Still cannot fix the hyperlinking issues. There has to be an embedded problem on my blogger account I can't see. It will absolutely not work for me I am sorry!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/sports/ncaafootball/19drunk.html?_r=1&ref=education
Attempts at Cutting Down Binge Drinking on Campus
A couple of college campuses are now implementing ways of trying to curb underage and young adult drinking on football game days. Several colleges in the northern states are now making students complete a BAC check before entering stadiums. They are attempting to target individuals who habitually drink, go to games and get ejected for unruly behavior. In affect, these students are entered into a program where a counselor attempts to help them with their alcohol problems early. I see this as a good program and think it would be a wonderful idea at college campuses all over the country. I sometimes look at my friend's Facebook pages and see pictures of tailgating where they were drinking underage and looking very stupid. The idea that you have to be 21 to drink is not taking seriously anymore amongst the students, parents, or organizations who operate major events like these. I have been to concerts where kids that barely look 18 have magaritas and beer and are plumb drunk with parents and the like. Alcohol is not a laughing matter. Now I believe an individual over 21 is entitled to make their own decisions about alcohol, suffering consequences or not. But someone under 21, because it IS illegal, should absolutely not be allowed to consume alcohol. Most people probably are soft on this idea and they think, I did it in high school or college, so my kid probaly will do it, they just need to be safe. Minors' judgements are off already so why make them even more off? A lot of my friends ruined their college experiences because much of it was spent in a drunken stupor. Friends who were smarter than me flunked out of schools like UGA because of too much partying at 18, 19, and 20. Some are still in school, others work at dead end jobs now. It has a bad tricle down effect no one likes to look at. Again, I say I believe there is nothing wrong with someone over 21 drinking, but under 21 seems just to be wasting your brain and life away just to feel good or relaxed. Teen death rates are at an all time high with so many car accidents and othe things, they need to be protected. The people interviewed for the article seem either pessimistic or optomistic about the new programs. Those who think it won't work are probaly under the impression that college students will do as they please regardless of the regulations whereas those who believe that it will work know they may be able to reach some people before they die of alcohol poisoning or something in the likes. I wonder what everyone thinks about this article and the view that college students may be drinking too much?
Showing posts with label College. Show all posts
Showing posts with label College. Show all posts
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Killing the College Student with Fees
College Tuition Up Sharply Amid Recession
In this article, Justin Pope provides some great insight and staggering numbers on the rising costs of tuition in the country. The average tuition in the country is now at about $7,000 per year at a 4-year public college, up over 6% from last year despite the economy. Costs are constantly on the rise despite all of the cuts in funding and all of the budget cuts colleges are making to deal with the economy. Despite this number, they say actual incurred costs are only about $1,600 for a 4 year student per year. I would like to know where they are getting that amount from. I am thankfully and gratefully lucky that Georgia has the HOPE scholarship and I was only "forced" to take out about $9,000 in student loans over the 4 and a half year period I was in school. Much of that went to living expenses though and had nothing to do with the college. There is a much greater underlying problem with the public education system though, that they will not speak of. Teachers, professors, researchers, deans, presidents, and so on are getting so filthy rich from the public colleges it is sickening. Just check out Open Georgia. On this site you can find all of the salaries for state/public employees for the entire state of Georgia. I attended Georgia State University and at this DI-AA (D one double a) school, there are over 40 people making over $200,000 a year. These people rarely even see a student, they simply preside over the school. Now I am not belittling their jobs, because it is important to run a school to the best of its ability and be competitive with other schools in the state and the country. But for purposes of serving the state and the educational system, why should they make so much money?! Why are they entitled, being employees of the Georgia government, to make more than our Governor (who made $137,000 in base salary in 2008)? Because it is deemed important? Why am I making so little to teach 700 kids a year and the president of GSU receives over $400,000 to preside over a college? At UGA (University of Georgia) there are over 100 people making over $200,000 a year. Why did fees go up? Because people higher up refused to take part in cost cutting measures. I am sure that they took like a 1% pay cut or are now working 10 less days a year now than they did last year, but how in the world can you justify so much money being spent on a salary at a government entity? It is a waste of funds. I would say that if everyone making over $200,000/year was to give up between 30 and 40,000 of their salary, which would equal what regular teachers have had to forfeit due to stae mandated furloughs to balance the ill begotten state budget, our cost to enroll would not go up. During my stint at GSU, the cost for me to attend 4 or 5 classes a semester went up over $1,000. My first year in 2004 it cost only $1600 for full time tuition plus about $250 in fees. By December of 2008 it would have cost me $2900 for full time tuition without fees. Luckily I only needed 2 or 3 classes so I paid for part-time. Again, the HOPE grant payed for most of it, but that is still from a state-funded program through lottery ticket sales. Today, students are having to pay so much more for so little education. I was baffled by the costs of some master's programs. I am extremely excited to be a part of VCSU, not only because of the Tech Ed program, but because it is affordable. UGA, Ga Tech, Va Tech, and even Purdue wanted in excess of $25,000 per year for their master's programs. And for what? A piece of paper that says I completed a rigorous program and forked out almost $60,000 for a $10,000/year raise? I believe the term for what we are trying to do today is, "Work smarter, not harder". I do not want to be in debt for my education for the rest of my life, I will find what works at a better price. The material and knowledge I have gained here at VCSU far out ranks the opportunity I could have had to call myself a UGA graduate.
In this article, Justin Pope provides some great insight and staggering numbers on the rising costs of tuition in the country. The average tuition in the country is now at about $7,000 per year at a 4-year public college, up over 6% from last year despite the economy. Costs are constantly on the rise despite all of the cuts in funding and all of the budget cuts colleges are making to deal with the economy. Despite this number, they say actual incurred costs are only about $1,600 for a 4 year student per year. I would like to know where they are getting that amount from. I am thankfully and gratefully lucky that Georgia has the HOPE scholarship and I was only "forced" to take out about $9,000 in student loans over the 4 and a half year period I was in school. Much of that went to living expenses though and had nothing to do with the college. There is a much greater underlying problem with the public education system though, that they will not speak of. Teachers, professors, researchers, deans, presidents, and so on are getting so filthy rich from the public colleges it is sickening. Just check out Open Georgia. On this site you can find all of the salaries for state/public employees for the entire state of Georgia. I attended Georgia State University and at this DI-AA (D one double a) school, there are over 40 people making over $200,000 a year. These people rarely even see a student, they simply preside over the school. Now I am not belittling their jobs, because it is important to run a school to the best of its ability and be competitive with other schools in the state and the country. But for purposes of serving the state and the educational system, why should they make so much money?! Why are they entitled, being employees of the Georgia government, to make more than our Governor (who made $137,000 in base salary in 2008)? Because it is deemed important? Why am I making so little to teach 700 kids a year and the president of GSU receives over $400,000 to preside over a college? At UGA (University of Georgia) there are over 100 people making over $200,000 a year. Why did fees go up? Because people higher up refused to take part in cost cutting measures. I am sure that they took like a 1% pay cut or are now working 10 less days a year now than they did last year, but how in the world can you justify so much money being spent on a salary at a government entity? It is a waste of funds. I would say that if everyone making over $200,000/year was to give up between 30 and 40,000 of their salary, which would equal what regular teachers have had to forfeit due to stae mandated furloughs to balance the ill begotten state budget, our cost to enroll would not go up. During my stint at GSU, the cost for me to attend 4 or 5 classes a semester went up over $1,000. My first year in 2004 it cost only $1600 for full time tuition plus about $250 in fees. By December of 2008 it would have cost me $2900 for full time tuition without fees. Luckily I only needed 2 or 3 classes so I paid for part-time. Again, the HOPE grant payed for most of it, but that is still from a state-funded program through lottery ticket sales. Today, students are having to pay so much more for so little education. I was baffled by the costs of some master's programs. I am extremely excited to be a part of VCSU, not only because of the Tech Ed program, but because it is affordable. UGA, Ga Tech, Va Tech, and even Purdue wanted in excess of $25,000 per year for their master's programs. And for what? A piece of paper that says I completed a rigorous program and forked out almost $60,000 for a $10,000/year raise? I believe the term for what we are trying to do today is, "Work smarter, not harder". I do not want to be in debt for my education for the rest of my life, I will find what works at a better price. The material and knowledge I have gained here at VCSU far out ranks the opportunity I could have had to call myself a UGA graduate.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Falling College Graduation Rates
Graduation Rates
While we are battling dropout rates and student achievement in middle and high schools across the country, colleges are beginning to have outrageous dropout rates that reach in to the 40 and 50% range. As of right now, colleges are awarded aid based on enrollment. In the article, David Leonhardt states that colleges are packing in classes for freshman with 60 and 70 or more students in a lecture hall and making it cheaper to run these classes. However, as these students progress, the class sizes begin to dwindle as concentrations offer specific classes, which are much more expensive than freshman seminars. The colleges therefore prefer less classes offered and there is no consequence for colleges who have so many dropouts at the sophomore and junior level. Legislation is trying to be pushed through that would force colleges to tie financial aid and other monies to their graduation rates rather than enrollment. Many of the students are not prepared to take college classes because of their secondary education, but it does not simply mean they should drop out. Our work force is being pushed to be better educated than previous generations but yet the educational system is defeating students who are not able to pay or simply become frustrated and quit. Still, more issues remain in the need for improving the drop out rate. The article suggests many students do not apply to the best schools they could get into. An all A student, 1200+ SAT score, does not apply to a notable school, instead they apply to the state college or technical school that does not fully challenge them. Additionally, it has become the norm to not graduate with a Bachelor's in 4 years. Students now take 5, 6, or 7 years to complete 120 credit hours. This lack of oversight and pressure to reach the finish line produces students who take 1 or 2 classes a semester and sometimes fail them and keep taking classes that are not pertinent to their education. I remember from my undergraduate degree that several students in my business classes were professional students. They had accumulated enough hours to have 3 or 4 bachelor's degrees, maybe even a master's degree, but did not want to move on in life so they stay just because. This only increases the laziness of our generation and produces people who are not able to fully take care of themselves and must rely on others, usually parents, to live, which was not a goal of this country only 10 to 15 years ago. We must continue to encourage our students every day to look at the long term and stop looking to the next minute, hour, or day. Tomorrow is never guaranteed but if we don't make the most out of today and prepare for tomorrow or next week or next year, our shortsightedness can kills us. Students must regain the focus of obtaining goals like going to college AND graduating and continuing on to do amazing things in life. If we want this next generation to be game changers, they must take responsibility and focus on finishing the race of high school, college, and life.
While we are battling dropout rates and student achievement in middle and high schools across the country, colleges are beginning to have outrageous dropout rates that reach in to the 40 and 50% range. As of right now, colleges are awarded aid based on enrollment. In the article, David Leonhardt states that colleges are packing in classes for freshman with 60 and 70 or more students in a lecture hall and making it cheaper to run these classes. However, as these students progress, the class sizes begin to dwindle as concentrations offer specific classes, which are much more expensive than freshman seminars. The colleges therefore prefer less classes offered and there is no consequence for colleges who have so many dropouts at the sophomore and junior level. Legislation is trying to be pushed through that would force colleges to tie financial aid and other monies to their graduation rates rather than enrollment. Many of the students are not prepared to take college classes because of their secondary education, but it does not simply mean they should drop out. Our work force is being pushed to be better educated than previous generations but yet the educational system is defeating students who are not able to pay or simply become frustrated and quit. Still, more issues remain in the need for improving the drop out rate. The article suggests many students do not apply to the best schools they could get into. An all A student, 1200+ SAT score, does not apply to a notable school, instead they apply to the state college or technical school that does not fully challenge them. Additionally, it has become the norm to not graduate with a Bachelor's in 4 years. Students now take 5, 6, or 7 years to complete 120 credit hours. This lack of oversight and pressure to reach the finish line produces students who take 1 or 2 classes a semester and sometimes fail them and keep taking classes that are not pertinent to their education. I remember from my undergraduate degree that several students in my business classes were professional students. They had accumulated enough hours to have 3 or 4 bachelor's degrees, maybe even a master's degree, but did not want to move on in life so they stay just because. This only increases the laziness of our generation and produces people who are not able to fully take care of themselves and must rely on others, usually parents, to live, which was not a goal of this country only 10 to 15 years ago. We must continue to encourage our students every day to look at the long term and stop looking to the next minute, hour, or day. Tomorrow is never guaranteed but if we don't make the most out of today and prepare for tomorrow or next week or next year, our shortsightedness can kills us. Students must regain the focus of obtaining goals like going to college AND graduating and continuing on to do amazing things in life. If we want this next generation to be game changers, they must take responsibility and focus on finishing the race of high school, college, and life.
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