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Re: “Rare political rancor in Pittsford”
I don't live in the village of Pittsford, so I don't have a horse in this race , so to speak. I do, however, frequently drive down Monroe Avenue , over the canal bridge, and past where the entrance to this Westport Crossing project would be built.
Quite honestly, anyone with the slightest bit of sense can see that any project which would result in dozens ( at least ) of vehicles exiting this property onto Monroe Avenue ( even if mandated to turn south )would result in frequent traffic tie-ups, as well as collisions from the semi-blind status of that exit. Any attempt to turn north from that property would be a near suicidal experience.
Aside from that, with the railway tracks literally in the backyards of this development, I can't say that I'm surprised that it's a realtor who is pushing for this project. Built it, sell it, collect your commission, and let others deal with the fallout .
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I almost threw the newspaper across the room (not your fault, City!) when I read UofR Burdick's quote that a family with $100K income should be able to pay $20 to $25K per year for college costs. To what planet has the UofR campus moved? I'm sure there's someone in the Economics Department that can inform Mr. Burdick of what $100K is AFTER TAXES-- and then point out that $20K to $25K is in the range of 1/3 of actual take home pay. "It's definitely not the time to go out and buy a house," Burdick advises. I guess we'll just live in our cars, then? Or is transportation-- like, to, you know, work?-- not as important as going to UofR either?
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I don't know, that essay seemed to make sense.
Less tangible returns? "A Liberal Arts degree is not useless for getting a good job or making good money. Yes, it brings with it a slightly higher chance of not finding a job immediately after graduation. And yes, the jobs you can get with a Liberal Arts degree pay slightly less well early in your career. But over time, employment rates are roughly the same for Liberal Arts majors and other majors, and by mid-career people with Liberal Arts degrees often make at least as much as people with other degrees."
Learn about art or philosophy or politics? "Sure, people without a Liberal Arts degree might do these things too. But, insofar as people are more prone to engage in activities in which they are practiced and feel comfortable, they are less likely to enhance their mundane activities in this way. And insofar as people with less practice must give more effort, they are more likely to perform such activities poorly or quit out of "boredom.""
I'd also argue that his quote from Forbes' Gillis about the next-big-industries needing to hire liberal-arts majors is spot-on, it's happening now. I'd also argue against liberal-arts degrees costing more than technical degrees; case in point, a Chemical Engineering degree from UR vs. English Literature at SUNY Geneseo.
I hear where you're coming from though - agree to disagree.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
A strange essay. He asserts that a liberal arts degree makes one a better communicator and listener, more creative and receptive to art, and a better negotiator. All of these things he says lead to a better "citizen" than a vocational or technical degree. I think this is too far. Every sort of personality trait or skill he talks about can be learned in a technical major if the student is willing. Do you think because someone majors in ME or Biochem that they will not learn anything about art or philosophy or politics? You can learn all those things just by living like a regular human, interacting with others and in your free time. The nail in his argument's coffin? He doesn't bring up the fact that this liberal art degree still costs the same as a technical one, and provides less tangible returns.
"It makes you a better person" is about as "liberal arts" as a defense gets.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
http://www.academia.edu/2454947/Liberal_Arts_and_the_Advantages_of_Being_Useless
Re: “Degrees of debt”
Many people enter college for an enormous variety of reasons under a large range of circumstances which may or may not have anything to do with finances. Let's set that all aside. If bankers can be bailed out why can't folks who have educational debt that impedes them from participating more fully in their local economies.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I love all the comments. The investment in a Fine Arts degree should not be the same as the investment in an Engineering degree, plain and simple. Universities need to adapt because the system is broken in this country. The same way the health care industry is now being forced to adapt because they refused to change their own broken system. Educators should be pro-active about this!
Re: “Degrees of debt”
There is dumb, and there is industrial strength dumb. Attending the University of Rochester to obtain a degree in education, or RIT for journalism, is industrial strength dumb. Both degrees can be had in the SUNY system or even at myriad small private schools in the state for fraction of what would spend at either U of R or RIT. Economics does matter when getting a degree, and it's hard to sympathize with people who are so dumb with money.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
As a U of R grad (undergrad and master's in teaching) and a Rochester City School District teacher, I am disgusted by Dean Jonathan Burdick's callousness towards the crippling effects of the financial crisis on American poor and working families. In a time of stagnant wages, mortgage meltdowns, widespread un- and under-employment, and looming government cutbacks, Dean Burdick, and by extension, the U of R leadership, have declared themselves firmly on the side of Wall Street and the 1%. Too many colleges and universities hike tuition and fees every year without reason, while the big banks bleed students dry for decades after graduation with mountains of student loan debt. My wife and I both have good middle-class jobs with benefits, but we would literally be bankrupted by the kinds of sacrifices that Dean Burdick seems to think reasonable for a family like ours to pay for a school like the U of R. For the families of the working poor, like those of many Rochester City School District students, college must seem like a exorbitant fantasy. Colleges like the U of R need to stand with their students and against the Wall Street gangsters--let them make their billions in some other way. Our students' future is not for sale!
Re: “Clock ticking for RCSD?”
hello, along the lines of improving the state of education in our community, i have recently sent the superintendent a letter suggesting that he might want to get involved in ridding our water supply of flouride. i have also written maggie brooks, mayor richards, and MCWD. only maggie brooks and the water district have bothered to write me back. i have been given the pat answer that it is necessary for dental health, yet they continue to ignore all the evidence, which i cited, that states that flouride in water lessens IQ. should we not start here and give the students a leg up? many cities have removed it. why don't we? will some politician or official step up and take this on? people can start by buying a good filter which removes most of the contaminants from the water and at least protect themselves and their family.
Re: “Clock ticking for RCSD?”
Last year right before my son's first year in Kindergarten I moved to the North Winton area of the city and quickly learned what a horrendous/ridiculous process it was to simply enroll my son in the city school system. The area and the building they require you to register your child for school in is right across the street from the DSS building and does not exactly promote education or encourage people to want to register their children. Not to mention there are only 4-5 parking spaces reserved for parents that want to register their children for school in a large parking lot that does offer any additional parking, you must have a reserved spot. Therefore, you have to attempt to find parking elsewhere in the area. I was not very pleased to find parking on a side street with broken glass on the sidewalk along with empty beer bottles and other litter I care not to mention. Upon entering the building you're greeted with a Sheriff in which you have to provide you identification to as well as sign in, again this is not a comforting and welcoming feeling that the City School is providing to first time parents. I felt as if I was arriving at the DMV to register a vehicle not provide my son with his earliest education experience. I brought him with because he was excited to start school and I wanted to involve him in the process, I'm not saying that it wasn't a place for a child but it's not exactly what I expected, I expected more. The people then at the front desk treat you just like you are at the DMV, reviewing your paperwork, pointing out mistakes and making you do it all over again. They send you to a waiting room and make you wait until they have selected the "right" school for your child. They don't provide any privacy when you're discussing the school they selected for you child, or what factors they used to determine the school. Their answer is definite, there is no alternative to the option they provide and it really is disheartening. My son ended up attending school #39 the furthest school from our home I selected, I was beyond confused. Thankfully his teacher was wonderful I will say that, but there was 23 children to one teacher. It's crazy. My son got lost in the mix of the other children, you can't expect 23 children to learn at the same pace. I could go on on and about the problems he had his first year, between the lack of communication and the lack of structure, the lack of policy, it needs a serious restructure. Fortunately, now my son is in private school and I don't have to deal with the RCSD anymore, it's a true cluster of nonsense.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
Here are some solutions to the student loan crisis, but first, understand the cause, limitless risk-free lending that fuels tuition inflation. So, end government backing and let the banks carry the risk. Second, ease the bankruptcy law. Currently one must be homeless, terminally ill, and have a history of payment in order to get a discharge. Third, take the government money that is currently used for the guarantee and spend that money directly on public colleges so that tuition can be as low as possible, if not free,as CUNY was long ago. Thus competition from public schools will pressure private schools to keep tuition low. Until then, urge the young to get practical educations at the Community and SUNY colleges.
Re: “Clock ticking for RCSD?”
there is no hope for rcsd...the only hope is dissolution of the district and disbursement of the students througout monroe county. Any person with a clear mind and common sense knows this. However, political sense forbids it. If monroe county citisens don't realize this then they are uncaring and don't really give a f*** about minorities in monroe county...period.. Basically they feel that RCSD students will corrupt their children. I guess they they have a low esteem of their own children.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I am so happy to read these comments and realize that some people do indeed get it. The simple fact of the matter is if you graduate in the bottom 25% of a computer science or engineering program, you can STILL find a decent job after college. Unless you are the best french art historian, a degree in french art history isn't gonna make you any money. And guess what? The tuition for engineering and french art history is the same!
Yes people should do and study what they love, but they should also be practical!
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I used to sympathize with the current Millenials re this issue but then I realized that there is no reason to; unlike my Gen X generation, Millenials have loads of info abt damn near anything at their fingertips via the Internet. Back in the ol' public library days, if you lived in Doorknob like I did, there were precious few info resources even at a local library that discussed things like avg earnings for fields, etc. Now, a Millenial has 0 excuse for not going in with open eyes. If a recent HS grad goes $100k into debt for a degree in basket-weaving, that's their problem-- and their debt. Don't start talking abt how we need to "forgive" these loans or do anything else. You made your bed, now sleep in it-- just like the rest of us have had to.
Oh yeah, and if you expect honest "guidance" from college admission counsellors-- really, what are you thinking? I can understand a naiive HS grad getting hornswaggled, but their loan-co-signing parents? Come on! If you can get the loan money for a Mercedes but make only $20k/yr, do you expect the car salesman to try to talk you into a cheaper model or not get the car at all? Colleges are businesses, and not just businesses, but hugely-gov't-subsidized ones (i.e., we the taxpayers are subsidizing them). Want to see college tuition costs drop? Reduce/remove the gov't-guaranteed loans and you'd see ppl getting a lot more practical real fast abt where and for what they go to college or which one they send their kid off to.
"Higher education" has become a racket. People running colleges have zero interest in seeing you graduate with a marketable skill-set or even a valud degree (cheating is rife on campuses all over the country and little real effort is put forth to stop it-- but collect donations? There's no end of effort there!). All they want is your money.
Never expect someone to betray their own income stream. Want to pay $150k for a worthless English degree? No problem! Sure, reading Proust might make you more "interesting" at certain kinds of snooty parties, but unless you can make a living off attending said parties and expounding on Proust, fuggedaboutit, as they say in the old neighborhood. Being "interesting" plus $5 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks.
Now, if you can open a business as successful as Starbucks... now you're *really* interesting...
Re: “Degrees of debt”
I believe there are too many people going to college for the sake of going to college. Many of them are not learning any tangible skills like engineering or medicine. What we end up with is a crop of graduates with degrees in sociology, film studies, women's studies, anthropology, and political science. They're great at critical thinking, but can't begin to offer employers a useful skill set on the job.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
The example of the journalism student with the $80k in loans is a good example of what happens when people have unrealistic expectations of their career choice. In a time when CNN no longer has an office of investigative journalism, and most 'news' sources are relying more and more on opinions, unpaid bloggers and pundits making money from the books they sell on the side, there is essentially no 'profession' left in that field worth pursuing. Perhaps she'll find a job at the Podunk Chronicle for $1/word, but I doubt that she'll find much more than that! Not today, not in the USA. At some point, you would THINK that a financial aid counsellor would tell her to face reality, and choose a degree that has at least some potential. As bad as her case is, it's hardly the worst I've heard. I was reading a story once about a man who owes $120k for his culinary college education, and all he could find in his field was a job as a line cook at a chain restaurant, for $10/hour. I managed to graduate more than a decade ago, with an engineering degree and $25k in loans, and even in my field, there are few jobs that pay more than squat.
BTW, as far as the teaching student is concerned; there are PLENTY of jobs in the field. You just need to make a commitment for something like 5 years, and teach in rural schools, mostly on Native American reservations. And, they'll pay for at least some of your loans.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
Higher education is a financial gamble and some major/school/job market combinations are losers. Perhaps it shouldn't be that way, but it is. Every article of this type I've read contains a profile of a student who majored in a liberal arts field from a high priced private school. The Veeder and Burdick quotes in the middle of this article nailed it. Personal financial responsibility.
Re: “Degrees of debt”
Ps. I am also keenly aware of my typo in the first sentence. Didn't notice it until my edit-time ran out!
Re: “Scouting ways out of the culture war”
As a victim of a local scout masters ignorance on sexuality I find the BSAs stance on this as criminal as it was when I called risk management in their Washington office 20 years ago.