The American university was once regarded as the marketplace of ideas. Young, eager minds thirsty for knowledge pursued higher education to better prepare for life. The free exchange of ideas and different perspectives largely defined the academic scene in decades prior. This reputed intuition stood out from the rest as the cultivator of future leaders, innovators, and scholars.
Alas, this is not the case today.
The late conservative thinker William F. Buckley famously opined, “The academic community has in it the biggest concentration of alarmists, cranks and extremists this side of the giggle house.”
The American university has departed from its original purpose. Instead, this institution now serves as a breeding ground for complacent, goose-stepping loyalists of the political Left.
This January marks the 2nd Annual National School Choice Week. Organizations, educators, activists, politicians, and parents are coming together to stand up for better education. This week-long event will take place from January 22-28, 2012.
Given the corrupt nature of teachers unions and the lack of attention allotted to student needs in schools, it is imperative to encourage more school choice legislation and programs all across the nation.
Here are three things you can do right now to help make National School Choice Week 2012 a huge success:
Find an event near you to attend or support. Check our events listing daily – new events are being posted all the time.
Better yet, plan your own event! We have all types of resources on our website to help you get started including free documentaries to host a screening and discussion as well as an Event-in-a-Box to help brand your event.
Spread the word about National School Choice Week to your family, friends co-workers and neighbors by forwarding this email or writing your own and sharing a link to our website: www.SchoolChoiceWeek.com.
I am one of approximately 30 student bloggers for National School Choice Week. You can find some of my pieces on their blog:
When people think of California, they envision a place marked by idyllic weather, insurmountable wealth, friendly people, and world- famous attractions. It is undeniable that the Golden State has led the way for job growth, endless opportunities, and innovation. California is quite enviable – why else do people flock here? Nevertheless, one area was left untouched in this period of prosperity: education.
A state greatly overridden by teachers unions and virtually nonexistent school choice laws, California is in great need of education reform. Heritage Foundation reports that California is reluctant to embrace private school choice options, although it is more hospitable to public school choice options. Nearly 351,000 students are enrolled in the state’s 941 public charter schools, signaling the minimal albeit important presence of school choice here.
Compared to other states, California ranks near the bottom in quality of education. In 2009, it was ranked 48 of 50 in terms of sending graduating seniors to four-year colleges. Additionally, teachers unions dictate the course of education and remain hostile to outsiders like school choice proponents. As a result, school choice policies hardly penetrate into the state.
The war over budget cuts at the University of California–one between leftists in the administration/professors and the UC Regents–is getting heated.
Watch out, fellow Tritons! Big Business Monkeys are going after our books at UCSD.
What is a big business monkey, you might ask? Simply the invention of one student who is dismayed by capitalism and is looking to make a scapegoat out of it.
Understandably, the university has no right depriving us of books. School officials always talk about children and optimal education, but most fail to deliver providing such quality education.
Professors and administrative officials arguably make too much money, and leave us–the students–with limited resources.
• Also: # of Faculty and # of Senior Administrators.
• Student Fee is full student fee. State Funding is CA funding to the UC General Fund. Both are adjusted for inflation to CPI-U.
• The # of Faculty is full-time-hours equivalent of regular ladder-based faculty (most common type of faculty).
• The # of Senior Management is full SMG (Senior Management Group) & MSP (Manager and Senior Professional) count.
Education should be a public resource. Don’t let the Big Business Monkeys cut such an important part of our education at UCSD. Prevent the sale of books by borrowing as many books as you possibly can. Exercise your right as a UCSD student! Borrow a shit ton of books. It’s all based on this complex logical system derived in the highest minds of this supposedly prestigious institution:
Libraries cannot sell books, that they do not have.
So let’s remind UCSD that such frivolous cuts in this vital student resource will not be tolerated by fucking with them during the first week of school.
Just check out books, you should check out books you’re interested in. Let your check outs be representative of the subjects you as a student are interested in. Don’t feel like you have to read all of them, but let it show that students from all majors love the library system and need such an institution to keep a diverse collection. Show that such budget cuts on student resources is an intolerable and irresponsible decision.
Let’s have fun with this, tell your friends, will improve description in due time.
“I can only speak for one of the libraries on campus, but while books are regularly churned out of the stacks, there is an equal amount that is constantly being pumped in to the stacks to compensate. I don’t think it is necessarily a cause for panic. Facilities and operation hours are in much more jeopardy, and should probably be the focus.”
-> On this note, let’s publicize these concerns as well. This is purely gonzo logic, symbolism over action since we’re all minions in the UC game after all. Use the system to bring this issue to the forefront, confront the Capitalist concerns for what they are, show how the UC system is becoming more privatized and putting the students and their resources on the back burner. Check out that copy of Rings of Saturn that you’ve been meaning to read ever since you got into the writings of Walter Benjamin, I don’t know, say more and add to the discussion! let’s make this a learning experience, since that’s what you’re here for other than that piece of shiny paper.
In these difficult times, it is not (ever) wise to blame capitalism for the UC system’s financial failures. Instead, look to the people in charge and the exorbitant costs they’ve generated. It’s time that the higher ups (professors, administration) sacrifice too. Stop wasting our tax dollars.
“What is her name. First off, it’s none of your business. Don’t bother where I send mine. Secondly I pay $30,000 in property taxes for a public school system predominantly that my wife and I don’t choose to utilize. We believe that a religious education should be part of our everyday children’s education. Third, I as governor and responsible for every child in this state not just my own. And decisions that I make are try to improve the educational opportunities of every child in this state. With all due respect it’s none of your business,” Christie told her.
I stumbled upon this flier at Muir College today. Of course, it was very odd and striking, so I thought I’d share it with you all.
I don’t understand why there’s even a week dedicated to atheism. Universities preach it left and right; usually at the expense of Judeo-Christian principles. Yet, in order to demoralize religion, the Rationalist Club thought it imperative to host.
Nevertheless, this is rich. Share your thoughts on this week and let me know if you agree that it is preposterous!
We’ve all heard the ruckus about Jersey Shore‘sSnooki and her ludicrous speech fee. Polizzi’s recent speaking engagement (wait, she can speak in complete sentences and has something intelligent to say?) at Rutgers University in New Jersey caused a stir and angered many people there.
Apparently, $32, 000 in student fees (ahem, codeword for your tax dollars) were set aside for this MTV-glossed powder puff to talk about GTL, smushing, and late-night hookups. Here’s what 32K is worth: “Study hard, party harder.”
Doug Giles sets the record straight with his latest article on Townhall.com:
Well, mom and dad (who are still worth their salt), you now can officially scratch Rutgers off the list of colleges to visit this summer with your high schooler. The kicker in this hellish scenario is that this over-tanned hobbit with the morals of a drunken alley cat and the brainpower of a hockey puck got two grand more than Nobel-winning author Toni Morrison will be getting for her commencement address at Rutgers U later this year. I’ve got two words for this misappropriation of funds: Revelation Eighteen.
Greg Gutfeld‘s humorous take on the Rutger brouhaha is shown below:
While Greg points out that Snooki is “harmless,” those dismayed by Paul Krugman, Bill Clinton, Van Jones, communists/Marxists, and socialists should get conservative speakers from YAF. The speakers bureau includes Ann Coulter, Ben Stein, Michael Reagan, Dinesh D’Souza, Michelle Malkin, Jason Mattera, Doug Giles, David Horowitz, Ann McElhinney, Steve Forbes, and many more! Here from real intellectuals, not incompetent noobs.
I’ve been graciously asked to contribute to Landmark Report, a website that will be THE up-in-coming news source for North America. I will continue to write elsewhere, promising to deliver you quality articles that raise eyebrows, leave you second-guessing, and provide a teeny bit of controversy with this latest venture.
Since it’s hard to create new material in high frequency (given that I’m a college student, intern, and activist), I will produce an article specific to Landmark every other week and repost my Washington Times column there during the off-week.
I appreciate your continued readership and support of my work! It really means the world to me that all of you–whether you agree or disagree with my viewpoints–take time to read my stuff. Thanks again!
My first column there will be *tentatively* up this evening (3/30) or tomorrow morning (3/31).
