Guest guest Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I just don't get all this stuff happening at colleges and universities - to me one goes to college or university to learn - that's the whole point isn't it? Okay I am realising that there may be some there who just want to 'goof' about and aren't really there to learn, but surely an easy solution to such is just to chuck out the students that aren't there to learn - surely it is obvious to distinguish such? When I was at college I took my work very seriously - I was there to work and the majority at the time seemed to be of the same vein, I wasn't there to socialise, make friends (although as I previously said I got on okay with the other students on the course), go to parties and such - so I find it very sad that some students do not take such as seriously - and to me if they aren't serious about such - what are they doing there? Send them away and give the places to people who do actually want an education. > > Threats Rattle 3 Universities, 2 Schools > (http://www.breitbart.com/partner.php?source=ap) Apr 17 02:21 PM US/Eastern > AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Campus threats forced lock-downs and evacuations at > universities in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee and two public schools in > Louisiana on Tuesday, a day after a _Virginia Tech_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? s= " Virginia+Tech " & sid=breitbart.com) student's shooting rampage killed 33 > people. > In Louisiana, parents picked up hundreds of students from Bogalusa's high > school and middle school amid reports that a man had been arrested Tuesday > morning for threatening a _mass killing_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s= " mass+killing " & sid=breitbart.com) in a note that alluded to the murders at Virginia > Tech. > Schools Superintendent Jerry Payne said both schools were locked down and > police arrested a 53-year-old man who allegedly made the threat in a note he > gave to a student headed to the private Bowling Green School in linton. > Both towns are in southeastern Louisiana. > " The note referred to what happened at Virginia Tech, " Payne said. " It said > something like, 'If you think that was bad, then you haven't seen anything > yet. " > In Austin, authorities evacuated buildings at _St. 's University_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? s=St.+'s+University & sid=breitbart.com) after > a threatening note was found, a school official said. > Police secured the campus perimeter and were searching the buildings, St. > 's University spokeswoman Mischelle _Amador_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=amador & sid=breitbart.com) said. She declined to say where the note was > found and said its contents were " nonspecific. " > The two other scares were determined to be unfounded. > At the _University of Tennessee_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? s= " University+of+Tennessee " & sid=breitbart.com) at Chattanooga, officials ordered three > campus administration buildings evacuated for almost two hours Tuesday morning > in response to a telephone bomb threat. The city's bomb squad searched the > buildings but found nothing, campus spokesman Chuck Cantrell said. > Cantrell said there was no reason to believe the bogus threat was related to > the shootings at Virginia Tech, but " we just chose to err on the side of > caution today. " > The other, at the _University of Oklahoma_ > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? s= " University+of+Oklahoma " & sid=breitbart.com) , had started with a report of a > man spotted on campus carrying a suspicious object, officials said. > The man was carrying an umbrella, not a weapon, and he later identified > himself to authorities, University of Oklahoma President Boren said in a > statement. Boren initially had said the person was believed to carrying a yoga > mat. > " We now consider the matter closed, " Boren said. " We always want to err on > the side of caution in a situation like this. " > At St. 's in Austin, students who live on campus were being allowed to > return to their dormitories as police finished searching each building, > Amador said. Faculty, staff and all other students were asked to stay away from > the campus, and morning and afternoon classes were canceled. About 5,200 > students are enrolled at the Catholic university south of downtown Austin. > Amador said the university's reaction was not influenced by Monday's attack > at Virginia Tech. > " No matter what day or when this would have happened, we will always take > the necessary precautions to protect our students, our faculty, our staff, the > entire university community, " she said. > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 I taught at university for over 11 yrs... We have seen over the years what was occurring in the schools were spilling over to the universities. Parents suing colleges and professors if their child is not performing well and expecting us to be their personal servant in raising their child after the age of 18. Yes, there are many not so great profs but by the same token there are not so many great families. I have seen it on both sides... Now in the USA profs no longer can talk to parents without their child's written permission since they are adults.... I cannot tell you the conversations I have had with parents.. over the years and the manipulation some parents do to push their child's poor behavior. Thank God I don't have to see the parents like the secondary and primary school teachers do. I could write a book on what my students told me about their parents...Parents do not realize that their kids talk in college about them and their problems. I have received suicide notes on the back of final exams.. College kids especially bemoan overbearing parents or parents who are divorcing. I even had a mother take courses with her child... her grown child was so embarassed and came crying to me.... We finally have laws which do not allow professors talking to students about their problems and we refer them to their counselors. I have had students use their special considerations for exams falsely to other classes due to ADHD or other disabilities... One of my best students was the president of the ADHD students association at our campus.. She was excellent.. she told me there is no excuse for misbehavior and using ADHD, OCD or other disabilities in college.. they are given by counselors special exceptions.. This student sat outside my class by the door by choice... the activity in the class disturbed her concentration... Her work was impecable... her participation outstanding.. she asked questions from outside the open door. Teachers , esp good teachers, are often pressured to dumb down courses, give special preference to students who are basically having problems with parents or do not want to be college or do not want to work. They have learned if their parents scream enough, they will get special treatment unfairly over other students. This is not the justifiable exceptions of needy students, but blatent misuse of such diagnosis or legal issues they hear on the news. Aside from my own experiences as a child, student, and person of aspergers and OCD from others in life.. I have see such misbehavior by others against teachers and institutions of higher learning. > > > > Threats Rattle 3 Universities, 2 Schools > > (http://www.breitbart.com/partner.php?source=ap) Apr 17 > 02:21 PM US/Eastern > > AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Campus threats forced lock-downs and > evacuations at > > universities in Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee and two public > schools in > > Louisiana on Tuesday, a day after a _Virginia Tech_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? > s= " Virginia+Tech " & sid=breitbart.com) student's shooting rampage > killed 33 > > people. > > In Louisiana, parents picked up hundreds of students from > Bogalusa's high > > school and middle school amid reports that a man had been arrested > Tuesday > > morning for threatening a _mass killing_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? s= " mass+killing " & sid=breitbart.com) > in a note that alluded to the murders at Virginia > > Tech. > > Schools Superintendent Jerry Payne said both schools were locked > down and > > police arrested a 53-year-old man who allegedly made the threat in > a note he > > gave to a student headed to the private Bowling Green School in > linton. > > Both towns are in southeastern Louisiana. > > " The note referred to what happened at Virginia Tech, " Payne > said. " It said > > something like, 'If you think that was bad, then you haven't seen > anything > > yet. " > > In Austin, authorities evacuated buildings at _St. 's > University_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? > s=St.+'s+University & sid=breitbart.com) after > > a threatening note was found, a school official said. > > Police secured the campus perimeter and were searching the > buildings, St. > > 's University spokeswoman Mischelle _Amador_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q?s=amador & sid=breitbart.com) said. > She declined to say where the note was > > found and said its contents were " nonspecific. " > > The two other scares were determined to be unfounded. > > At the _University of Tennessee_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? > s= " University+of+Tennessee " & sid=breitbart.com) at Chattanooga, > officials ordered three > > campus administration buildings evacuated for almost two hours > Tuesday morning > > in response to a telephone bomb threat. The city's bomb squad > searched the > > buildings but found nothing, campus spokesman Chuck Cantrell > said. > > Cantrell said there was no reason to believe the bogus threat was > related to > > the shootings at Virginia Tech, but " we just chose to err on the > side of > > caution today. " > > The other, at the _University of Oklahoma_ > > (http://search.breitbart.com/q? > s= " University+of+Oklahoma " & sid=breitbart.com) , had started with a > report of a > > man spotted on campus carrying a suspicious object, officials > said. > > The man was carrying an umbrella, not a weapon, and he later > identified > > himself to authorities, University of Oklahoma President > Boren said in a > > statement. Boren initially had said the person was believed to > carrying a yoga > > mat. > > " We now consider the matter closed, " Boren said. " We always want to > err on > > the side of caution in a situation like this. " > > At St. 's in Austin, students who live on campus were being > allowed to > > return to their dormitories as police finished searching each > building, > > Amador said. Faculty, staff and all other students were asked to > stay away from > > the campus, and morning and afternoon classes were canceled. About > 5,200 > > students are enrolled at the Catholic university south of downtown > Austin. > > Amador said the university's reaction was not influenced by > Monday's attack > > at Virginia Tech. > > " No matter what day or when this would have happened, we will > always take > > the necessary precautions to protect our students, our faculty, > our staff, the > > entire university community, " she said. > > > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at > http://www.aol.com. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 and .. I agree.. I was always a serious student. I worked full time and went to college full time as well as graduate school. Serious students should have a safe place to study. It seems our colleges like HS are becoming baby sitters for people whose families can't raise their own children. I think the problem started in the 60s when non students use to hang around the colleges because they did not have the initiative to study but wanted the companionship of people their own age.. thus interfering in the college system.. Now they have lowered many standards and just let them in. Students also had to perform.. the Dumbing down of courses and giving exceptions to any excuse.. and its not hard to find someone to give an excuse to a disturbed student to attend college. I think society has had enough of it. NO matter how much they squeak those wheels. Some students are not college bound and parents need to face it. Also security for students.... non students can easily access the campus and pretend they are enrolled but just hang around. > > > In a message dated 4/18/2007 5:28:31 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > julie.stevenson16@... writes: > > When I was at college I took my work very seriously - I was there to > work and the majority at the time seemed to be of the same vein, I > wasn't there to socialise, make friends (although as I previously > said I got on okay with the other students on the course), go to > parties and such - so I find it very sad that some students do not > take such as seriously - and to me if they aren't serious about such - > what are they doing there? Send them away and give the places to > people who do actually want an education. > > > > > > I was the same way. I was in college to learn and not fool around. A little > fun now and then is ok, even though I was never invited to any (and wouldn't > have gone in the first place, save for one time that really landed me in > prison). Most people it seems go do have a big party. Some go because the parents > would tell them its go to college or go to work. Others have the choice of > college or get kicked out of the house. I've heard both and then some. > > I agree that college should be for those who can make something of it. > Unfortunately, something like up to half of Freshmen never graduate. The colleges > know this and don't care because they make their money up front, on the > Freshmen. The college gets the money from the student loans and such, so they > don't care. If the student doesn't come back after a year or two, then that is > just that much less it has to spend on staff and plant and equipment. > > High schools are also partly to blame. This time I don't mean just the lousy > education and lack of discipline. I mean that there used to be different > track: college prep and regular (for those who didn't have what it took to go to > college and prepared them for the working world, think blue collar, service > industry and low level white collar). That was done away with in the last 30 > years and I think it has really hurt us. Just because the regular students > wouldn't be groomed for college doesn't mean that they couldn't go, particularly > later in life. My adult studies program was full of people like that and > they were very serious about getting that degree. > > Putting the college entry age up to 21 would help. That would give the > students a few years in the real world to figure out just how valuable that > college education would be. Exceptions would be made for like the top 5% or so of > students, but if they failed out of college, they would have to wait a minimum > of 3 years before going back. > > Another thing I would do I to disband college sports as it is now done. > Football and Basketball teams would no longer be formed of students. Most of the > time the athletes grades are fudged anyway and they get all kinds of > privileges and such. So just drop all the nonsense and make them AAA-rated teams hired > by the colleges to play sports and nothing else, which is what they do > anyway. Of course, strict regulations on how much of the school budget could go to > paying the athletes would have to be in place, or the colleges would dump > all of their budgets into it. Some of our Virginia colleges funded their > athletic programs to such an extent that other buildings, like the economics > building, were near to being condemned they were in such bad shape. But hey, the > new sports stadium looked great! > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 18, 2007 Report Share Posted April 18, 2007 this is a problem now on university campuses... I cant tell you how many parents would call me to help " inspire " their failing child. My question was .. " where are the parents during their first 18 yrs....?' Some parents even became violent and I quickly saw where the problem was coming from. One student I had rarely showed up... he failed... His parents called , heard my then 7 yr old child in the background and began to engage my personal life as a mother. They first blamed me for their sons failure and all the time I heard the father in the background cursing.... They were very religious people.. they asked me what their son talked about.. I stated he talked about them and how he hated home. Their son rarely was working on assignments (this was before the laws came in that we now cannot converse with parents without written permission from the student " . They wanted an excorcim of their son and wanted me to attend . I told them I cannot get involved in students private life and faith. Three months later the 20 yr old male student was arrested for statutory rape of a 13 yr old girl. This is an example of what professors now have to put up with. I sent the paper with his arrest to the head of my department because the parents called and demanded that I be fired for failing their son. By the same token I have had colleagues who were not so goof for students...having sex with them in college, picking on them for political issues... that was wrong as well. > > > In a message dated 4/18/2007 9:39:14 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > TxArt@... writes: > > I taught at university for over 11 yrs... We have seen over the > years what was occurring in the schools were spilling over to the > universities. Parents suing colleges and professors if their child > is not performing well and expecting us to be their personal servant > in raising their child after the age of 18. Yes, there are many not > so great profs but by the same token there are not so many great > families. I have seen it on both sides... > > > > A lot of that goes on these days. My mother is a teacher and the parents are > a lot different than they were when I was growing up. Many are still decent, > but there is an increasing number who side with the kid no matter what. Even > had kids who would beat up other kids in front of witnesses, but the parents > would still deny it, saying the school was out to get their kid. > > I imaging being technically an adult and having the parents get involved in > your affairs would be really embarrassing. Never actually witnessed it myself. > However, My own father had his mother get after a professor back in the > 1960's or so for not approving a thesis topic. As for me, I went to a boarding > high school and at one point had some problems, though I don't recall what they > were anymore. My parents, who were divorced wanted to help, but I told them > to stay out of it and that I would work it out. They did, though it was a > close thing with my father. The problem was resolved and I earned the respect of > the staff for not bringing the parents into it. That was in 8th grade. > > Those parents aren't doing their children any kind of service by taking up > those fights. It just delays the kids from having to deal with problems > themselves and gives them unrealistic expectations of the world and what they can > and can't do. A friend of mine went to a major college here in the state (I > met him when I went back to the local junior college at age 27 or so). He was > really down about so many of the kids having fancy cars, good clothes and so on > while he was on financial aid and drove a beat up old thing and worked at a > grocery store. I told him not to sweat it. First off, he was a college kid > and wasn't supposed to have fancy things or a lot of money. Second, he had a > big step up on those kids because he was living in the real world. Those others > would get a big shock when they graduated and mommy and daddy couldn't help > them with the big mean boss like they could with the big mean professor. He > must have gotten the message because he's doing alright now. > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 I lived in a coed dorm when I was in college, but not on a coed floor. Women lived on the first and second floors if I remember correctly, and men on the third and fourth. They had female shower hours on my floor for " visiting " girls. This was not a mandatory policy. Each floor had to vote on whether they wanted it or not and so during our floor meeting, the resident assistant brought it up. The majority of the men didn't want female shower hours since they were either not dating anyone, not sleeping with those they were dating, or they wanted their privacy, but they voted for it for two reasons: 1) Out of consideration for the men whose girlfriends would use it, and 2) To see if they might catch a glimpse from time to time. The rule was that there had to be the woman's boyfriend guarding the shower doors while she was in there, but there were a few guys who let their roommates sneak through so they could get a peak at the woman of the week they happened to be dating. Women were also allowed on the floor at any time of day or night (as per vote) and so I had to walk around with a towel from my room to the shower. Once in a great while, I'd come out of my room or out of the shower and there was a woman there, but she usually averted her gaze out of decorum. On certain floors, men were allowed during certain hours or at all hours (with escort) and if you happened to be going through one of these dorms, sometimes you encountered a woman going to or from the showers in a towel, at which time, surprisingly enough, the men averted their gaze. Tom Administrator I'd also like to say that my friend lived in a co-ed dorm. Supposedly it was males on one floor and females on the next and so on. That wasn't entirely true, however and his particular floor was mixed. I found that out to my great surprise when I went to use the bathroom and there was a girl in a towel coming out of the showers heading for a stall. She laughed at my reaction, which was a mild curse and turning away. It was a co-ed bathroom, but I had to walk out and hold it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 We did not have co ed dorms. It was not an issue. Men in one building and women in another. My daughter went to an all womans college (her choice) no men in dorms. They had guest rooms for male friends in other buildings set aside for them. Grad School and law school, my husband and I lived in a house. We had two bathrooms if we had guests.... Married 32 years. > > I'd also like to say that my friend lived in a co-ed dorm. > Supposedly it was males on one floor and females on the next and so > on. That wasn't entirely true, however and his particular floor was > mixed. I found that out to my great surprise when I went to use the > bathroom and there was a girl in a towel coming out of the showers > heading for a stall. She laughed at my reaction, which was a mild > curse and turning away. It was a co-ed bathroom, but I had to walk > out and hold it. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Mmmmmmm I personally would have found that situation uncomfortable, in public places toilets are separate for men and women and also at sports centres and such changing/shower areas are also separate (well in UK anyways) - so what you've described is quite shocking really and not a good position for anyone to be in really and even potentially dangerous for all involved. > > I'd also like to say that my friend lived in a co-ed dorm. Supposedly it was > males on one floor and females on the next and so on. That wasn't entirely > true, however and his particular floor was mixed. I found that out to my great > surprise when I went to use the bathroom and there was a girl in a towel > coming out of the showers heading for a stall. She laughed at my reaction, which > was a mild curse and turning away. It was a co-ed bathroom, but I had to walk > out and hold it. > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 19, 2007 Report Share Posted April 19, 2007 Mmmmmmm I personally would have found that situation uncomfortable, in public places toilets are separate for men and women and also at sports centres and such changing/shower areas are also separate (well in UK anyways) - so what you've described is quite shocking really and not a good position for anyone to be in really and even potentially dangerous for all involved. > > I'd also like to say that my friend lived in a co-ed dorm. Supposedly it was > males on one floor and females on the next and so on. That wasn't entirely > true, however and his particular floor was mixed. I found that out to my great > surprise when I went to use the bathroom and there was a girl in a towel > coming out of the showers heading for a stall. She laughed at my reaction, which > was a mild curse and turning away. It was a co-ed bathroom, but I had to walk > out and hold it. > > > > > > ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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