College's Fading Returns
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Friday, 1.31.14 views ON THE WEB: www.yankton.net RESS AKOTAN VIEWS PAGE: PAGE 4A P D [email protected] THE PRESS DAKOTAN THE DAKOTAS’ OLDEST NEWSPAPER | FOUNDED 1861 Yankton Media, Inc., 319 Walnut St., Yankton, SD 57078 CONTACT US OPINION | WE SAY PHONE: (605) 665-7811 (800) 743-2968 Wind Words NEWS FAX: THUMBS UP to the progress made on the B&H (605) 665-1721 Wind project, located near Tripp at the intersection ADVERTISING FAX: of Hutchinson, Bon Homme and Charles Mix coun- (605) 665-0288 ties. Avon resident Ron Hornstra, the B&H presi- WEBSITE: dent, provided an update on the wind project www.yankton.net during this week’s Southeast Research Farm annual EMAIL ADDRESS: meeting on the Freeman Academy campus. In addi- [email protected] tion, the afternoon featured reports on the farm’s research. One proj- ——— ect produced a collaborative effort with Raven Industries and DuPont SUBSCRIPTIONS/ Pioneer on the world’s first multi-hybrid planter. Remarks at the meet- CIRCULATION: ing indicate more joint projects may be in the works. Extension 104 CLASSIFIED ADS: College’s Fading Returns Extension 108 Stick To The Code NEWS DEPARTMENT: THUMBS UP to Yankton Sioux code talkers Rufus BY KATHLEEN PARKER On the flip side, ACTA proposes that many Extension 114 Ross, Daniel Ross and Barney Lambert, who were © 2014, Washington Post Writers Group schools, rather than offering the educational qual- SPORTS DEPARTMENT: honored during this week’s ceremony at Fort Randall ity that earned them a golden reputation in the Extension 106 Casino near Pickstown. The three men were among WASHINGTON — President Obama is correct first place, often depend on public reverence for ADVERTISING OFFICE: the American Indians who used their native language in wanting to make higher education more afford- the past rather than on present performance. Extension 122 to encode messages the enemy couldn’t break dur- able and accessible, but Americans Of great concern is the diminishing BUSINESS OFFICE: ing World Wars I and II. Code talkers were recognized would also be correct in wondering just focus on core curriculums — the tradi- Extension 119 during the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor ceremony, held last what they’re paying for. tional arts and science coursework es- NEW MEDIA: November in Washington. The 33 tribes received gold medals, while The need for a better-educated pop- sential to developing critical thinking Extension 136 the code talkers or their relatives received silver medals. The Yankton ulace is beyond dispute. Without critical necessary for civic participation. COMPOSING DESK: Sioux felt it was important to honor their members at a local cere- thinking skills and a solid background in Among the 29 schools surveyed by Extension 129 mony, and the Santee Sioux held a similar event last December. The history, the arts and sciences, how can ACTA, only three require U.S. govern- code talkers saved thousands of lives with their language. They a nation hope to govern itself? ment or history, just two require eco- *** rightly deserve a special place in history. Answer: Look around. nomics and five colleges have no The problem isn’t only that higher requirements at all. MANAGERS education is unaffordable to many but In a separate study, the National As- Gary L. Wood Service Situation that even at our highest-ranked colleges sessment of Adult Literacy found that Publisher THUMBS UP to an idea suggested to help poor and universities, students aren’t getting though Americans pay the highest per Americans and provide new revenue for the U.S. much bang for their buck. Kathleen pupil tuition rates in the world, most Michele Schievelbein graduates fall below proficiency in such Advertising Director Postal Service. This week, the inspector general of Since 1985, the price of higher edu- PARKER the USPS issued a white paper called “Providing Non- cation has increased 538 percent, ac- simple cognitive tasks as comparing Tonya Schild Bank Financial Services for the Underserved.” The re- cording to a new study from the viewpoints in two editorials or buying Business Manager port notes that one in four U.S. households lives American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), food when given in price per ounce. Michael Hrycko without bank accounts or is using costly payday a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group that en- Instead of the basics, students might look for- ward to more entertaining fare, such as Middle- Circulation Director lenders. The average underserved household spends courages trustees and alumni to foster improve- $2,412 a year just on interest and fees for alternative financial services, ment where institutions may be reluctant to go bury College’s “Mad Men and Mad Women,” an Tera Schmidt such as mobile banking, prepaid cards and other offerings. By comple- against popular trends. examination of masculinity and femininity in mid- Classified Manager menting the services of banks — not competing with them — and fill- For perspective, compare tuition increases to 20th-century America via the television show Kelly Hertz ing the gaps, the inspector general says the USPS could earn an extra a “mere” 286 percent increase in medical costs “Mad Men.” Editor $8.9 billion per year. That sounds like a win-win scenario to us. and a 121 percent increase in the consumer price I confess I’d enjoy a dinner discussion along index during the same period, according to ACTA. these lines, but as an education consumer, I’m not James D. Cimburek Although the council confined its research in sure a semester-long investigation is worth even a Sports Editor Quietly this study — “Education or Reputation?” — to the tiny percentage of the tuition. ACTA President Beth Rye THUMBS DOWN to the passing of music legend 29 top-ranked liberal-arts schools in the nation, Anne Neal acknowledges that such courses may New Media Director Pete Seeger, who died this week at age 94. Seeger where tuition, boarding and books typically run be interesting and even valuable. more than $50,000 per year, the trends highlighted “What we do question, however, is allowing Kathy Larson was an authentic, albeit complicated, piece of the na- tion’s musical folklore: a singer who spoke to the are not confined to smaller, elite institutions. such classes to stand in lieu of a broad-based Composing Manager American soul with a voice from the American heart. These include an increasing lack of academic American history or government requirement,” Bernard Metivier His left-wing politics earned him the wrath of Con- rigor, grade inflation, high administrative costs she said, “when we know how severely lacking District Manager gress in the anti-communist 1950s, and he was at one and a lack of intellectual diversity. students’ historical literacy can be.” point cited for contempt of Congress by a committee that, as the While these recent findings are not so surpris- Given the ever-escalating tuition costs, one *** Washington Post noted, faded into oblivion decades before Seeger ing to those who follow such studies, one can still may wonder where all that money is going? Out of the 29 colleges evaluated, 22 have ad- DAILY STAFF was done in this world. But while championing peace, civil rights and be stunned by what can only be described as a the environment, he also gave us some of the finest pieces of music in breach of trust between colleges and the students ministrative budgets that are at least one-third of Melissa Bader the American canon: He wrote or co-wrote “If I Had A hammer,” “We they attract with diversions and amenities that what the schools spend on instruction. More than Derek Bartos Shall Overcome,” “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “Where Have All The Flow- have little bearing on education and will be of lit- a third of the college presidents earn as much or more than the president of the United States Cassandra Brockmoller ers Gone?” He was the voice of a folk movement that transcended tle use in the job market. music hall. In 2009, Bruce Springsteen called Seeger “a living archive One need only be reminded of the recent scan- ($400,000), for running schools, many of which Rob Buckingham of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song dal at the University of North Carolina at Chapel have fewer than 2,000 students. Randy Dockendorf and culture to nudge history along.” With Seeger’s passing, the si- Hill, where a whistleblower revealed that phony Other findings of the 46-page report are Jeannine Economy lence now is deafening. classes and fake grades have been offered mostly equally compelling but too lengthy for this space. Jeremy Hoeck to athletes since the 1990s. Summed up: American students are paying too Nathan Johnson UNC, one of the historically great institutions much for too little — and this, too, should con- cern Obama as he examines ways to make college Robert Nielsen ONLINE OPINION of higher learning, quite apart from its legendary basketball team, is scrambling now to repair its more affordable. Getting people into college is Muriel Pratt The results of the most recent Internet poll on the Press & Dakotanʼs Web damaged reputation with oversight and other only half the battle. Getting them out with a useful Jessie Priestley site are as follows: fixes. But reputations, cultivated over decades education seems an equal challenge. Matt Robinson LATEST RESULTS: and sometimes centuries, are like love — hard to Cathy Sudbeck Who do you think will win the Super Bowl? repair once trust is broken. Kathleen Parker’s email address is kathleen- Sally Whiting Denver Broncos . .76% [email protected]. Seattle Seahawks . .24% Brenda Willcuts TOTAL VOTES CAST .