Affirmative Action Debate...

                                Affirmative Action Debate

  A new book titled Mismatch by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor delves into the  issue of affirmative action, and looks at this issue through the lens of academic preparation.

  According to the authors, the problem of educational inequality results from a deficient K-12 educational system for minorities. Sander and Taylor agree that "there just aren't enough academically prepared black and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Hispanic students to fill America's top colleges at the median level of academic preparation, a level that is determined mostly by Asian and white applicants." To remedy this problem, according to the authors, administrators add the equivalent of 100 points or more to the SAT scores of many minority applicants. The book makes the point that "administrators tend to call this policy affirmative action, because surveys show that Americans of all races approve of affirmative action, however, it is actually a system of racial preferences, which surveys show that Americans of all races overwhelmingly reject.

  In the view of Richard Sander, a professor of law at UCLA, and Stuart Taylor, a distinguished legal journalist, the current system of preferences does discriminate against Asian and white students. What is most disturbing to the authors is the lack of academic preparation given to many minority students.The thesis of the book is the reality that "placing unprepared students in challenging academic environments humiliates them, frequently derailing their lives and careers." It could be said that "a system of racial preferences was placing students with the strongest scientific ability at the institutions where they were least likely to achieve their goals."

  The authors look at the bigger picture as well, by delving into the 'breadth of the mismatch" in the larger university culture. They describe the psychological effects of preferences,the complicated judicial reasoning surrounding affirmative action, and the results of Proposition 209 in California, where universities ignored what they described as positive academic results, and began implementing 'holistic" policies to keep up minority enrollment.

Ethical Reporting on the Decline...

                          Ethical Reporting on the Decline...


  Recently I read a copy of a newspaper from a  local Community College. I was struck in a negative way by the front cover story about the President of the college. This person apparently is leaving the post of president, and searching for a position elsewhere. I am not familiar with the pros and cons of this persons leadership capabilities, however, this person is vilified in the coverage in this student newspaper.

  What has happened to ethical reporting? There are always two sides at least to every story. This front page article presents a very one-sided viewpoint. I was disappointed in the lack of fair and ethical reporting. It seems that certain people really don't like the president of this college, but no one is all bad. Certainly this person has done something good during his/her time as college president. There was no hint or mention of any positives whatsoever in the article. 

  This type of article gives me cause for concern in a regular newspaper, but even more so when it comes from student journalists who are supposedly learning how to be good, fair reporters. Where is the student supervision of these budding journalists? Could we aspire to higher goals than denigrating another persons character and abilities? This type of "reporting" causes me to disregard everything that was said in the article as either partially or wholly false or fabricated. I hope others who read this article do the same.

~Kathy~

Changing Role of California Community Colleges...

                   The Changing Role of California Community Colleges

      
                                                      "The times they are a chang'in"
                                                                                       Bob Dylan

     How quickly the educational landscape can change. The mission of the community college used to be tied to being an open door to educational and vocational betterment, and pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's' sake.It was a place where anyone could further their education, and jump start a new career, or update their knowledge base. For me, the community college learning experience provided me with a wealth of information from many diverse subject areas, but more importantly, gave me a desire to go on and pursue a Masters in English.There weren't hoops that I had to jump through. I didn't need to meet with a counselor, or have a transfer plan in place to take classes.

     Times have changed. Given the dire budget constraints, and even worse cuts if Governor Browns' tax measures don't pass, perhaps the open doors to a community college education needed to be addressed. One of the latest changes being implemented in terms of community colleges is the new Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T/AS-T) pathway, that lets students earn an associate degree and a bachelor's degree with no wasted units. The Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (SB 1440, Padilla) became law in 2010, and requires the California Community Colleges and California State University to collaborate on the creation of AA-T and AS-T degrees. Upon earning these degrees, students will be guaranteed admission to a CSU campus with junior standing. While not guaranteed admission to their campus of choice, students will be given priority consideration for admission to a CSU campus that offers a program that has been designated as "similar" by CSU. Currently, there are approximately 450 new associate degrees for transfer in 20 of the most popular transfer majors, and more are being added. 

      This new transfer pathway was designed to streamline the educational process for students. However, there are nuances to the pursuit of education that are lost, or minimized in this process. The educational process is becoming more goal oriented, and given the tough financial times we are in, I understand why. But, nevertheless, something intangible is being lost in the pursuit of a well-rounded education. For some students, in order to decide on a pathway, or career goal, or major, they need to be exposed to a variety of subject areas. This new transfer degree pathway doesn't seem to be the best option for those students. There is so much to be gained from being able to take courses from a large variety of subject areas.

    For example, I never wanted to major in history, art history, algebra, or economics, but I was deeply enriched by taking classes at the community college level in each of these areas. In addition, I was able to take piano and music literature, not with a transfer degree in mind, but for the sake of gaining knowledge. This used to be one of the core goals of the community colleges mission statement...personal development. Sadly, budget cuts are severely changing the role of the community college. Taking courses for personal enrichment will be difficult, if not impossible in less than 12 months. Repeating a course, for example a music class, will also be forbidden.

      The question arises, will the community college system ever be able to regain what it is losing? More importantly, will students and the population at large ever be able to reclaim education for the pure beauty of being educated? 

~Kathy~    *I welcome any and all comments or thoughts on this issue.*