Page 4A Thursday, October 30, 2014
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Page 4A - Thursday, October 30, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom
ce dJ itidiian aU
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MEGAN MCDONALD
PETER SHAHIN and DANIEL WANG KATIE BURKE
EDITOR IN CHIEF EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board.
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Profiting off students
For-profit colleges yield high student debt and low graduation rates
Jn the past decade student debt has nearly tripled, rising
to an alarming $1.2 trillion. A disproportionately high
percentage of this debt is owed by students at for-profit
universities, which specifically market their education as a
product to targeted students while also often charging more
in tuition fees than comparable community college programs.
It is imperative that Gov. Rick Snyder and the Michigan State
Legislature work together to swiftly regulate the for-profit
college education industry as part of a strategic policy for
reducing student debt overall.
Six words
What memory or event is
worthy enough to stand
as your memoir, to be
the sole represen-
tation of who you
are as a person?
Oct. 20 was
the National
Day on Writing.
In celebration,
Sweetland Writ-
ing Center hosted
the "Iron Writ-
ing Challenge,"
which consisted
of four challeng-
SIERRA
BROWN
According to a 2012 report by the United
States Senate Health, Education, Labor and
Pensions Committee, 96 percent of for-profit
university students hold education-related
debt, compared with 48 and 57 percent of
students at public and private nonprofit
colleges, respectively. Further, 22 percent of
students at for-profit schools will default on a
loan payment within the first three years, as
compared with about 9 percent of students at a
nonprofit college.
For-profit institutions, as the name implies,
operate as businesses - some even with
shareholders and a corporate organizational
structure - that sell education as a product.
With the incentive to earn a profit, they must
findwaystoattractstudentstoenroll.For-profit
schools spend about 22.7 percent of their total
revenue on sales and marketing. The University
of Phoenix alone spends about $400,000 a day
on advertising. Other institutions like DeVry
and ITT Tech are among the largestadvertisers
on Google.
Some of these unsavory business practices
by for-profit institutions of higher education
have also precipitated government legal action.
Last year, California's attorney general took a
large for-profit chain to court for fabricating
statistics, creating false advertising and
engaging in other deceptive practices to lure
minority or low-income residents to their
schools. In February, the Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau sued ITT Educational
Services,Inc.,for predatorylendingto students.
Acceptance rates are comparatively high
and tuition is about twice that of non-profit
institutions.Meanwhile,only about31.5 percent
of students in for-profit schools graduated
compare to 57 percent for public nonprofits and
66 percent for private nonprofits, according
to a 2014 article. The University of Phoenix,
which has a location in Ann Arbor, graduates
only 16 percent of its students through campus
learning, and only 4 percent of its students
who take courses online, according to a 2013
article. For those who do manage to graduate,
students are less likely to receive callbacks
from employers. This evidences that students
are paying a high cost for a low return on their
investment.
Advertisements for for-profit schools boast
their accelerated learning, online options and
job placement records. They claim to offer to
students what they may think is not available
to them through traditional schooling, like
targeted curricula, specific or technical job
training, accelerated degrees or optimal return
on investment. Likewise, prospective students
may choose for-profit schools because they
may initially appear less expensive than a
traditional college. However, these students
may be unaware that nonprofit schools often
offer scholarships and grants to cover some,
sometimes even all, of the costs for qualifying
students. In planning for their educational
futures, students should consider a wide variety
of schools.
But this problem extends far beyond
individual decision-making. Systematic changes
and regulation of for-profit schools need to be
implemented to curb predatory practices. It
is important that the state takes seriously the
negative long-term effects, most notably high
studentdebt,ofenrollinginafor-profituniversity
for students who might best benefit from other
forms ofeducationorworkexperience.
es. This social media-based chal-
lenge required students to respond
to the challenge prompts via Sweet-
land's Facebook page as a comment
on the desired challenge, or tweet a
response with the hashtag #Sweet-
landNDOW. The number of likes,
favorites or retweets determined
the winner of each challenge. When
reading through the prompts I con-
templated whether or not I want-
ed to complete all or just a few of
the challenges.
Challenge one: "If I were to teach
academic OR creative writing at
U-M I would --." I didn't know
where to begin with this prompt
and never had the desire to instruct
a class, so I pushed this challenge
to the side and considered the
next one. "Write a limerick about
writing." My initial thought was
this sounds fun, but the thought
that followed was I hate writing
poetry. Since limericks have a strict
format - AABBA rhyme scheme -
I decided to give my poetry writing
a try. This task quickly lost its
flare. Finding rhyming words was
not as always as easy as it seemed,
at least not for a poetry illiterate
like myself. Since the limerick
was becoming a pain in the neck,
I crossed that challenge off of my
to-do list.
. Two down, two to go was my
thought upon moving to the third
challenge: "Reimagine the thesis
for a paper you're working on or
have already written AS a haiku."
Great, more poetry. I wanted to
throw in the towel on this challenge
immediately, but convinced myself
to give this poem a try though I
foresaw an uphill battle. To be fair,
I told myself, these are chall iges,
and what would a challenge be
without a little
lot. Thinking, rath
I'd have better lu
another poem wit
- 17 syllables divic
five, seven and fiv
spend more time on
deciding which cl
to borrow a thesis
on a Literature an
English class. I'd r
thesis for my first
by my professor
thesis proved to b
condensing a five
into a 17-syllable I
harder. After work
while, I took a brea
the last challengeo
"Write yourn
words." This prom
and I initially wrot
of cake. Six words
requirement for th,
it seemed like a no-
er, once I began bra
prompt was by far
lenging one. After
time than expecte
possible responses,
regard the other pr
solely onthis one. T
pletingthese challe
petition, butI wasr
win any prize. I w
peting to win, but
to writing this
memoir for two
reasons. One,
this prompt
was the most
intriguing,
and two, this
prompt was
the most chal-
lenging. While
I backed down
from the other
challenges, I
forced myself to co
After filling two pa
my memoir I took
writing, and made
more the next da
ing day, when I fos
time, I wrote more
seemed to work fo
I wrote something
allowing myself tot
ed, I stopped anda
about what a memo
ofiwriting that deta
moments and even
struggle? Or a and private life of the author. This
ser hoping, that definition in mind, I tried to write
ck with haikus, again. No words came to mind.
h a strict format I couldn't think of any events that
ded into lines of occurred in mylife worth discussing.
e. I was able to I supposed I could talk about high
n this poem, first school, or college, or maybe even my
ass from which family. But what could I divulge to
from. I settled readers about myself? Brainstorm-
d Social Change ing went from fun to challenging to
ecently had the ugh! Later in the day, I began asking
paper approved friends to write their memoirs in six
r. Selecting a words. Few were able to, most were
e the easy part; not. I had an extended conversation
sentence thesis with my best friend and she began
poem was much asking questions about how I define
ing on this for a myself. As a student, daughter, sister
k and examined and friend. How about that, she asks.
ption. I considered it, but something about
memoir in six those words was still unsatisfying. I
pt intrigued me felt like I wanted to actually discuss '
e it off as a piece an event or moment that made me
was the shortest who I am today. My school, family
e challenges and and friends didplayarole inthatbut
brainer. Howev- I had this urge to say more.
instorming, this Oct. 20 came and I was still
r the most chal- wrestling with ideas. I went to
spending more Sweetland's Facebook page to view
d analyzing my others' responses. After logging in,
I decided to dis- I stopped myself.I didn't want to get
ompts and focus any ideas from others' work. I sat
'echnically, com- in front of my computer, notebook
nges was a com- in lap, and flipping through page
not competing to after page, I circled a few of my
asn't even com- favorite six-word sentences. After
I was dedicated a game of eeny, meeny, miny, moe,
I selected one
and submitted
I never considered it. I logged out
of Facebook
how hard it would be before I had
d time to reread
to discuss somethig my response
about myself and regret my
decision.
in six words. Though the
challenge gave
me more trouble
than expected,
mplete this one. I still enjoyed trying to write
ages of ideas for something impressive. I never
a hiatus from considered how hard it would be
a plan to write to discuss something about myself
ay. The follow- in six words. How many of us have
und a bit of free considered the battle of writing
ideas. Nothing about our lives, something that we
r me. Each time should be experts on, when given
too long. After a word constraint? What six words
become frustrat- are worthy enough to make the cut
actually thought for your memoir?
ir was - a piece
ails memories of - Sierra Brown can be reached
ts in the public at snbrown@umich.edu.
Stuart Rankin's simple reminder
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Devin Eggert, David Harris, Rachel John, Jordyn Kay, Aarica
Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Allison Raeck,
Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Mary
Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe
Jihadporn
id-Facebook procrastination session
recently, I came across a video titled
"[Graphic] Footage Recovered
of ISIS Butchering 1500
Hostages Like Cattle." The
picture preview under the
post was of what looked
like a twenty-something,
likely Arab, crouching and
grimacing straight at the
camera with a man behind
him sprawled on the dirt
with what looked like a blood yARDAIN
splotch onhisbare foot. AMRON
Call me fucked up, but I
clicked. And I'm still trying
to understand why.
The title was no exaggeration: open-bed
trucks with plain-clothed prisoners packed in
like cattle; said prisoners lined on their bellies,
faces inthe dirt; gunmen shooting the prisoners
point blank. You can't see the bullets or even
where they hit exactly, but after each kickback
from the assault rifle, a body bounces or jolts off
the ground like Jell-O.
After the last clip - in which a procession of
prisonerskneelonabloody dock and are executed
by a masked man with a pistol and dumped in the
water - I just sat there in the dark of my room for
a moment, listening to the dehumidifier rattle. I
tried quixotically for a few seconds to place "my
feet" in masked pistol man's "shoes." To grasp
the fact that such evil exists in the world today.
To feel something for the slaughtered.
I failed, I think, on all counts, and simply
conjured an associative image of Holocaust
cattle cars I had seen in a history textbook. I
took a heavy sigh, and returned to my newsfeed
where I chanced upon a compilation video of
babies farting. I clicked and spooned a clump
of Life cereal in excitement. Next thing I know,
I'm spewing milk-soaked bits across the screen
as a baby rips one at an open-casket funeral.
I feel guilty about my laughter. Desensitized
surely. The juxtaposition of such heart
-curdling and -cuddling content is terrible, and
can't be healthy for my psyche. .
It was during the Vietnam War (or the
American War to the Vietnamese) that death
and bloodshed first entered the average
American living room on a wide scale. As the
sprinkler watered the lawn and the pot roast
broiled, our parents and grandparentsgathered
around the tube to watch the destruction their
country was unloading across the globe.
But even then, what the media chose to
televise was filtered and censored. Only today,
with the advent of the Internet, is it possible to
bypass big media altogether and still reach the
populace. And when radical groups like ISIS
upload their terror videos, in their eyes, the
more gruesome the better. The wickedness of
the world in such raw form has not before been
viewable to the clean-handed masses.
Still, I'm sure there's a sizable group out
there that would rather avoid watching death,
and chose not to click on ISIS's video in the first
place. But I'm also sure I'm not the only one
who did click. I've never seen someone die, or
even someone dead for that matter - in real
life I mean - but I can say now that I've seen
humans die on camera.
What scares me is that nothing has changed.
Why I can't post the ISIS link here is because it
would drive webtraffic tothevideo.I completely
get that reason, but I also feel justified for
watching the slaughter to sympathize and
actualize the dead. For understanding more
lucidly, the evil that exists in this world. It's a
tricky line to maneuver, no doubt, butimagining
without seeing isn't always enough.
- Yardain Amron can be reached
at amron@umich.edu.
Coming from a family of
educators, professors and
school administrators,
Stuart Rankin
enrolled at the
University of
Michigan in the
summer of 1945
with every inten-
tion of becom-
ing an engineer.
Throughout his LAUREN
freshman year at MCCARTHY
the University,
Rankin discov-
ered that he had
no issue completing the logistical
portions of the engineering course
load, but found that he was not
entirely interested in the nature of
the work. He transferred into the
College of Literature, Science and
the Arts, and sampled a number of
courses before graduating with a
degree in Economics and no defi-
nite career path.
Shortly after Stuart Rankin
graduated from the University of
Michigan in 1949, however, he was
drafted into the U.S. Army as it
prepared for the Korean War. On
post, Rankin metanumber ofpeople
who had not yet been activated,
and like himself, they spent their
time enlisted living and working
on the army base while stationed
safely in the personnel office. In the
evenings and on weekends, Stuart
and a handful of his friends from
the base - seven or so - developed
a routine of heading into Highland,
Illinois, to grab a few drinks.
After some time, these seven
friends mustered up the courage
to confront Rankin. They knew
he had gone to college, and having
graduated from the University
of Michigan, that made him the
minority in their circle. For these
seven friends of his, attending a
university had never been an option.
They hadn't tried particularly hard
in high school because there was
nothing to come of it. However,
following the enactment of the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act -
informally understood to be the
G.I. Bill - a college education had
suddenly become a reality.
With little to
they asked Rankir
willing to teach
evenings and hel
for higher educat
and in return, h
purchase himself
of Rankin's friend;
admitted into'and
college, and conse
who had once ente
the intention of
decided that he no
do anything but te
When speaking
this past weekend,
on conveying this
importance to me
that I listen closely
is perfectly fine to
a choice of major ar
that there is no pr
determine the corr
Mr. Rankin's m:
welcomed, simple
retired from 37 ye
the Detroit Publi
and 20 years at
School of Educatio
viewed as the arch
Man in the eyes o
friends and family
offer in return, he could not recall the record of the
n if he would be footballteamduringhisfouryearsat
them weekday the University, nor could he cite the
p them prepare effectiveness of head coach Bennie
ion. He agreed, Oosterbaan's leadership strategies.
e never had to Rather, he was unconcerned with
another beer. All these particular details as he
s were ultimately relayed to me his experience at the
graduated from University, if not utterly confused
quently, the man why I had even bothered to ask.
ered college with Nonetheless, he did report that he
never teaching, started watching the Michigan
longer wanted to football team in 1936, and has seen
ach. at least one game every year since.
with Mr. Rankin Now celebrating his 80th year of
he was adamant unwavering fanhood, Rankin will
anecdote and its be in attendance as the Wolverines
. He instructed take on the Indiana Hoosiers in the
, affirming that it Big House this Saturday.
be undecided on When we are 65 years removed
nd convincing me from the University, we will not
roven formula to remember the debates surrounding
ect career path. exactly who should replace
essage came as a Michigan coach Brady Hoke, and
reminder. Now we won't remember what was said
ars of service in at any given "Fire Dave Brandon"
c School System rally. We may not even remember
the University's the almost obscene amount of
)n, Mr. Rankin is money that made possible the
etypal Michigan transplantation of a single tree.
f his colleagues, Yet somehow, I'll hedge my bets
due to his deep that we too will celebrate 80 years
of unfailingly
cheering on the
I'll hedge my bets that Wolverines.
Ultimately,
we too will celebrate what will reso-
nate with us are
80 years of unfailingly ~the same real-
cheering on izations that
I am grateful
the Wolverines. Stuart Rankin
was so intent
on sharing with
respect for
knowledge and
the strength of
his commitment
to institutions
of education,
particularly
the University
of Michigan.
Rankin humbly
and systemati-
cally worked his
way up through the educational
ranks, ending his time in DPSS as
Assistant Superintendent. He spent
his time at the School of Education
enthralled by and dedicated to cur-
riculum development and research.
Mr. Rankin's sentiments remind-
ed me of the modest insight that my
eclectic, yet effective, English 425
professor refuses to let his students
forget: "Scratch your itch." Though
at this point in our lives, it seems as
though we may still be attempting
to discover said itch.
When I spoke with Mr. Rankin
me. Explore this five-figure edu-
cation you are investing in and
exhaust the options for what may
eventually be etched onto your
diploma. Do not put too much stock
into the confines of your concentra-
tion, and allow yourself to find your
itch - and then scratch it. If you're
lucky enough, you may even be able
to orchestrate a way in which to
scratch that itch, while also never
having to buy yourself another beer.
- Lauren McCarthy can be
reached at Iaurmc@umich.edu.
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