The Observer, January 26, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 14
Outside the circle
Colleges, high schools team up for student success
A gap between what colleges expect and what high schools are teaching is creating major problems for first year college students. An approximated 40-45 percent of first-year students say that they notice significant differences between the skills they have and the skills needed for success in college and work. Experts feel that the changes must take place at the high school level.
Referring to the difficulty colleges have in molding students who are behind, Craig Barrett, chairman of the Intel Corporation's board said, "You want products to come to your factory that are suitable."
Some of the suggestions included a strong feedback system, where colleges send information about the performance of its first year students back to high schools and professors outline the skills necessary for success in their courses. Policy work must also be done to ensure that graduation requirements are in step with the kind of work colleges will expect students to be capable of achieving.
Challenges outlined included the low respect and low pay for school teachers. The program also depends on the students themselves.
"If we don't convince students that the future is what they're looking at," said Stephen G. Sylvester, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Hawaii West Oahu, "all of this probably isn't going to be very helpful."
Profile of college freshmen reveals students are more politically minded
In an annual nationwide survey of first-year college students conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles, some surprising trends were revealed. Students are more involved in politics than ever before, with one in three saying that they discussed politics frequently in their last year of high school.
"This bodes well for fostering democratic citizenship during college," said Sylvia Hurtado, director of the Higher Education Research Institute, which administered the survey.
There are also fewer students who place themselves in the middle of the political spectrum, with 28 percent identifying themselves as liberal and 24 percent identifying themselves as conservative. Among these students, a little over 50 percent of conservatives agree that affirmative action should be abolished, and slightly under 50 percent of liberals agree with that statement. There is a stronger divide among these groups about same-sex marriage, with 84 percent of liberals supporting the legalization of same-sex marriage and only 30 percent of conservatives against that idea.
Two-thirds of students have concerns about financing their education, and the top reason for students not attending their top choice school after being admitted was affordability. Students are attending college to achieve a higher income and secure a better job.
Students are also over-confident about their academic abilities. Of students surveyed, 72 percent of males and 66 percent of females identified their academic ability as either "above average" or the "highest ten percent."
Male students demonstrate more confidence, less study skills than female students
The 2007 National Freshman Attitudes report has highlighted some interesting pockets of the higher education gender gap. According to the study, male students show a greater confidence in their academic ability than do female students, but female students are better equipped with strong study habits and a higher drive to achieve their academic goals.
Females were more likely than males (63.1 percent to 49.5 percent) to say that books had broadened their horizons. Males were more likely (48.1 percent to 32.9 percent) to say that books never excited them.
Females were more likely (69 percent to 47.4 percent) to study and take notes before a test, while males were more likely (38.9 percent to 28.2 percent) to describe their studying as "irregular and unpredictable."
However, males show more confidence than females, especially in science and in math. Of male students, 53.4 percent felt they had a good grasp of scientific concepts that they learned in school, compared to only 42.4 percent of females. Females were also more likely (42.2 percent to 35.2 percent) to agree that "math has always been a challenge for me."
College cancels job fair to prevent extreme war protests
The University of California at Santa Cruz recently cancelled a career fair that had been scheduled for January 31, out of fear of anti-war protesters. The protesters, part of a group called Students Against War (SAW), had caused panic and a few injuries at job fairs in the past, as they protested the presence of military recruiters at the campus fair.
At fairs in the past, the students had rushed the entrances, knocking over and cornering faculty members on their way. Some students also physically blocked the entrances, trying to keep out military recruiters.
"People were essentially running and scattering and equipment was scattering. That was the first time that we'd experienced students on our campus physically acting out that resulted in injury," said Jean Marie Scott, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at UC Santa Cruz.
To be eligible for federal funds, the university is required to invite military recruiters to any large career fair that the university sponsors. Because of the incidents at the most recent career fairs, the university chose to cancel the fair, "to ensure the safety of all students, staff and invited guests."
The group defends its actions, saying that it always plans to be non-violent and that it is just a few members who cause the problems. Some of the students are also upset at the loss of this career opportunity.
"A lot of people are going to miss out on the opportunity to interact with potential employers, but they'd be missing out on it anyway," said Yazar, the Graduate Student Association president. "Most career fairs over the past three years have been dysfunctional anyway. There's no reason for the university to take on the additional expense and endanger students."
Threats found on University of Illinois Facebook
Students at the University of Illinois, angry over the recent NCAA decision to change their controversial mascot, Chief Illiniwek, created a Facebook group that is causing panic. The group, which was at 110 members before it was removed, was called "If They Get Rid of the Chief I'm Becoming a Racist." Native American faculty members reported the page to Facebook and the university administration.
One of the postings on the site reads, "[W]hat they don't realize is that there was never a racist problem before…but now I hate redskins and hope all those drunk casino owning bums die."
Another post, targeting one of the leaders of the attempt to remove Chief Illiniwek, reads, "I say we throw a tomohawk [sic] into her face."
The Office of Student Conflict Resolution is currently investigating the threats and plans to act accordingly. The university is taking the web page seriously. "We have an atmosphere of intimidation on this campus," said professor Stephen Kaufman.
