0 0 0 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