Your State University Doesn't Want You

theodp writes "According to a new survey of college admissions directors by Inside Higher Ed, the admissions strategy judged most important is the recruitment of more out-of-state and international students, who can pay significantly more at public institutions. Ten percent of those surveyed also reported admitting full-pay students with lower grades and test scores than other admitted applicants, and a majority of schools either use or plan to use controversial commission-paid agents to recruit foreign students (commission-based recruitment is barred in the U.S.). 'This isn't about globalization or increased educational diversity,' asserts USC's Jerome A. Lucido. 'They need the money.' So, should employees of a public university where the President's annual compensation exceeds $1 million receive a full state-funded pension for educating 16,000+ out-of-state students?"

Comments

Re:Costs of education?

[bluefoxlucid]

The difference was (in general), a liberal professor is willing to accept that you have a different viewpoint. They are willing to DEBATE you on it and give you equal time. They are willing to concede that you have good points and acknowledge them, they are willing to moderate their own positions and take your points on board when you bring up something they hadn't previously considered or that is argued well. I turned in several papers that argued completely contrary to the views I knew the professor held, and STILL got high grades because I argued my points well.

My experience with liberals in general is they're extremely defensive and oppressive; but then I live in Maryland. Teachers would give you bad grades because they didn't like your politics in some cases. People--students, facebookers, professors, anyone you meet in real life or online--will immediately start yapping over you if you start trying to explain an opposing view. The two key overruling points are when you've presented half an argument (which needs the other half to convey meaning) and they can stop you and twist your words IF they can shut you up; or when you start "winning" (that means something, but I'm not sure what) and they suddenly NEED to debase you because they don't know how to continue if they don't shut you up NOW.

Of course, watching Congress, all I see are politicians doing this from both ends. GOP and DNC are both assholes. In my personal experience, the republican side here is suppressed--they're quieter, and less hostile. They also argue less--due to being incapable of supporting their positions; whereas the democrats here try to argue via verbosity (a lot of words that don't actually prove a point, but fit well, sound consistent, and contain a lot of information), so they sound smart and it seems legit even if it's bullshit.

I like to think. Everyone hates me because my opinions both don't line up with theirs AND with any time to prepare and consider I can destroy everyone's arguments and present water-tight alternatives (not air-tight; nothing's perfect). Some people I know won't let me talk anymore, because the moment I can get a footing they lose, immediately. Babble a lot about nothing, start changing the topic quickly, assert that I don't know what I'm talking about before I get three words out ... it's impressive, and looks (both from my viewpoint and everyone else's) like I'm clueless. One guy won't talk to me at all because I went revisionary--I re-examined prior conversations, answered all the questions, and one day kept up and destroyed him.

I can only assume that people like to take positions they don't understand. But then, you know. I argue economics, I actually understand economics--not by degree, but by my own study: I'm slowly building my own economics theory by observation, and constantly revising my own misconceptions. I read up on certain concepts (rent-seeking activities, etc.), balance things... it's hard, when you consider like... universities charging too much, versus government control (communism is bad, so is free market, and all our attempts to regulate this stuff have to account for the fact that we can't just let them do whatever AND we can't tell them how much they're allowed to charge, but we have to do SOMETHING... just handing them money doesn't work, either; and we've seen the student loan disaster). It's at the point where bona-fide economists sometimes think I'm actually an economics major, for a short time; but I have too much foundational knowledge missing. We still have interesting conversations.

People aren't thinking, at all. They take positions they don't understand, and they don't care to research ... that takes work, and I guess maybe they're afraid they might be wrong? My positions have fluctuated wildly--from deep conservative to slightly liberal leaning, and now I'm oscillating near the center. I revise my position a lot; I argue with people one day,