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0
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9
Make money now,
think great thoughts later
Students are putting careers before enlightenment.
] . Why that's OK.
I Wenesdy, Jnuar 17,2007 -hMiignD ly 3
WHAT THEY PICKED
Last year's census asked freshmen what values they thoughtwere very important or essential.
70%
10%3
30% .
1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005
80%;
f you talk to almost any academic brushwork, out in the cold. That
adviser at the University they'll means we're probably robbing the
tell you to pursue a career not workforce of people educated about
because it would make your rich, but Japanese painting, which doesn't
because it makes you happy. seem sobad. But when itbecomes the
According to the US census next big industry, University grads
though,moststudents wouldrespond who ignored the class will be strug-
that being rich is exactly what makes gling to catch up, not to mention the
them happy. troubles of University's program
The census data, released last which may have gone neglected and
month, show that about 75 percent underfunded.
of freshman in 2005 said that being Before the Middle East became
very well off was a primary personal a hot-button issue, the University
objective. had one of the few comprehensive
The statistic probably doesn't programs for Middle Eastern stud-
come as too much of a surprise. And ies. There was a day when Prof. Juan
making money can hardly be con- Cole, whose expertise on Iraq and
strued as a bad thing. surrounding regions is hotly sought
But this is what would really make after, was a relatively obscure aca-
your academic advisor squirm: Only demic. Had administrators not con-
45percentsaidtheyhadaveryimpor- tinued to direct resources into the
tant personal objective of developing program, there's no way the Uni-
a meaningful philosophy in life. versity would be the powerhouse
Given that a so many students are for research and ideas about Middle
looking to find themselves fabulous Eastern issues it is today.
wealth - the highestnumber the cen- It's easyto get hungup on the prac-
sus has ever recorded - and just a slim tical subjects, to acquiesce to our par-
minority of students looking to find ents' pleas and take Economics 101
themselves, this year's sophomore instead of Philosophy402, also called
class may be the most pragmatic ever. Freedom of the Will, but students'
It's difficult trying to listen the practicality could leave potentially
advice of an idealistic academic explosive fields unexplored. The
adviser that tells you to shoot for your LSA offices have signs hanging call-
dreams, and still heed the warning ing for someone to "Save the liberal
of Governor Jennifer Granholm who arts." Has knowledge become less of
prophecies that Michigan's will sink an end in itself instead a means to get
if it can't usher in a knowledge-based into that Tudor house somewhere far
economy, and educate the necessarily from Ann Arbor?
technologically savvy workers of the It's possible. But it might not be a
future. The academic advisor maybe bad thing.
telling you not to rule out that film In an increasingly competitive
class but the governor is begging you workforce, it's no sin to take any leg
to consider engineering. up you can get - and a specialized,
So how much can it hurt to take career-oriented curriculum can
that math class and skip philosophy? make a difference on a resume. A big
The answer is debatable. When part of beinga respectable citizen is
classes that are directly applicable to being financially independent, not
potential careers are offered at the only to avoid being a burden on fel-
University, often spaces fill up days lowtaxpayers, but so one day you can
before freshman get to their registra- donate money to the University so
tion date. Consequently, resources that it can keep its offbeat programs
are poured into departments that running and save the liberal arts.
prepare students for careers, leaving It's not a crime that we're work-
more obscure classes, like Jewish ing hard now to make sure we'll have
theatre and the theory of Japanese time to leisurely sip our martinis and
$12,000 per year.
STUDENT PARENTS Counting fees, tuition and charges
From page 5B for extended hours, the Gray family
pays about $900 per month in child
"It'sthe most I've ever paid and it's care costs. In their budget, only rent
the most I ever want to pay," she said. costs more. Not much more - the
Jennie McAlpine, director of couple pays $1,092 per month for their
Work/Life Programs, the Univer- two-bedroom apartment.
sity's departient which strives to Financial aid, though, can ease
keep internal policies family-friendly, some of the stress on family budgets.
pointed out that for in-state students, Award amounts for student parents
child care is more expensive than have increased over the years
tuition. Full-time care for babies can "For toddlers and school-age chil-
be even more expensive, costing over dren, the subsidy is coming closer
think about meaningful philosophies
later. There's an old proverb that says
somethingto this effect: Money can't
make you happy, but the lack thereof
will sure as hell make you unhappy.
Indeed, most ofuswould rather dedi-
cate out time and effort to pickingout
charities on which to lavish our for-
midable fortunes rather than fretting
over where the next meal will come
from.
And even though business was the
most popular major choice for fresh-
man in 2005, they weren't all busi-
ness, with nearly 40 percent saying
marijuana should be legalized. While
only 36.4 percent think that keep-
ing up to date with current affairs is
essential, it's worth noting that about
95 percent earned above a B- average
in high school.
The percentage of freshmen plan-
ning to major in arts and humanities
actually didn't falltoo far behind that
of hopeful business majors, at 12.9 to
17.4 percent respectively. Even with-
out a humanities major, it's virtually
impossible to graduate (at least from
this University) without showing
professors you can think in terms
other than dollars.
Maybe so few of us checked the
box that said it was essential to
develop a meaningful life philosophy
because we already have a function-
ing philosophy. Maybe by checking
the other box instead we're affirm-
ing our commitment to the Ameri-
can ideal. If we expect to compete
in a global market place we'll have to
increase our productivity first and
philosophy second. And by keeping
America at the top of the economic
pecking order we'll ensure that the
philosophies of the at roughly 45 per-
cent of college sophomores intent on
developing them still have a place in
the global conversation.
We shouldn't start decrying the
mores of our generation. At least not
yet. When we're comfortably assured
that our survival isn't in jeopardy,
that's when we'll sit back, stop think-
ing about income tax, and focus on
Thoreau. .
to the cost of care," said Margaret
Rodriguez, associate director of the
Office ofFinancialAid.
She added that child care subsidies
will likely stay constant in the future.
The maximum awardable subsidy is
adjusted each Julyto keep pace with
costs at the University's five on-cam-
pus day care centers.
Both Sullivan and Rodriguez noted
that compared with peer institutions,
the University is a leader in dollars
available to assist student-parents.
See STUDENT PARENTS, page 7B
TALKING
POINTS
Three things you can talk about this week:
1. Smoking politicians
2. Decaptiation
3. Ice storm deaths
And three things you can't:
1. The iPhone
2. Golden Globe jokes
3. Yorkies
BY THE NUMBERS
Percentage of American women overthe age of 15 living without a
spouse in 2005, likely the highest ever
Percentage of women living without a spouse in 1950
Percentage of men currently married and living with their spouse
in 2005
Source: The New York Times
YOUTU BE
VIDEO OF
THE WEEK
Working out and
learning English
What's stranger than random
Japanese workout videos? Japanese
workout videos seemingly moti-
vated by American imperialism and
the fear of being mugged by two
strangely emasculated, overweight
American men.
In this most recent YouTube
gem, scenes of overjoyed Japanese
women getting their workout on is
interspersed between scenes of said
armed robbery. But what makes this
all the more disturbing is the narra-
tion of the stereotypical let's-get-in-
shape line-up of the exercisers. In
each scene, the women are chant-
ing the different responses to their
abductors. Things like "spare me my
life" and "take anything you want."
And just in case you make it out of
the robbery alive, the video teaches
you how to approach an English-
speaking police officer and tell him
"I was robbed by two men."
If this video doesn't make you
squirm on the half acre your ances-
tors stole, I don't know what will.
CHRIS GAERIG
- See this and The Statement's
other videos of the week at
youtube.com/user/michigandaily
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
If you were going to take
it and put me in an opin-
ion poll and said, 'Do I
approve of Iraq?' I'd be
one of those that said,
'No, I don't approve of
what's taking place in
Iraq."
- PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH on "The
NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS
in an apparent attempt to acknowledge public
disillusionment with the war.
"I think I feel so much more for
Mad and Z because they're sur-
vivors; they came through so
much. Shiloh seemed so privi-
leged from the moment she was
born. I have less inclination to
feel for her."
- Actress ANGELINA JOLIE on her children.
"It feels a little like the days of
the old explorers, doesn't it?"
- DENNIS SCHMITT a 60-year-old explorer who
discovered a new island in Greenland, as reported by
The New York Times.
0
Being very well
off financially.
TREND OF THE WEEK
Games of Risk and strategery and The New York
Times edit page
j
8
Developing a
meaningful
philosophy
of life
40'
RANDOM WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE
OF THE WEEK
Evil genius
"The Evil Genius is an archetype or even a caricature that is a
recurring staple in certain genres of fiction, particularly comic
books, spy fiction, action films and cartoons. From Wile E. Coyote
to Professor Moriarty, the evil genius is a common adversary and
foil of the hero.
As the term suggests, evil geniuses are characters of great intel-
ligence who choose to use their knowledge for antisocial ends. To
qualify as an evil genius, one must use cunning to craft complex
plots that cause havoc and destruction; criminal tendencies are a
must. Their schemes often hinge on mundane details that heroes
can exploit, foiling their plots at the climax of the story.
Evil geniuses have commonly had difficult childhoods. They
may have been orphans or witnessed their parents' horrible deaths.
Ironically, this is often the origin of many superheroes. Normally,
this is used to contrast them from superheroes. It implies that there
is nothing different from the hero, and the villain, except a single
choice. When humor is involved they are often simply the victim of
bullying.
30%
1970 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005
60%
50 r
so4 - Keeping up
todate with
political affairs*
30%1-
20%;
-- ..- ...- .. -- ._...-- .- - a.- . *No information was
1970 1980 1990 1995 2000 2003 2004 2005 available for 1985