Degrees may no longer lead to success

Editorial

There's good news for high school dropouts: it's no longer considered cool to be in school.

The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce reports a need for more Americans to acquire vocational training, rather than obtain college degrees. Not only is there a higher demand for carpenters, electricians and long-haul truck drivers, but employers are also becoming increasingly interested in hiring people with manual laboring skills rather than those who have bachelor's degrees.

For the students plowing their way through college with hopes of making a good living, the news is bleak. The United States doesn't need more doctors or lawyers; consumers need reliable plumbers, painters and glaziers, according to Charles Murray, the W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

It's no mystery that sociology, psychology and literature degrees aren'torth much without master's and doctorate's educations. Sixty years ago it was considered impressive to hold a bachelor's degree and it served as a separation between the perseverant and those lacking ambition.

Today most bachelor's degrees serve as mere proof of an individuals' ability to pass classes for four years Ñ that's why many graduates are hired into fields other than those in which they majored.

The report encourages students to stay in school long enough to finish 10th grade. Beyond a partial high school education, Murray claims it is more beneficial to learn practical skills. He says some students only float through college because they're riding on their parents' checkbooks and it's what they're socially expected to do after high school. He says others are not intellectually qualified, but are able to pass enough tests to make it through while another group of students is qualified, but they don't care enough to apply themselves.

The obvious solution would be to discourage these students from setting foot on university grounds and making attending trade school seem more socially acceptable Ñ even for those with first-class status. These individuals could then spend their time more effectively by learning a trade that's in high demand and might become more successful. Then students who are intellectually capable of understanding and developing theories and ideas, and those who hold a genuine desire to learn, will thrive better in a collegiate environment with other minds who are in school for similar reasons.

Those who don't know why they're enrolled in college or who have no desire to attend classes and acquire knowledge should seriously consider why they're wasting state money. The idea is for taxpayers to contribute funding in hopes that students under assistance will benefit and contribute to the community in return. No one should have to do anything they're not interested in doing.

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Homecoming is coming into its own

Editorial

With a rock Ôn' roll theme and a host of new activities, Osprey Productions and the Alumni Association made a step in the right direction.

This year's homecoming celebrations, packaged into Nest Fest 2007: Rock, Flock and Swoop added a positive change to previous years, down to combined celebrations between alumni and students Ð something that had previously been kept separate.

With the addition of a number of new events and the expansion of other popular activities, homecoming looked far more put together than in years past.

Even though the weather bordered on freezing, the Green was consistently packed for the Day of Fun.

Students had the opportunity to build their own Ospreys, and the attraction had a steady line throughout the day. There was a constant flow of students taking time off from classes to enjoy the various attractions and score some free loot. This year's Day of Fun obviously saw a distinctive increase in the amount of vendors and activities.

Record numbers also poured into the Arena to watch "Whose Line is it Anyway?" alums Brad Sherwood and Colin Mochrie ad-lib their way through their distinctive brand of improvisational comedy. Though some of the audience-participation skits lacked substance, the duo managed to draw the largest crowd total in Homecoming history, an impressive feat considering some of the well-known comedians who have performed at UNF in the past.

The pep rally, a new event making its debut at Nest Fest 2007, also drew large crowds. Adding a pep rally to this year's homecoming was another smart decision, as it brought the focus back to where it belongs Ð the university's athletics.

Despite a couple of tough losses for the UNF men's and women's basketball teams, students still came out in droves to show their support for our athletics program. With a strong showing by the UNF's Greek community, thanks in part to homecoming's Spirit Cup events, the Arena was far more crowded than it is for typical university sporting events.

One of the few drawbacks to this year's festivities was the underwhelming host of the Lip Synch contest. After spending $6,000 to procure the talents of Dustin "Screech" Diamond, a borderline celebrity known primarily as the nerdy TV sidekick from "Saved by the Bell," it's apparent that those in charge of homecoming expected him to put on a show.

Unfortunately, "Screech" declined interviews because of an "illness" and did little more than introduce the acts for the Lip Synch contest. One could think of many more effective ways to spend $6,000, and booking a has-been child star whose biggest claim to fame is his recently released sex-tape is unlikely to be viewed as a good choice.

Questionable Lip Synch emcee choices aside, this year's Nest Fest took a definite leap forward in terms of quality. More events were available for students to choose from and these activities were more polished than in previous years.

Through the combined efforts of Osprey Productions and the Alumni Association, this year's homecoming was arguably the school's best.

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Gore, Gingrich not promising candidates

By Peter A. Brown
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

Everyone and their grandmother, it seems, has decided to run for president in 2008. But conspicuous by their hesitation are Democrat Al Gore and Republican Newt Gingrich, who are holding back to see if they really do have a chance.

They should stop holding their breath. Their time in the limelight, and their opportunity for national office has come and gone.

Simply put, neither man is very well thought of among the mass of voters who decide the November election. And, not to put too fine a point on it, Americans don't turn over the Oval Office to people they don't like.

Former Vice President Gore and former House Speaker Gingrich both have strong supporters among the core activists who carry great sway in their respective parties' nomination processes. But the reality is that neither man has a serious chance to be elected president of the United States because they lack sufficient appeal outside those core activists.

And the idea that they can turn that view around is just not credible.

It is much easier for a politician to make a good impression on voters the first time than it is for someone who is very well known Ð as are both men Ð to convince people that their initial negative impression is wrong.

Liberals love Gore; they adore his movie "An Inconvenient Truth" and the leftward turn he has taken in his politics since he won the popular vote nationally, but lost the presidency to George Bush in 2000 by 538 votes in Florida.

Many of those same activists still believe the U.S. Supreme Court stole the election from him, and they see Gore as the right person to lead the United States in their image.

Gingrich, who led the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 and resigned from Congress because of unhappiness in the GOP ranks, is beloved by activists who view him as a conservative visionary.

In a race in which the leading GOP candidates Ð former New York Gov. Rudy Giuliani and Sen. John McCain of Arizona Ð are both perceived by many to be ideological moderates, the GOP right wants someone around whom to rally.

The Democratic left and the Republican right might want to think again.

There is more than enough survey data to support the notion that neither man has a chance to make it to the White House without a visitor's pass.

Gingrich runs reasonably well when Republicans are asked whom they want to be their candidate in 2008. Recent Quinnipiac University polls of Ohio and Florida, the two most critical swing states in a presidential election, show him third behind Giuliani and McCain as the choice of Republican voters for the GOP nomination.

But in those states, many more voters (48-26 percent in Florida, 50-24 percent in Ohio) view him unfavorably than they do favorably. A Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll nationally taken in late January found only 22 percent of voters overall view him favorably, 49 percent unfavorably.

Gore is in a little better shape with the November electorate, but not enough to consider him electable. In Quinnipiac's surveys he was 41 percent favorable, 50 percent unfavorable in Ohio; 46 percent favorable, 47 percent unfavorable in Florida.

Those states are critical to any candidate's general election strategy because they mirror the national view. The Fox national poll had Gore at 39 percent favorable, 51 percent unfavorable, while a CBS News January poll had him 32 percent, favorable, 46 percent unfavorable.

Both men can help their parties' eventual nominees by rallying the faithful when the time comes. Gore may have a future in the movies and Gingrich can make a ton of money on the lecture circuit.

But any rational analysis of the numbers make it clear that if Gingrich and Gore are waiting for lightning to strike, they ought to come in from the rain and get on with their lives.

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Letters to the Editor

Ethanol demands won't cause starvation

The "Food vs. Fuel debate," as it has been dubbed, has gained a lot of publicity lately. Many people are concerned that ethanol (an alternative fuel to gasoline), which is currently made from corn and grains, will compete for these resources and leave the world's poor starving. Printed in the Feb. 7 issue of the Spinnaker, the article "Corn crop concerns fuel ethanol debate" made this claim.

My biggest problem with an article like this one is that it takes a very complicated issue and simplifies it so much that any other possible explanation is pushed aside. Reading a claim like, "If we continue to meet the increasing demand for ethanol, the world will be plunged into massive starvation," you would likely assume that although a possibility, there is probably more to the issue. In fact, the pros and cons of ethanol use are fairly complicated.

The prospect of a renewable fuel that comes from corn is exciting, but the controversy arises because the production of ethanol uses massive amounts of corn that the article claims could be used to feed the hungry. What they don't say is that 76 percent of the corn grown in the United States is used for livestock feed and not for humans, and that when ethanol is distilled from this corn, the nutrients and protein are left in tack and re-enter the food chain as cattle feed.

While there are all kinds of facts on how crop yields have never been higher and how plenty of farmland is available to meet increasing demand, the whole debate is overshadowed by an important development in fuel ethanol production, cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is the latest and most promising technology because it allows for ethanol to be made from waste products like sawdust, garbage, corn cobs, sagebrush, or anything else with cellulose in it. It is possible that by the time the article claims the world would have gone hungry; corn may no longer even be an ingredient in ethanol.

Being such a complicated issue, the article could be more well rounded in explaining that problems with infrastructure, transportation, and access to capital are more likely causes of hunger, and that new technologies could drastically change their grim forecasts.

Regardless of your views on politics or the environment, there will come a day when we will need to think more progressively about where our energy is going to come from, so keep an eye on the issue and try to get your information from both sides of the debate.

Jared Holm - Senior, Business Management

University needs to regulate solicitors, student services more closely

I received a call the other night from an Army recruiter asking about my personal life. He did not start the call by telling me where he had received my number. Instead, he simply bombarded me with questions about my personal life. "What are you studying in school? Why did you pick that major? What do you want to do after you graduate?"

After enduring a few minutes of this, I asked him how he got my number. He responded that the University of North Florida provided him with a phone list. This got me thinking about UNF's view toward its students. The evidence is clear if we take a look around campus.

First, UNF allows credit card companies to post shop in front of the bookstore. It is sad that UNF has no interest in preventing student debt. A simple look at student finances will show that a good number of students graduate with thousands in credit card debt. The University of North Florida and these companies could counter that credit cards are a good way to build credit. But, it is safe to say that young students are not financially sound. The fact that UNF sponsors these companies to be on campus is even more troubling.

Second, do not be fooled by any "free giveaways." Everything has a price. This is not an attack directed toward Student Government. Some of its promotions are completely free and done strictly for the students. I am more concerned with Chartwells pretending that their free food giveaways are completely altruistic. I'm sure their generosity costs them nothing. Free food and drinks distributed during "Student Appreciation Day" is a nice advertisement for these food companies. The food given away looks more like promotional material given to Chartwells, free of charge.

Third, Parking Services is probably the most blatant piece of evidence that shows UNF wants to exploit students. It charges students close to $200 for a decent parking pass and does nothing for the students who cannot afford to buy one. It is no surprise that Parking "Services" is getting a multi-million dollar new building. What exactly do they need this for? We can save so much money if we just buy them new golf carts for ticket writing. I guess they need more room to count the thousands they make off of college students. This money could go towards scholarships, parking discounts, or more facilities for students. I understand that tickets are necessary to combat people abusing parking spots. The mere fact that parking services charges so much for mediocre parking facilities is ridiculous.

Padraig McCoid - Senior, Political Science

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