When I learned that we would be blogging for class credit, I
was excited about adventuring into blogdom. I had never blogged before and it
seems blogging has really become popular over the Internet and I would say it
is a sign of the times. So much so that people blog as a means of income. For example, there are employers looking to
hire people to blog about their products and some have made a career about
blogging their own personal experiences with goods and services. Apparently,
there are people who depend on bloggers to provide them with recommendations
from where to visit, where to stay, and how to get the best deals. And for
some, it is way to stay informed on issues such as politics, education, sports,
or whatever topic one is interested in delving into. In a way blogging is like
a social research tool—you read the blog and either be enlightened by it or
totally disagree and post your response and inform the original blogger that
they may be incorrect. As this conversation is being posted over the web,
others can contribute or just read to satisfy their interest. Nonetheless,
blogging allows Internet users to submit there informed opinions or in some
cases uninformed opinions free of charge for the Internet world to read.
I feel that some of my classmates were overwhelmed when they
were told we had to blog for class. Perhaps it is because most have grown
accustomed to reading articles and participating in class discussions and blogs
was something foreign to them. But as the literature has stated time and time
again, student affairs professionals should embrace change and learn how to
utilize technology so that we are familiar of new avenues of learning and we
can teach others the educational value of blogging.
I remember the first night. There were immediately
technology issues to sort through, but not too serious in my opinion. I do not
consider myself a technological expert, however, I was able to set up a Gmail
account and submit blogs and comments rather easily. I am one who is always
ready to learn something new, so I appreciated this new method of learning. It
was interesting to read my colleagues personal opinions about the blog topics.
Some were just reporting on the article whereas some had great work experience
from which to draw and gave invaluable insight. It is my pleasure to share some
of my favorite blogs and provide reflection of the semester blogging
experience.
My first blog titled “ADMIT WEALTHY AND INTERNATIONAL AND
FORGET ABOUT AVERAGE JOE” informed me how admissions counselors are
intentionally recruiting out-of-state and international students for the fact
that these students will have to pay higher tuition to attend an institution
than in-state students or students who are in need of financial aid. It
enlightened me that this is what institutions have resorted to in part because
of reduced funding from the state. I cannot say that I fully blame the
admission counselors for what they are doing; I mean, if they want to keep
their job, they have to do what they are told. On the other hand, what about
the students who are low-income and first generation? According to the article,
it is these students who are being overlooked because of their
social-economic-status. In student affairs, we are taught that it is our job to
see that access to higher education is available to all regardless of income.
The article gave information of how down and dirty admissions practices can be.
According to the article, at public doctoral and master’s institutions admissions
directors admit that recruitment of full-pay students is a key strategy rather
than providing aid for low-income students.
To the extent, that at doctoral institutions the gap was 47 percent to
40 percent, and at master’s institutions, the gap was 45 percent to 38 percent.
What’s more is that 10 percent of four-year colleges admit that the full-pay
recruits have lower grades and test scores than other applicants.
Admissions directors cite that they have been under
pressure by their colleges to fill classes for economic reasons rather than
educational. Inside Higher Ed has
also reported that flagship universities have been recruiting out-of-state
applicants for years. Again, the main reason is public universities can charge
them more plus lowers the chances of raising in-state rates since the well of
the state has run dry. Robert Birgeneau, chancellor for the University of
California at Berkeley, hopes to send a message to the state by admitting more
out-of-state applicants. He hopes that he will anger California residents and
the state will once again contribute to paying for the University of
California.
Admissions directors worry that recruiting out-of-state
students who can pay high tuition rates will marginalize others; therefore,
access to higher education will again only benefit white wealthy students.
Patrick M. Callan, president of the National Center for Public Policy and
Higher Education, agrees that if universities like California only focus on
non-resident students then the student population will be less diverse.
Similarly, issues concerning international students are companies complaining
that they will not hire international students due to visa issues, also the
concern of whether the international students will contribute back to their
alma maters as much as other alums, and an increase in communication challenges
with faculty and staff.
My second favorite blog was one that pertained to
students identifying themselves as multiracial. Beginning last year, the
Department of Education has required colleges and universities to comply with a
federal edict to collect more information of students regarding multiracial
identity. Students now have the option to select more than one type of race or
ethnicity identification. Consequently, it has become easier for students to
identify as multiracial and the number of multiracial applicants has increased
significantly. To the extent that institutions are dealing with issues such as
whom are they more inclined to accept to diversify their campus. So in terms of
adding diversity, which student is more preferable, the student that is
applying as a black and Latino or the student applying as white and Vietnamese?
Other issues that have risen are would the growth of
multiracial applicants assist in dissolving affirmative action? Which for one
reason was created to help people of color enter institutions of higher
education that have historically discriminated against them. For example, a
student with one black parent and one white parent is considered to be more
affluent than the student with two black parents, so colleges could be more
inclined to admit the multiracial student because he or she would need less
financial aid, but still be abiding by affirmative action guidelines. There are
many more questions still to be answered such as how do institutions include
multiracial students, but to the extent of not excluding other disadvantaged
groups for establishing an egalitarian society? And, should students be limited
to checking the box of their parents’ ethnicity or can they extend it to their
grandparents? Meanwhile, admissions directors need to be on the look out for those
applicants who increase their status of one ethnicity to multiple ethnicities
just for sake of college acceptance.
Admissions officers note the value students of color bring
to the campus environment with their rich cultural heritage and various backgrounds—their
peers have an opportunity to gain a global perspective. Rice University, who
ended its segregation in the late 1960s, has been on a mission to comprise
itself as a diverse institution. Rice University has been offering the
multiracial category for sometime now, that in the past five years the number
of applicants who identify themselves as multiracial has gone from 8 to 564.
The article noted that nationally about 3 percent of Americans identify as
mixed-race.
My last favorite blog dealt with an issue that I thought was
crazy but as I read more about it, it began to make sense to me. I was
surprised to read about Charles T. Clotfelter’s take on his perception of
big-time college sports. Clotfelter is a professor of public policy, economics,
and law at Duke University. He even has a book that just came out about
big-time sports in American universities. Clotfelter argues that big-time
athletic sports are now one of the “core functions” of several hundred
prominent American universities, and these universities should embrace the
benefits of commercialized college sports. Clotfelter suggests that rather than
ignore the magnitude of intercollegiate sports, professors at these
institutions should acknowledge them.
According to Clotfelter, the core function is birthed from
evidence of how the institution’s environment is affected by big-time sports.
Universities with big-time sports enterprises function around the schedule of
the football games. Football games can shut down entire campuses and important
meetings will not be held if there is a game to watch. Athlete recruits even
have their own admissions criteria totally separate from general applicants.
One last wild example is the University of Alabama postponed their spring
semester start date because the football team was playing in a bowl game in
California. I could easily provide more examples, but I think I’ve made my
point, let’s move on to Clotfelter’s benefits.
There are three “benefits” he maintains. First, is the
aspect of a social benefit. Americans cherish sports and view them as the
“university’s most significant activity.” He concludes to this by the amount of
Americans who attend games and who watch them on television. The numbers are
enormous which means high commercial value. The revenues from commercials are
crucial because universities need the finances to keep their teams competitive
(coaches salaries). Clotfelter points out how Americans care deeply of their
college teams. To watch one’s favorite hometown college football team can lead
to life happiness. Second, is big-time college sports can teach civic values
such as interracial cooperation and meritocracy. Since coaches and players
treat each other as equals, interracial teams have served as models for the
rest of the U.S. in regards to diversity and equality. What I would like to know is what happens
with these relationships after football season? In regards to meritocracy, how
great it is to know that you have been promoted because of your athletic
ability. Which is a good thing, but as a college student and athlete, wouldn’t
it be equally important to achieve merit on one’s academics, too? And last, is
the benefit to the academic enterprise. Big-time sports programs can raise the
amount of contributions and applicants to the institution.
Without a doubt, big-time college sports are as American as
apple pie, however, I think it would be in everyone’s best interest to regulate
the payroll of athletic departments because at the same academic departments
have to cope with cut-backs and downsizing.
Blogging about current issues of higher education and
posting comments of other blogs was a great learning experience. While some of
my classmates felt it was too rigorous, I felt that reading and becoming aware
of these current issues broadened my scope of higher education. The process of
searching for an article to blog about was enlightening as well. Because in
order to find an interesting topic, one needs to search through reputable
sources, skim through headlines that catch one’s attention and read quickly the
article. This process took some time and by the time you find an article, you
have just read a heap of information pertaining to higher education. I also
think the title of the post needs to be able to spark the interest of readers.
For me, if the title of a blog did not seem interesting I would not read it,
but if it was catchy I would read it. So I would always try to create a title
that would entice readers. I would enjoy taking another class that involves
blogging. I feel as if it was a hybrid class because we wrote so much to and
for one another and we had face-to-face class time. This is important because
the growth of online education is huge and as a future student affairs
professional, we need to embrace this new way of learning and discover how we
can benefit from it and how we can improve it. Thanks Matt!
