire student loan industry. At one point, I was called the national poster boy for student loan debt (what a claim to fame, huh?) and using that now rustic accolade, I have to make a comment or two about what I’m seeing out there regarding student loans.
While there are too many deceptive and shady practices in the student loan industry, many graduates who are burdened with certain levels of debt need to get over their predicament. I read a story where a guy graduated with some $35,000 in student loan debt and because he began missing payments and couldn’t find a job, over the course of five years that number skyrocketed threefold. Look, in that situation the “problem” likely is the fact that the guy isn’t willing to put himself in a position to be able to afford his payments. Doing some quick math shows that this guy was probably required to pay some $230 per month in order to make his payment.
Come on. Anyone can make $230 per month by working at a gas station or at a retail shop. I don’t want to hear about this guy complaining that he is a victim. I’ll listen to his story about how his life was torn apart and how he’s been stunted from advancing as quickly as previous generations of college graduates (trust me…I know), but don’t act like you’re a victim when – after five years – you couldn’t position yourself to pay $230 per month.
Quite a while ago I wrote an entry called “Personal Clarification on Student Loan Debt” where I stated quite clearly that I am no victim. One of the major problems that I see brewing out of the student loan debt dialogue is this victimized stance that so many people take. Hey – I signed the paperwork to get these loans and while I didn’t fully understand how much the loans would effect me post-graduation, I wasn’t taken advantage of by anyone in the student loan industry. Sure, I think that the “system” which decides who gets free rides and who has to pay is fundamentally flawed. I’m glad that it has been changing (too slowly) over the past six years since I graduated, but don’t paint me as a victim.
On a similar note, I’m not playing the old “fish story” game here either. In other words, I’m not suggesting that the guy whose story I read about only graduated with $35,000 in student loan debt and since I graduated $118,000, then I’m more deserving of pity. First, I don’t want pity (though money would be nice). Second, I’m not interested in promoting a race to the bottom between various student loan borrowers. I have a ton of student loan debt and though I’ve been diligently paying it, I’m still going to be on the hook for a while. That doesn’t mean that I deserve pity, though!
I sincerely hope that an honest national dialogue opens up about how to address the gigantic student loan debt burden that will continue to stunt our economy for the foreseeable future. Once policymakers realize that personal social advancement and personal wealth accumulation are not possible when America’s 20 and 30-somethings are saddled with unmanageable debt, then we might see some positive action. My fear, though, is that no one will realize this until it’s too late (imagine an economy that is poised to succeed but can’t figure out why drastically reduced home prices aren’t selling units and consumer spending is continuing to constrict). Here’s hoping that some forward-looking policymaker or legislator sees this problem early-on and begins addressing it as soon as possible!
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