Students Covering Bigger Share of Costs of College

Students Covering Bigger Share of Costs of College by Kate Zernike Published: January 15, 2009 Website: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/us/16college.html?_r=2


I realize that I said I was going to follow the St. Paul Pioneer Press for my newspaper, but I couldn't resist posting this story (I got it from another story off the Pioneer Press).


The artice, published in the New York Times, was about how college students are paying more to educate them.



As we all know, everything is going up, including education. Notice how public schools, like the University of Minnesota, is almost as expensive as attending a private college (for example, St. Thomas and Hamline University. We've heard something called "gas gouging" since gas keeps going up for no reason. I think we should call this college price gouging. My family keeps telling me how it cost about $130 dollars a semester to attend. And that was a lot of money!


“Students are paying more, and a greater share of the costs, but are arguably getting less,” said Jane Wellman, the executive director of the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity and Accountability, which drafted the study. I find it interesting that we, as college students, are paying more and getting less quality, meaning that we are not getting a high quality college education as we (meaning our parent's generation) once were. I know instructors say "students get out of a class what they put into it" but even that seems to be redundant. Although the politics that instructors try to spoon feed to their students also play a roll in poor college education.

How Newspapers Could Stay Relevant Today

As we all know, newspapers are a dying trend. Newspapers are filing for bankruptcy, cutting days of production, limiting delivery and raising costs. Their biggest competition: The Internet. Almost everyone these days has access to the Internet in some way shape or form. Advertisers are going to the Internet, the biggest support one newspaper can get or any other type of business can get, especially when it comes to delivering news (and that's including broadcast journalism). As we all know, especially with bigger events, we want information right away. Newspapers can't do that. Television and the Internet can do that. Basically what I'm saying is newspapers are having a hard time staying relevant to today's main source of getting information.

3 Newsworthy Events

Newsworthy Event #1: Killing on Metro Transit bus

On this spring 2007 Saturday evening (or Sunday morning in this case), I went out with a group of friends to a Downtown Minneapolis nightclub. Knowing I was going to have a couple drinks, I was going to take the bus to and from Minneapolis. Because of the heavy traffic leaving downtown (I believe there was a Twins game that evening and normal heavy traffic in the Warehouse District), the bus I was on (route 94, an express route going from Downtown Minneapolis to Downtown St. Paul via Interstate 94) was running late, and missed my transfer in Downtown St. Paul. Luckily, there was one bus that was still there but it was a further distance to walk. I decided to take that bus instead of waiting in Downtown St. Paul for an hour.

It was a route 74 I took (a route that goes from 46th Street Station in Minneapolis to Sunray Shopping Center in St. Paul via Downtown St. Paul). My normal bus, route 63 (From McNight Road & Londin Lane to Summit Ave & Cretin Ave via Downtown St. Paul and Grand Ave) already left. When I got on, there was shouting and yelling, so I sat as close to the driver as I could get (which is normal for me). The 74 bus barely made it out of the bus stop (at Minnesota Street & 6th Street) and at 6th & Sibley Street, the bus pulls over, to pick up and drop off customers, when someone in the back went out the backdoor, and shot a teenager. When I turned on the news the next morning, it turns out the teenager died.

That was the first (and so far) the only time I witnessed something like that and I've been a faithful Metro Transit customer for over 6 years. I remember that evening, I had to be held back and was interviewed by Metro Transit police, St. Paul police and the local media. I was actually interviewed by KSTP and the interview was played on their Sunday morning show.

Newsworthy Event #2: 35W Bridge Collapse

While I wasn't personally involved in this (but I had friends who were), I still felt this was a newsworthy event to talk about. I was at work when the bridge fell down on August 1st, 2007. At first I thought it was a joke, but when I logged into the computer, there it was. Pictures of the 35W bridge in the Mississippi River. It was hard to look at. I don't live in the area but I do frequently visit the area (I have friends that live in the Dinkytown area) and as I said, I know people who were involved in this.

It was something that I couldn't turn the TV off. I remember heading to work, listening to coverage on the radio and showing up to work and immediately turning on the TV and watched more coverage. It was one of those stories that you needed more information of and quick.

While seeing the pictures of the event unfold on TV was amazing, there was nothing like actually visiting the site with your own two eyes. I thought it was a bad dream that never ended. I went there over the course of two months, snapping amazing pictures of the wreckage.

By the way, the people who I know who were involved are okay.

Newsworthy Event #2: 9/11
As I mentioned in a previous blog, I've been a life long news junkie. But I'll even admit that I didn't follow the news very closely until September 11th, 2001. I was a junior in high school when the principle got onto the intercom and announced that terrorism hit New York and Washington D.C. Every class I had for a few days turned into history class. And that's exactly what it was: History being made.

Introduction

Hi everyone!!!

My name is Kevin Jack and this is the only semester I'll be attending Anoka Ramsey Community College. I'm actually a full time student at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights. The only reason why I'm taking the class here at ARCC is because the same class that was being offered at IHCC was canceled due to low enrollment. By the way, I'll be graduating from Inver Hills this coming December, so I'm looking forward to that!!! : ) I work for and live in the City of St. Paul. I've been (almost) a life long resident and an employee for over 6 years!!!

I've been a "news junkie" for almost my entire life. It makes me feel like I know what's going on in the world and it makes me feel smarter. My favorite channels to watch is KSTP (locally) and Fox News (nationally). Although I will admit that I like to flip around to get a different opinion on the matter.

I've been a life long writer as well. I've received excellent opinions and feedback about my writings, whether it's on a blog or on paper I'm turning in to my professor. Which is why I've decided to go into the journalism field as a career. I'm planning on transferring to Metro State for that. I'm also planning on going into the Visualization Technology program at St. Paul Community and Technical College. So I still have a lot of schooling left in me!!!

Just some random things about me:
Favorite Music: Classic Rock & Roll (I'm not a big fan of music of today, which explains why I've never attended a concert in my life). By the way, I like to listen to smooth jazz before I fall asleep.
Favorite Song: Too many to decide
Favorite Time Killer Activity: Going on Facebook. Surprised? You shouldn't be.
Favorite Physical Activity: Going for a walk (with music of course)!!!
Favorite TV Show: Family Guy
Favorite Color: Green (Although I will be using different colors when I post blogs)
Favorite Hobby: I have two: Writing and photography
Siblings: One younger brother

That's it for now. Looking forward to working with you over the course of the semester!!!!!