From the library: Fail U.; The False Promise of Higher Education, by Charles J. Sykes

Last updated on: October 4, 2016 at 7:30 am By Jane the Actuary

So here’s a book of the genre that is, in the end, nothing new, but still discouraging. Colleges’ costs are rising at a fast clip, and students are getting less and less for their money. Specifically, tenured professors spend less and less time teaching, as more and more universities declare themselves to be “research institutions,” and reduce their professors’ course loads in pursuit of greater prestige. Professors are recruited on the basis of promises of low teaching loads, and, once... Read more

Is Kim Kardashian white?

Last updated on: October 3, 2016 at 7:57 am By Jane the Actuary

Maybe not. That is, according to a USA Today article, the Census Bureau is proposing adding a new racial category to the census, to cover Middle Eastern & North African-origin people, who up to now had been defined as “white.” According to the article, Under the proposal, the new Middle East and North African designation — or MENA, as it’s called by population scholars — is broader in concept than Arab (an ethnicity) or Muslim (a religion). It would include... Read more

Who is “financial aid” for?

Last updated on: October 1, 2016 at 12:05 pm By Jane the Actuary

Here’s an article from the AP which appeared in the Chicago Tribune the other day: “Colleges lavishing more financial aid on wealthy students.” The gist of the article: that universities are, to an increasing degree, using monies labelled “financial aid” to provide scholarships for students whose families are not actually needy. The key paragraphs: Financial aid, traditionally a lifeline for poorer students at public colleges, is increasingly being used to attract students from more affluent families. In competition with private... Read more

Stray thought on free tampons

Last updated on: October 1, 2016 at 11:11 am By Jane the Actuary

Free tampons! That’s the new rallying cry at universities, and refers to making tampons available for free in university restrooms (and in the men’s room, too, to be inclusive of male-identifying people who menstruate — see a recent article at Heat Street). Now, readers who find such discussions icky should probably click away right now. Still here? OK, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Back in the day, when I worked at an office instead of at home, I... Read more

What is American culture, anyway?

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 9:55 am By Jane the Actuary

As follow up to my post from the other day: A performance by a Mexican folk-dance group, or an African drumming group, or a few minutes on the evening news highlighting a celebration of Chinese culture at Chinese New Year, or marveling at the intricacy of the embroidery of the traditional clothing of some other group: “what a beautiful, vibrant culture they have!” American culture? The conventional answer is: “you have no distinctively American culture other than football and Thanksgiving,... Read more

75 years ago

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 8:22 am By Jane the Actuary

well, 75 years ago yesterday, when I meant to write about it, was the start of the Babi Yar massacre. Here’s the Deutsche Welle reporting, with the story of a child who had a close call. Here’s the USA Today with a more general history. Here’s Wikipedia. And here’s a post I wrote a while back reflecting on the Holocaust and the concept of “fighting back.” As it happens, I’ve read a fair amount about the Holocaust, and I’ve been... Read more

On privilege and pride

Last updated on: September 28, 2016 at 7:46 pm By Jane the Actuary

Let’s think about the concept of “pride,” shall we? If you’re white, the notion of having pride in one’s race/ethnicity is a big no-no. “White Pride” is the province of the KKK and neo-Nazis, after all. If you’re a POC, of whatever C, not only is ethnic/racial pride A-OK, but, we’re told, it’s pretty much a necessity. No, I’m not going to dig up links, but you know as well as I do that they’re out there: the idea that,... Read more

Boys and Math and The Math Myth

Last updated on: September 28, 2016 at 8:44 am By Jane the Actuary

The Math Myth, in italics, that is: the title of a new book by Andrew Hacker, whose last name is not eponymous as he’s a professor (emeritus) in political science. This is that sort of book that has one solid point and then pushes that point too far: we have elevated the place of mathematics too far, with the consequence that good kids, deserving kids, can’t get college degrees because they can’t meet the math requirements that exist even for... Read more

A few debate thoughts

Last updated on: September 27, 2016 at 8:25 pm By Jane the Actuary

So I watched the debate. I even took copious notes. But it was painful and unpleasant to watch it — and the reality is that, when it comes down to it: fundamentally, I support neither Trump nor Clinton, and I feel a certain amount of ironic relief that my vote, in Illinois, simply doesn’t matter; yet, at the same time, I still harbored a certain amount of hope that Trump would surprise us all with a stellar performance that would... Read more