Hey Guys! Ok, I have posted four articles for everyone to read. I think they all discuss things we are talking about in class and some build on previous articles. Enjoy!
First we have "An Art College President's Compensation Reached Nearly $2-Million in 2008". This discuses the compensation of Savannah College of Art and Design President. This college was founded by the President in 1979 and her recent compensation was reported close to $2 million. http://chronicle.com/article/An-Art-College-Presidents/124662/
The second article is all about searching for research papers and how many students stop and google. This was interesting as most of us are working on our research proposals. "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea" http://chronicle.com/article/Conference-Explores-How-to/124665/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The third article is something I am very interested in, reusable and recycle! This article talks about campuses banning the sale of bottled water and instead installing refillable water bottle stations. "Thinking Outside the Bottle" http://chronicle.com/article/Thinking-Outside-the-Bottle/124601/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Finally, for all you sports fans out there! This last article discusses Berkeley's recent announcement that they will be eliminating certain sport teams. I thought this was interesting after last weeks article on Kennesaw State looking to add a football team. "Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy" http://chronicle.com/article/Berkeley-Will-Eliminate-5/124640/
The "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea" article is an interesting take on how scholastic information is increasingly accessed, and in my opinion related to our previous discussion regarding on-line classes. Many of us mentioned that on-line classes felt detached and were not engaging. Is it possible that we felt that way because we (or our professors) did not know how to properly utilize on-line resources for the class (and maybe didn't even realize it)? With the amount of information found online, it can be overwhelming to find accurate and relevant information for an assignment if you simply use a google search. Using the library system will provide information of a higher scholastic caliber, but it can be frustrating to navigate the systems and access the articles. In my personal experience, I have usually searched exclusively within a few databases because it was easier for me to learn how to pull up information from a selected few databases, even if it presumably limited my search results.
I thought the Thinking Outside the Bottle article was great. I feel like eliminating the use of bottled water would be a huge step forward for a lot of people not just at a university level. In Student Government we have a chief sustainability officer who has been working hard to get our members of SG to utilize reusable bottles in an effort to reduce the use of bottled water. Not only is it chemically not the complete best for you, it is also expensive. People could invest in a Brita for about $20.00 which will filter your water probably better than it is in a bottle and will save you $1-$3 on separate bottles of water over time.
I'm also a fan of the "Bottle" article. Between this country making efforts on going green and embracing social media, these two issues have had many successes and challenges that they face regularly. Tying this observation back to the article, a huge reason as to why universities aren't necessarily moving quickly to ban water bottles is due to money. For instance, the University of Vermont "gets a contribution from Coca-Cola for financial aid, athletics, and other programs—some $480,000 this year—in exchange for maintaining a contract with the company, which sells Dasani." Now, if a school is receiving that sum continually, they would have to find reliable sources that can replace this funding in the event that they choose to end the contract. It's unfortunate that money talks in these situations. However, it is important for institutions to do what is right for the students, the community around them as well as the environment.
I found the article, An Art College President's Compensation Reached Nearly $2-Million in 2008 was interesting. Simply because a few UT alum's and I were just talking yesterday about how much president Vaughn gets paid and it is crazy. In addition, we were considering what he has done for the school and what he plans to continue to do.
The article states "The key in scrutinizing pay packages like Ms. Wallace's is determining whether they are fair to the college" we always talk about how a lot of people do not want to become a president, and if you have someone extremely good in the position and you have to spend all that money to keep them in the position, then you may have to just suck it up and pay them. If the college or university can afford it then you almost have no choice but to continue to pay them at that rate, or risk not having a strong candidate.
Like Justin and Corey, I too was drawn to the article "Thinking outside the Bottle". I know there are many financial hurdles like Corey referenced, but I was also surpised at some of the smaller steps that could be taken. At Muhlenberg College they decreased 95% of bottled water sales by eliminating it from the meal plan. That is a small step that has a huge effect. I think there will be times when bottle water sales are enevitable (outdoor events on really hot, humid days) but every small step helps. Although there doesn't seem to be a full formalized reusable bottle or tap water campaign, I see many reusable bottles all over USF and people refilling these bottles at regular water fountains (I almost typed water bubbler and realized it is a regional term!).
I also was surprised UVM of all schools was behind on a bottled water ban. I understand the financial and contractual barriers but from my experiences with UVM I think it is accurate the the Vice President of Student Government sees it as an embarrassment. To most people familiar with UVM, you would assume bottled water would be banned by the campus culture!
Julia, I'm so glad you picked the "Thinking Outside the Bottle" article. As soon as I saw it, I was hoping it would be part of this week's blog! Like Corey, I understand that some schools may have difficulty giving up bottled water sales as they are receiving funding from companies (which I personally think is terrible); however, in the long run I feel like such a decision could help schools save money in terms of waste and the cost of bottled water versus tap water.
I think the students at USF would respond well to such a change. I notice many students carrying their own water bottles already. If refilling stations were installed around campus outside of buildings that were clearly marked for that purpose, I think even more students would make the switch even without bottled water being banned. Perhaps the places that sell food on campus could even offer some sort of incentive for students, much like with the new "take-out containers" on campus. College campuses are a great place for such initiatives to begin and if students become invested enough, they will incorporate green practices into their lives well beyond the college years.
What I found interesting about the article “Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea” was the fact that most research begins and ends at Google. It’s interesting because I have found myself to do the same thing over the course of the past few years when I had to look for research (lol). I guess I did it because Google makes things very convenient with so many possible results that can come up. However, I’m really glad to know that publishers and librarians are taking the initiatives and discussing the ways in which students can research. I feel that by doing these students would be able to create and write more valid arguments in their research paper, studies, etc.
In the article regarding the Art College's President... WOW. That is ridiculous. Presidents get paid a lot, sure, but $2 million seems a bit excessive. At what point do you begin to wonder what could have happened to your University with an extra million dollars, had you decided to take a 50% paycut? I'm not sure that I would want to go to a school that is paying its President nearly $2 million, unless everything at the school was flawless. Universities always need money for something - capital improvements, more faculty, classroom upgrades, etc.
The other article I found to be of particular interest pertained to information in the "Digital Sea" and how difficult it can be to find - and make findable - pertinent information. I can relate to this as we're working on our research projects. There is already so much (dare I say too much?) out there - I get overwhelmed every time I go to look for something. I never find exactly what I'm looking for but I know it's out there somewhere. Hopefully this conference can figure it out and make our lives a little easier.
I don’t know if I was more surprised that the SCAD president made over $2 million or that the school generates over $100 million. I have been to Savannah several times and thought I saw the campus. Based on the article, there appear to be nearly 100 buildings I missed. Although the president has done an admirable job growing the school from its infancy, it is hard to rationalize that level of salary for the family and her. I am especially interested in that six figure job in equestrian services. The article says the president faces annual salary and performance reviews, but it is hard to imagine that she did twice as well as the previous year. The salary might look a little inflated due to new accounting, but it is a lot of money. This level of annual cost is not likely to be in the best interest of the school.
In reading "Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy," I couldn't help but wonder how eliminating these sports will affect the campus life, and was the choice to eliminate the sports the best choice. This is quite the contrary of what we usually think. Often we think that athletics bring in revenue, but in this case I guess not!I pose a question, how is it determined what sports are eliminated and what is not? Why sports programs at all?
I also read the article, "Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy". My initial reaction was to consider the closing of these teams in terms of the elements we’re looking at in Ecology class. For these student athletes, their experience of Berkeley will be dramatically different now that their teams are cut. I imagine many of them (if not all) came to Cal assuming their “home” on these teams. How will this impact their view and sense of belonging, now that the very institution that they represented, dismissed them? The article about the president receiving $2 million can be linked to this article as well. In this economic climate where cuts are being made, is it really possible for a single individual to reap more when others make sacrifices in their domains? Perhaps Berkeley made considerable cuts in other areas, but absolutely, the students on those teams as well as the impression and morale of the rest of the student body were bruised (What will be cut next? Should we, as students, bother to invest ourselves when the “chopping block” is in effect? Who will the university “turn on” next?)
I really enjoyed the article "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea". I found the quote "Google's search engine is the beginning and often the end of many a research project, especially for students" to be interesting and so true. If you all remember last week when our research professor asked us where we were looking to find articles many said "google scholar". I also find google scholar to be so convenient and resourceful. Many students don't even know what it's like to do research in the library anymore. We are reaching a point where technology is consuming us to the point where we don't need to leave our computers to do anything anymore. I think it's great but at the same time it's a shame. I really liked this article!
Going off of the “Bottle article”, I think that the tap water stations will either take off or become a resource that few use. Personally, I always carry my refillable water bottle with me everywhere. So speaking from my own needs, I would love to have water stations like that. However, I like the University of Vermont, we have a contract with Coca-Cola that provides the university with much needed funds. That will keep a bottled water ban from taking off anytime soon here at USF.
Great articles Julia. I think the article on Berkeley eliminating some of its athletic teams and the Bottled water article can be related. The Berkeley article made me think about all the k-12 schools that have limited, if any art of physical education programs due to budget cuts. That trend in k-12 isn’t necessarily a new one or good one. But the “recession” has also impacted many departments in higher education causing Universities collectively to find ways to utilize resources in cost effective ways. This story is an example of how higher education is evolving and accessing what is really sustainable, I just hope that due to money the student experience does not get lost in these decisions. I think Athletic departments have many complicated aspects that need to be reevaluated.
Like many other people in the class, I found the "thinking outside the bottle" article very interesting. I understand that contracts and costs at some schools make it unrealistic to ban water bottles completely. However, I still think it would be a good idea to advertise and make college students aware that bottled water is a waste and billions are being thrown out every year. I think this environmental movement might take a few years, but it is finally not going unnoticed like in the past. I also find it interesting how much colleges can make a difference. Before entering this field, I never knew how much college campuses tried to change the environment problems, social issues, students rights, etc.
I really enjoyed the "Thinking Outside the Bottle" too. Colleges are a great place to start the removal of plastic water bottles from our culture, and if colleges and universities can be successful the impact could be huge. I find bans to be a little intense so early on in this movement, though they might work for some schools. Smaller steps like Rebecca noted, might be more effective for most institutions. This would especially be the case at universities where contracts with companies like Coca-Cola (like University of Vermont and Ohio State) would prevent such a ban. In addition to removing bottled water from meal plans, other changes, such as giving reusable water bottles to students at orientation or other events in which many students participate, could have a big impact. The one essential piece to a successful initiative, though, is the interest of the students and the support of administration - without both of these, it won't go very far. One step toward this would be educating students about how much of a negative impact bottles have on the environment, like Megan suggested, Too many people go through their day without realizing the influence their choices have on the larger picture. Changing this would be a great first step.
I enjoyed reading “Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea.” Even though I feel confident finding scholarly articles, it is still a tedious and, at times, frustrating process. Like Emily, I have familiarized myself with a few databases which help me find what I am looking for. However, it took time and instruction to learn all these techniques. College students will have a much easier time finding the information they need once they have familiarized themselves with their libraries website and the databases of their discipline. While Google scholar may work as a preliminary search, many more articles (and their full-text) can be found through the institution’s library website. Knowing how to creatively search for specific topics will yield desired information, producing an efficient process. While students and researchers would benefit greatly from the improvements discussed at the conference, preliminary knowledge of databases and their characteristics must exist for researchers to experience the benefits.
I enjoyed the "Bottle" article like many others. I agree with Scott and I also carry my own refillable water bottle wherever I go. I would greatly appreciate filtered refilling stations around campus that provide clean, safe water for public use. The increasing trend of refillable water bottles seems to be picking up all over. I have noticed that elementary students are now allowed to carry those with them in class, and hopefully they grow up with this "go-green" refill notion and the use of plastic bottles may decrease on college campuses by the time that age group is in higher education.
I found the ““Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea” article interesting and applicable to our research class. As Rochelly mentioned, many of us are finding articles for our research proposal using google scholar. Even though it is what we may be most familiar with, the article points out the plethora of information that turns up using the google search and how a reputable, relatable article may not be very findable. I found it very helpful that during my university experience class as a freshman we went to the library and learned how to use the research databases search the e-journals. It is also great that publishers of these articles are working on ways to make their articles more finder friendly. I hope that students continue to learn about other ways to find research and that the databases become more user friendly.
The article on SCAD immediately drew my attention as one of my best friends in Atlanta is currently enrolled there and I know how much he is paying each semester. I thought the title of the article just stating that she made $2M is actually not the biggest red flag of everything going on. What disturbed me even more was the fact that she had a number of family on the college's payroll and they all make a nice salary as well. This article made me think back a few weeks ago to when we read about how university trustees are mainly from the business world. Between having family in high paying positions and trustees from the business world are the next current events articles we are going to read be about corruption and embezzling at universities?
1. I found the first article very interesting because it highlights something I’ve become more interested in since entering the Student Affairs realm. While I have repeatedly heard that there “is no money” in education, it seems that that is only the case if you are not at the top. I’ve been to Savannah and it is amazing just how much the SCAD owns. When you look at downtown, you cannot go far without finding some beautiful and old (read expensive) building with their name on it. This article makes it seem that there really has been a blurring of the lines between a family business and an institution of higher learning. While I certainly think it is important to pay school administrators fairly and to have that pay correspond to the difficulty and importance of their positions, I think SCAD is an excellent example of executive pay gone amuck. I almost feel like in the SCAD example we can compare the Wallace family pay with the excessive executive pay of Wall Street CEO’s that recently run our country aground. While I’m sure what they are doing is legal (they certainly appear to have the cash to afford the lawyers and accountants to make sure that is), it is shameful that they would focus so much on making money, rather than on educating.
2. Julia, this was a great article that tied in nicely to what we’re doing in Research. I know one of the biggest struggles I have in research is locating relevant articles. It seems that about 50 percent of reading that I do is just verifying that the article is what I’m looking for and that can be very frustrating sometimes. I love Google Scholar because it makes searching easier by analyzing content not just authors and article titles. The problem I often run into though is that not everything is free. The USF library gives good access to articles that I couldn’t access on my own, but the search feature is usually terrible (JSTOR is alright). I really loved the idea of Eigenfactor though! I know that when I do find a good article, the first thing I do is look at the references and try to find those articles. It seems that whatever field (or sub-field) you are looking at, there is “the person” that is the expert in the field that everybody knows of (think Astrid). It seems that Eigenfactor would be a great tool in helping to identify those experts and articles that would be interesting or relevant to what you were searching for.
3. Bottle water is such a rip off, an insult against the Earth, and the opium of the mini-driving middle class masses. Now that I’ve said this, let me tell you why it should NOT be banned from campuses. While the article was an interesting read, what I found more interesting were the comments others had left on the site. Some felt that the blame lay with the companies that bottled the water, others felt it was with the university, and a few even felt it was the students fault because they were carrying around water and had bought into the 8 ounces a day “myth” (their words, not mine). I would have to agree with those that place the blame with the students, but not for the same reason. It’s all about personal responsibility. Colleges shouldn’t be banning something, just like they should not ban websites or books. Instead, colleges and universities should continue to collect the revenue they’re making from selling the bottles, but should promote and support recycling. I remember when I started at USF they gave me an umbrella because it rains and they wanted me to be prepared. Why not use the same logic and give people reusable water bottles when they attend orientation? The demand for more sustainable bottles is there (the reusable cups from Aramark are a big hit). Instead of being the water bottle police, universities should instead promote healthy and sustainable decision making so that students make lifestyle changes. By supplying cheap or free refillable water bottles and easy/clean refill stations, universities instead teach instead of parent. And I say this as one of those who have bought into the “myth” of drinking 8 ounces a day. I love to carry around my reusable water bottle, despite USF selling Dasani.
4. Article: http://chronicle.com/article/Berkeley-Will-Eliminate-5/124640/ All I will say on this: instead of cutting programs, universities should look instead at spending the money they do use more wisely. I still cannot comprehend why a university would pay a coach more than their president (cough, USF, cough).
I don't think this is related but very relevant to what we're talking about in all of courses. I couldn't think of where else to post/how to get it to all you guys. **Not trying to steal Julia's job/shine just thought it was interesting:
http://diverseeducation.com/article/14207/
(Julia and Scott, you'll especially appreciate this;-)
"Bottle water is such a rip off, an insult against the Earth, and the opium of the mini-driving middle class masses" LOL, that was funny! While I may not be as passionate about the use of plastic water bottles on campus, I do agree with Ralph that personal accountability is a key to a move toward eco-friendly products. If students are provided resources and encouraged to use reusable products they may respond more favorably than forcing a ban. Essentially students don't want to be told what to do, so it would need to be framed in a way that students will encourage eco-friendly behavior because they feel responsible for the idea.
Hey everyone! This week the article that interested me was "Thinking Outside the Bottle". I think this is a great idea, but the reality of it is feasible but will take a lot of time. I don't see a lot of Universities buying into this idea because of the funding they would lose from big beverage companies. It's a shame that we are run by money but that is the reality of our society today. I also think another problem with the water bottle stations, was the fact that they can transmit bacteria. That can be a potential problem, and more costly with upgraded models. Like I stated I think this is a good idea but I don't know how feasible it is for the near future.
My heart always broke a little bit when one of my campers told me they “needed this”. “This” being wrestling, or football, or basketball, or whatever other sport they played. So many of the students I worked with only considered college because of the possibility of athletics scholarships. My little brother is one of those kids. Baseball and football kept him motivated in high school and baseball is one of the biggest things driving him to do well in college. I’m also from Iowa…we LOVE wrestling. Unfortunately, not many parts of the country share that love. Wrestling and men’s gymnastics are usually among the first sports to get the cut when schools start eliminating programs and it breaks my heart every time. I know athletics programs are expensive…even at the biggest wrestling school in the country the program barely breaks even (and is usually in the red) but it also brings in a lot of student athletes who would not otherwise have become students. We have tons of other programs to get students onto campus and involved, and none of them make money. I guess I don’t see the harm in losing money to keep athletics programs afloat if it keeps students in school. So…when I see schools like Berkley that are ready to cut more athletics programs it makes me sad and it makes me wonder how many students are going to miss out on their chance to go to college.
The "Thinking Outside the Bottle" article hit home to me just because of my assistantship in Outdoor Recreation at Campus Recreation. We just installed within the last six months with water bottle refilling stations. They are located all throughout Campus Recreation. The point being because so many people bring in water bottles to workout; we want them to keep refilling them instead of buying new ones. That's one specific reason why at Outdoor Recreation one of our promotional items is a nalgene. This way it promotes the program and gives students a chance to save plastic and just use their nalgene for drinks.
I know it would be hard for an entire campus to “Go Green” and make this change. However, if we start small such as with certain facilities known to have many purchases of water or drinks like Campus Recreation; I think it can make a big impact in the long run for the whole campus and environment.
I think the bottled water article is very interesting. Something that we don't think twice about is actually harming the world. Buying a reusable water bottle instead of the plastic bottles is just a small gesture that can go a long way. Living in several parts of the country I can attest to the fact that some states(Arizona) have terrible water. The water is Arizona actually causes people to get sick because like they said in the article the water is very rich in minerals. I know many people who won't even cook with tap water or brush their teeth with the tap water in Arizona. Now while this may be an extreme case, I think that if the universities are willing to compensate by provising refill stations than the students should be more considerate about buying plastic bottles. I find the article about Berkley very sad but true. I love sports but are they necessary, no. In such an econimic downfall athletics may see cuts but I do hope in time they will be able to reinstate the programs at the university, for now the athletes will have to deal with club sports but I do wonder what will be done about athletes who play those sports on scholorships.
I love the article about bottled water and it brought a lot of things to mind. First of all stations for filling a water bottle? Whats wrong with the water fountain? Sure you can't exactly fill the bottle all the way to the top but seriously people are spending how much. I was shocked and then when I did a little more research I found that appearntly even cities are installing water bottle refilling stations around town. http://www.katu.com/news/local/89953352.html
Don't get me wrong I am as green as it gets, my sorority nick name at my undergrad was Captain Planet due to my incessant nagging about recycling and other green initiatives. However, I think the idea of having completely bottle free campuses is completely far fetched. I was on the activities board in college and the number one thing you need at an event especially an outdoor event is bottled water. When you are planning for an outdoor event you take your expected attendance number double it and that is at least how many bottles of water you need at the event. In order to go green and not have bottled water there would have to be a "water bottle refilling station" nearby and every person would be expected to bring their own bottle. I believe that is a little far fetched.
I do completely respect the initiatives being made by these universities though, and there are small steps like these that all universities could be taking however to ban bottled water completely is unreasonable.
@Aaron - Glad you liked my comment. While purposely infused with some humor, I do seriously think plastic water bottle usage in the US is a major problem and people need to start paying attention to the growing issued associated with the trash these bottle created. I just think at a campus this large (with so many catered events) and so much going on, a "ban" would be near impossible, but that's not to say that we couldn't start planning to lesson the reliance on disposable bottles and make this a more "refill" friendly campus.
I focused on the article "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea." The statistic that popped out at me is that 90% of the surveyed population do not know how to use the ctrl+f feature to find something on a webpage. I don't know how anyone could function without knowing that information. Recently I went through a struggle with myself to determine whether I would purchase normal textbooks or just get an iPad and buy the books electronically just so that I could make use of the search function. Anyway, it does surprise me that google controls much of the search industry but does not surprise me that they are getting even larger and larger. It is almost as they have a monopoly in the market of search engines. Sites like yahoo and bing cannot possibly compete. I am patiently waiting for the day when I no longer have to go through the difficult task of navigating the schools libraries. It will be much easier when everything is made available through some sort of google product.
The article concerning “making information findable in a digital sea" was very timely. As we are discovering in our Foundations of Research class, the current indexes of journal information of r research needs thoughtful curation. Between the lack of awareness and unadvertised resources, many of us were unaware of what is available in ERIC, CIJE, RIE, JSTOR Google Scholar, and more. It is clear from our small sample of class needs and the position of the conference within the article, that a central clearinghouse is needed. Even the speaker at the conference representing Google mentioned that some inquires as Google, may need to begin at a more precise search engine for research of journals. It is good that key individuals from a wide variety of disciplines meet in person and collaborate on this topic. The benefits of a “research” curation entity will benefit the needs of all students in the future. This will help people save valuable time and conduct better research, with more beneficial results. Good article, Julia; very timely and appropriate.
(Chance) When I first saw that a president of a university earned nearly 2 million dollars, I was suspicious of such extravagant salaries. If a public institution offered this amount of incentives that would be a front page story. I see this as okay, however, because the school was co-founded by the new president. If you start a business—in this case, a private art school—then you are entitled to a certain amount of privilege I believe. Now, do I think it would be more appropriate to have a somewhat more reasonable salary? Absolutely. But such a thing is one of the drawbacks, as well as perks, of capitalism and prosperity.
I thought it was interesting that campuses are banning bottled water. I think it sends the message that the Earth and being sustainable are important to the campus; however, as is noted several times, there is no panacea for the "plastic issue." I'd never thought about bottled water as a "healthy alternative to sodas." The way I see it is, if you want a pop, you'll get one. However, I feel like if you want water, go to the fountain and fill your container. My issue with bottled water is that most of the time IT'S THE SAME THING THAT'S IN THE TAP. The water company's make me sick with their constantly telling people there's something "different" about their water to keep their bottom line strong. As the article noted, water is posed to become the next big thing to fight over. Can you imagine this!?! Wars being fought over water! They already are. I encourage EVERYONE to watch "Blue Gold: World Water Wars" to get a better understanding of how serious an issue this is--and we haven't even talked about sustainability yet! I agree that we have bought into all the "8 glasses a day," "keep something to sip on" crap. I see students walking around with gallons, and they tell me they drink a gallon a day! However, like others on the blog noted we need to hammer the point of PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY home. At least in the short term, I would do what some others suggested and keep the contracts while simultaneously saying "Don't buy the stuff." Personally, I don't see why anyone would buy anything out of a vending machine. If you added up the money you spent buying a pop/bottle a day it's ridiculous!
Recycling is a sticky issue too. It's expensive, it uses oil and resources, and unfortunately, a lot of the recyclables don't actually end up being recycled at all. I believe the country is going in the right direction in that most people are much more aware (if not as passionate as Ralph) about the Earth and how our actions affect it. Like Angela? noted, colleges wield a lot of power when it comes to setting standards for the "next thing." Colleges/universities are like the big brother that science/industry/business look up to, and we should take advantage of that position to effect positive change. I think before big, costly decisions like banning water bottles and canceling contracts are made, things need to be thoroughly thought out. The article gave me the impression that they were in a rush to throw up these bottle filling stations without exploring all the implications (bacteria transmission).
Pt.II: The article on SCAD: I'm not going to say I have a problem with the president's pay. Here in America, we pay people hundreds of millions of dollars for doing things like..eh...throwing a ball in a hoop; so I say spread the money around! Why not have it go to someone in education? I dare say, in the grand scheme of things, her work is a tad more meaningful (sorry sports fanatics). HOWEVER, I certainly do have a problem with the nepotism that seems to characterize their decisions as to who receives this cash. It looks like they've got a Wal-Mart model employed in terms of the administration, or the journalist did not do a good enough job of balancing the story with illustrations of other highly paid execs who were not in her family. It is imperative that higher education does not stray too far into that business-like territory of running things. We risk losing the essence of who we are.
Hey Guys! Ok, I have posted four articles for everyone to read. I think they all discuss things we are talking about in class and some build on previous articles. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteFirst we have "An Art College President's Compensation Reached Nearly $2-Million in 2008". This discuses the compensation of Savannah College of Art and Design President. This college was founded by the President in 1979 and her recent compensation was reported close to $2 million.
http://chronicle.com/article/An-Art-College-Presidents/124662/
The second article is all about searching for research papers and how many students stop and google. This was interesting as most of us are working on our research proposals.
"Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea"
http://chronicle.com/article/Conference-Explores-How-to/124665/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The third article is something I am very interested in, reusable and recycle! This article talks about campuses banning the sale of bottled water and instead installing refillable water bottle stations.
"Thinking Outside the Bottle"
http://chronicle.com/article/Thinking-Outside-the-Bottle/124601/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Finally, for all you sports fans out there! This last article discusses Berkeley's recent announcement that they will be eliminating certain sport teams. I thought this was interesting after last weeks article on Kennesaw State looking to add a football team.
"Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy"
http://chronicle.com/article/Berkeley-Will-Eliminate-5/124640/
Happy Blogging!
Julia
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ReplyDeleteThe "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea" article is an interesting take on how scholastic information is increasingly accessed, and in my opinion related to our previous discussion regarding on-line classes. Many of us mentioned that on-line classes felt detached and were not engaging. Is it possible that we felt that way because we (or our professors) did not know how to properly utilize on-line resources for the class (and maybe didn't even realize it)? With the amount of information found online, it can be overwhelming to find accurate and relevant information for an assignment if you simply use a google search. Using the library system will provide information of a higher scholastic caliber, but it can be frustrating to navigate the systems and access the articles. In my personal experience, I have usually searched exclusively within a few databases because it was easier for me to learn how to pull up information from a selected few databases, even if it presumably limited my search results.
ReplyDeleteI thought the Thinking Outside the Bottle article was great. I feel like eliminating the use of bottled water would be a huge step forward for a lot of people not just at a university level. In Student Government we have a chief sustainability officer who has been working hard to get our members of SG to utilize reusable bottles in an effort to reduce the use of bottled water. Not only is it chemically not the complete best for you, it is also expensive. People could invest in a Brita for about $20.00 which will filter your water probably better than it is in a bottle and will save you $1-$3 on separate bottles of water over time.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a fan of the "Bottle" article. Between this country making efforts on going green and embracing social media, these two issues have had many successes and challenges that they face regularly. Tying this observation back to the article, a huge reason as to why universities aren't necessarily moving quickly to ban water bottles is due to money. For instance, the University of Vermont "gets a contribution from Coca-Cola for financial aid, athletics, and other programs—some $480,000 this year—in exchange for maintaining a contract with the company, which sells Dasani." Now, if a school is receiving that sum continually, they would have to find reliable sources that can replace this funding in the event that they choose to end the contract. It's unfortunate that money talks in these situations. However, it is important for institutions to do what is right for the students, the community around them as well as the environment.
ReplyDeleteI found the article, An Art College President's Compensation Reached Nearly $2-Million in 2008 was interesting. Simply because a few UT alum's and I were just talking yesterday about how much president Vaughn gets paid and it is crazy. In addition, we were considering what he has done for the school and what he plans to continue to do.
ReplyDeleteThe article states "The key in scrutinizing pay packages like Ms. Wallace's is determining whether they are fair to the college" we always talk about how a lot of people do not want to become a president, and if you have someone extremely good in the position and you have to spend all that money to keep them in the position, then you may have to just suck it up and pay them. If the college or university can afford it then you almost have no choice but to continue to pay them at that rate, or risk not having a strong candidate.
Like Justin and Corey, I too was drawn to the article "Thinking outside the Bottle". I know there are many financial hurdles like Corey referenced, but I was also surpised at some of the smaller steps that could be taken. At Muhlenberg College they decreased 95% of bottled water sales by eliminating it from the meal plan. That is a small step that has a huge effect. I think there will be times when bottle water sales are enevitable (outdoor events on really hot, humid days) but every small step helps. Although there doesn't seem to be a full formalized reusable bottle or tap water campaign, I see many reusable bottles all over USF and people refilling these bottles at regular water fountains (I almost typed water bubbler and realized it is a regional term!).
ReplyDeleteI also was surprised UVM of all schools was behind on a bottled water ban. I understand the financial and contractual barriers but from my experiences with UVM I think it is accurate the the Vice President of Student Government sees it as an embarrassment. To most people familiar with UVM, you would assume bottled water would be banned by the campus culture!
Julia, I'm so glad you picked the "Thinking Outside the Bottle" article. As soon as I saw it, I was hoping it would be part of this week's blog! Like Corey, I understand that some schools may have difficulty giving up bottled water sales as they are receiving funding from companies (which I personally think is terrible); however, in the long run I feel like such a decision could help schools save money in terms of waste and the cost of bottled water versus tap water.
ReplyDeleteI think the students at USF would respond well to such a change. I notice many students carrying their own water bottles already. If refilling stations were installed around campus outside of buildings that were clearly marked for that purpose, I think even more students would make the switch even without bottled water being banned. Perhaps the places that sell food on campus could even offer some sort of incentive for students, much like with the new "take-out containers" on campus. College campuses are a great place for such initiatives to begin and if students become invested enough, they will incorporate green practices into their lives well beyond the college years.
What I found interesting about the article “Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea” was the fact that most research begins and ends at Google. It’s interesting because I have found myself to do the same thing over the course of the past few years when I had to look for research (lol). I guess I did it because Google makes things very convenient with so many possible results that can come up. However, I’m really glad to know that publishers and librarians are taking the initiatives and discussing the ways in which students can research. I feel that by doing these students would be able to create and write more valid arguments in their research paper, studies, etc.
ReplyDeleteIn the article regarding the Art College's President... WOW. That is ridiculous. Presidents get paid a lot, sure, but $2 million seems a bit excessive. At what point do you begin to wonder what could have happened to your University with an extra million dollars, had you decided to take a 50% paycut? I'm not sure that I would want to go to a school that is paying its President nearly $2 million, unless everything at the school was flawless. Universities always need money for something - capital improvements, more faculty, classroom upgrades, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe other article I found to be of particular interest pertained to information in the "Digital Sea" and how difficult it can be to find - and make findable - pertinent information. I can relate to this as we're working on our research projects. There is already so much (dare I say too much?) out there - I get overwhelmed every time I go to look for something. I never find exactly what I'm looking for but I know it's out there somewhere. Hopefully this conference can figure it out and make our lives a little easier.
I don’t know if I was more surprised that the SCAD president made over $2 million or that the school generates over $100 million. I have been to Savannah several times and thought I saw the campus. Based on the article, there appear to be nearly 100 buildings I missed. Although the president has done an admirable job growing the school from its infancy, it is hard to rationalize that level of salary for the family and her. I am especially interested in that six figure job in equestrian services. The article says the president faces annual salary and performance reviews, but it is hard to imagine that she did twice as well as the previous year. The salary might look a little inflated due to new accounting, but it is a lot of money. This level of annual cost is not likely to be in the best interest of the school.
ReplyDeleteIn reading "Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy," I couldn't help but wonder how eliminating these sports will affect the campus life, and was the choice to eliminate the sports the best choice. This is quite the contrary of what we usually think. Often we think that athletics bring in revenue, but in this case I guess not!I pose a question, how is it determined what sports are eliminated and what is not? Why sports programs at all?
ReplyDeleteI also read the article, "Berkeley Will Eliminate 5 Teams After Faculty Outcry Over Athletics Subsidy". My initial reaction was to consider the closing of these teams in terms of the elements we’re looking at in Ecology class. For these student athletes, their experience of Berkeley will be dramatically different now that their teams are cut. I imagine many of them (if not all) came to Cal assuming their “home” on these teams. How will this impact their view and sense of belonging, now that the very institution that they represented, dismissed them? The article about the president receiving $2 million can be linked to this article as well. In this economic climate where cuts are being made, is it really possible for a single individual to reap more when others make sacrifices in their domains? Perhaps Berkeley made considerable cuts in other areas, but absolutely, the students on those teams as well as the impression and morale of the rest of the student body were bruised (What will be cut next? Should we, as students, bother to invest ourselves when the “chopping block” is in effect? Who will the university “turn on” next?)
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the article "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea". I found the quote "Google's search engine is the beginning and often the end of many a research project, especially for students" to be interesting and so true. If you all remember last week when our research professor asked us where we were looking to find articles many said "google scholar". I also find google scholar to be so convenient and resourceful. Many students don't even know what it's like to do research in the library anymore. We are reaching a point where technology is consuming us to the point where we don't need to leave our computers to do anything anymore. I think it's great but at the same time it's a shame. I really liked this article!
ReplyDeleteGoing off of the “Bottle article”, I think that the tap water stations will either take off or become a resource that few use. Personally, I always carry my refillable water bottle with me everywhere. So speaking from my own needs, I would love to have water stations like that. However, I like the University of Vermont, we have a contract with Coca-Cola that provides the university with much needed funds. That will keep a bottled water ban from taking off anytime soon here at USF.
ReplyDeleteGreat articles Julia. I think the article on Berkeley eliminating some of its athletic teams and the Bottled water article can be related. The Berkeley article made me think about all the k-12 schools that have limited, if any art of physical education programs due to budget cuts. That trend in k-12 isn’t necessarily a new one or good one. But the “recession” has also impacted many departments in higher education causing Universities collectively to find ways to utilize resources in cost effective ways. This story is an example of how higher education is evolving and accessing what is really sustainable, I just hope that due to money the student experience does not get lost in these decisions. I think Athletic departments have many complicated aspects that need to be reevaluated.
ReplyDeleteLike many other people in the class, I found the "thinking outside the bottle" article very interesting. I understand that contracts and costs at some schools make it unrealistic to ban water bottles completely. However, I still think it would be a good idea to advertise and make college students aware that bottled water is a waste and billions are being thrown out every year. I think this environmental movement might take a few years, but it is finally not going unnoticed like in the past. I also find it interesting how much colleges can make a difference. Before entering this field, I never knew how much college campuses tried to change the environment problems, social issues, students rights, etc.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the "Thinking Outside the Bottle" too. Colleges are a great place to start the removal of plastic water bottles from our culture, and if colleges and universities can be successful the impact could be huge. I find bans to be a little intense so early on in this movement, though they might work for some schools. Smaller steps like Rebecca noted, might be more effective for most institutions. This would especially be the case at universities where contracts with companies like Coca-Cola (like University of Vermont and Ohio State) would prevent such a ban. In addition to removing bottled water from meal plans, other changes, such as giving reusable water bottles to students at orientation or other events in which many students participate, could have a big impact. The one essential piece to a successful initiative, though, is the interest of the students and the support of administration - without both of these, it won't go very far. One step toward this would be educating students about how much of a negative impact bottles have on the environment, like Megan suggested, Too many people go through their day without realizing the influence their choices have on the larger picture. Changing this would be a great first step.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading “Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea.” Even though I feel confident finding scholarly articles, it is still a tedious and, at times, frustrating process. Like Emily, I have familiarized myself with a few databases which help me find what I am looking for. However, it took time and instruction to learn all these techniques. College students will have a much easier time finding the information they need once they have familiarized themselves with their libraries website and the databases of their discipline. While Google scholar may work as a preliminary search, many more articles (and their full-text) can be found through the institution’s library website. Knowing how to creatively search for specific topics will yield desired information, producing an efficient process. While students and researchers would benefit greatly from the improvements discussed at the conference, preliminary knowledge of databases and their characteristics must exist for researchers to experience the benefits.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the "Bottle" article like many others. I agree with Scott and I also carry my own refillable water bottle wherever I go. I would greatly appreciate filtered refilling stations around campus that provide clean, safe water for public use. The increasing trend of refillable water bottles seems to be picking up all over. I have noticed that elementary students are now allowed to carry those with them in class, and hopefully they grow up with this "go-green" refill notion and the use of plastic bottles may decrease on college campuses by the time that age group is in higher education.
ReplyDeleteI found the ““Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea” article interesting and applicable to our research class. As Rochelly mentioned, many of us are finding articles for our research proposal using google scholar. Even though it is what we may be most familiar with, the article points out the plethora of information that turns up using the google search and how a reputable, relatable article may not be very findable. I found it very helpful that during my university experience class as a freshman we went to the library and learned how to use the research databases search the e-journals. It is also great that publishers of these articles are working on ways to make their articles more finder friendly. I hope that students continue to learn about other ways to find research and that the databases become more user friendly.
ReplyDeleteThe article on SCAD immediately drew my attention as one of my best friends in Atlanta is currently enrolled there and I know how much he is paying each semester. I thought the title of the article just stating that she made $2M is actually not the biggest red flag of everything going on. What disturbed me even more was the fact that she had a number of family on the college's payroll and they all make a nice salary as well. This article made me think back a few weeks ago to when we read about how university trustees are mainly from the business world. Between having family in high paying positions and trustees from the business world are the next current events articles we are going to read be about corruption and embezzling at universities?
ReplyDeletePART I
ReplyDelete1. I found the first article very interesting because it highlights something I’ve become more interested in since entering the Student Affairs realm. While I have repeatedly heard that there “is no money” in education, it seems that that is only the case if you are not at the top. I’ve been to Savannah and it is amazing just how much the SCAD owns. When you look at downtown, you cannot go far without finding some beautiful and old (read expensive) building with their name on it. This article makes it seem that there really has been a blurring of the lines between a family business and an institution of higher learning. While I certainly think it is important to pay school administrators fairly and to have that pay correspond to the difficulty and importance of their positions, I think SCAD is an excellent example of executive pay gone amuck. I almost feel like in the SCAD example we can compare the Wallace family pay with the excessive executive pay of Wall Street CEO’s that recently run our country aground. While I’m sure what they are doing is legal (they certainly appear to have the cash to afford the lawyers and accountants to make sure that is), it is shameful that they would focus so much on making money, rather than on educating.
2. Julia, this was a great article that tied in nicely to what we’re doing in Research. I know one of the biggest struggles I have in research is locating relevant articles. It seems that about 50 percent of reading that I do is just verifying that the article is what I’m looking for and that can be very frustrating sometimes. I love Google Scholar because it makes searching easier by analyzing content not just authors and article titles. The problem I often run into though is that not everything is free. The USF library gives good access to articles that I couldn’t access on my own, but the search feature is usually terrible (JSTOR is alright). I really loved the idea of Eigenfactor though! I know that when I do find a good article, the first thing I do is look at the references and try to find those articles. It seems that whatever field (or sub-field) you are looking at, there is “the person” that is the expert in the field that everybody knows of (think Astrid). It seems that Eigenfactor would be a great tool in helping to identify those experts and articles that would be interesting or relevant to what you were searching for.
PART II
ReplyDelete3. Bottle water is such a rip off, an insult against the Earth, and the opium of the mini-driving middle class masses. Now that I’ve said this, let me tell you why it should NOT be banned from campuses. While the article was an interesting read, what I found more interesting were the comments others had left on the site. Some felt that the blame lay with the companies that bottled the water, others felt it was with the university, and a few even felt it was the students fault because they were carrying around water and had bought into the 8 ounces a day “myth” (their words, not mine). I would have to agree with those that place the blame with the students, but not for the same reason. It’s all about personal responsibility. Colleges shouldn’t be banning something, just like they should not ban websites or books. Instead, colleges and universities should continue to collect the revenue they’re making from selling the bottles, but should promote and support recycling. I remember when I started at USF they gave me an umbrella because it rains and they wanted me to be prepared. Why not use the same logic and give people reusable water bottles when they attend orientation? The demand for more sustainable bottles is there (the reusable cups from Aramark are a big hit). Instead of being the water bottle police, universities should instead promote healthy and sustainable decision making so that students make lifestyle changes. By supplying cheap or free refillable water bottles and easy/clean refill stations, universities instead teach instead of parent. And I say this as one of those who have bought into the “myth” of drinking 8 ounces a day. I love to carry around my reusable water bottle, despite USF selling Dasani.
4. Article: http://chronicle.com/article/Berkeley-Will-Eliminate-5/124640/
All I will say on this: instead of cutting programs, universities should look instead at spending the money they do use more wisely. I still cannot comprehend why a university would pay a coach more than their president (cough, USF, cough).
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ReplyDeleteI don't think this is related but very relevant to what we're talking about in all of courses. I couldn't think of where else to post/how to get it to all you guys. **Not trying to steal Julia's job/shine just thought it was interesting:
ReplyDeletehttp://diverseeducation.com/article/14207/
(Julia and Scott, you'll especially appreciate this;-)
"Bottle water is such a rip off, an insult against the Earth, and the opium of the mini-driving middle class masses" LOL, that was funny! While I may not be as passionate about the use of plastic water bottles on campus, I do agree with Ralph that personal accountability is a key to a move toward eco-friendly products. If students are provided resources and encouraged to use reusable products they may respond more favorably than forcing a ban. Essentially students don't want to be told what to do, so it would need to be framed in a way that students will encourage eco-friendly behavior because they feel responsible for the idea.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone! This week the article that interested me was "Thinking Outside the Bottle". I think this is a great idea, but the reality of it is feasible but will take a lot of time. I don't see a lot of Universities buying into this idea because of the funding they would lose from big beverage companies. It's a shame that we are run by money but that is the reality of our society today. I also think another problem with the water bottle stations, was the fact that they can transmit bacteria. That can be a potential problem, and more costly with upgraded models. Like I stated I think this is a good idea but I don't know how feasible it is for the near future.
ReplyDeleteMy heart always broke a little bit when one of my campers told me they “needed this”. “This” being wrestling, or football, or basketball, or whatever other sport they played. So many of the students I worked with only considered college because of the possibility of athletics scholarships. My little brother is one of those kids. Baseball and football kept him motivated in high school and baseball is one of the biggest things driving him to do well in college. I’m also from Iowa…we LOVE wrestling. Unfortunately, not many parts of the country share that love. Wrestling and men’s gymnastics are usually among the first sports to get the cut when schools start eliminating programs and it breaks my heart every time. I know athletics programs are expensive…even at the biggest wrestling school in the country the program barely breaks even (and is usually in the red) but it also brings in a lot of student athletes who would not otherwise have become students. We have tons of other programs to get students onto campus and involved, and none of them make money. I guess I don’t see the harm in losing money to keep athletics programs afloat if it keeps students in school. So…when I see schools like Berkley that are ready to cut more athletics programs it makes me sad and it makes me wonder how many students are going to miss out on their chance to go to college.
ReplyDeleteThe "Thinking Outside the Bottle" article hit home to me just because of my assistantship in Outdoor Recreation at Campus Recreation. We just installed within the last six months with water bottle refilling stations. They are located all throughout Campus Recreation. The point being because so many people bring in water bottles to workout; we want them to keep refilling them instead of buying new ones. That's one specific reason why at Outdoor Recreation one of our promotional items is a nalgene. This way it promotes the program and gives students a chance to save plastic and just use their nalgene for drinks.
ReplyDeleteI know it would be hard for an entire campus to “Go Green” and make this change. However, if we start small such as with certain facilities known to have many purchases of water or drinks like Campus Recreation; I think it can make a big impact in the long run for the whole campus and environment.
I think the bottled water article is very interesting. Something that we don't think twice about is actually harming the world. Buying a reusable water bottle instead of the plastic bottles is just a small gesture that can go a long way. Living in several parts of the country I can attest to the fact that some states(Arizona) have terrible water. The water is Arizona actually causes people to get sick because like they said in the article the water is very rich in minerals. I know many people who won't even cook with tap water or brush their teeth with the tap water in Arizona. Now while this may be an extreme case, I think that if the universities are willing to compensate by provising refill stations than the students should be more considerate about buying plastic bottles.
ReplyDeleteI find the article about Berkley very sad but true. I love sports but are they necessary, no. In such an econimic downfall athletics may see cuts but I do hope in time they will be able to reinstate the programs at the university, for now the athletes will have to deal with club sports but I do wonder what will be done about athletes who play those sports on scholorships.
I love the article about bottled water and it brought a lot of things to mind. First of all stations for filling a water bottle? Whats wrong with the water fountain? Sure you can't exactly fill the bottle all the way to the top but seriously people are spending how much. I was shocked and then when I did a little more research I found that appearntly even cities are installing water bottle refilling stations around town.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.katu.com/news/local/89953352.html
Don't get me wrong I am as green as it gets, my sorority nick name at my undergrad was Captain Planet due to my incessant nagging about recycling and other green initiatives. However, I think the idea of having completely bottle free campuses is completely far fetched. I was on the activities board in college and the number one thing you need at an event especially an outdoor event is bottled water. When you are planning for an outdoor event you take your expected attendance number double it and that is at least how many bottles of water you need at the event. In order to go green and not have bottled water there would have to be a "water bottle refilling station" nearby and every person would be expected to bring their own bottle. I believe that is a little far fetched.
I do completely respect the initiatives being made by these universities though, and there are small steps like these that all universities could be taking however to ban bottled water completely is unreasonable.
@Aaron - Glad you liked my comment. While purposely infused with some humor, I do seriously think plastic water bottle usage in the US is a major problem and people need to start paying attention to the growing issued associated with the trash these bottle created. I just think at a campus this large (with so many catered events) and so much going on, a "ban" would be near impossible, but that's not to say that we couldn't start planning to lesson the reliance on disposable bottles and make this a more "refill" friendly campus.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5279230/
I focused on the article "Conference Explores How to Find—and Make Findable—Information in a Digital Sea." The statistic that popped out at me is that 90% of the surveyed population do not know how to use the ctrl+f feature to find something on a webpage. I don't know how anyone could function without knowing that information. Recently I went through a struggle with myself to determine whether I would purchase normal textbooks or just get an iPad and buy the books electronically just so that I could make use of the search function. Anyway, it does surprise me that google controls much of the search industry but does not surprise me that they are getting even larger and larger. It is almost as they have a monopoly in the market of search engines. Sites like yahoo and bing cannot possibly compete. I am patiently waiting for the day when I no longer have to go through the difficult task of navigating the schools libraries. It will be much easier when everything is made available through some sort of google product.
ReplyDeleteThe article concerning “making information findable in a digital sea" was very timely. As we are discovering in our Foundations of Research class, the current indexes of journal information of r research needs thoughtful curation. Between the lack of awareness and unadvertised resources, many of us were unaware of what is available in ERIC, CIJE, RIE, JSTOR Google Scholar, and more. It is clear from our small sample of class needs and the position of the conference within the article, that a central clearinghouse is needed. Even the speaker at the conference representing Google mentioned that some inquires as Google, may need to begin at a more precise search engine for research of journals. It is good that key individuals from a wide variety of disciplines meet in person and collaborate on this topic. The benefits of a “research” curation entity will benefit the needs of all students in the future. This will help people save valuable time and conduct better research, with more beneficial results. Good article, Julia; very timely and appropriate.
ReplyDelete(Chance)
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw that a president of a university earned nearly 2 million dollars, I was suspicious of such extravagant salaries. If a public institution offered this amount of incentives that would be a front page story. I see this as okay, however, because the school was co-founded by the new president. If you start a business—in this case, a private art school—then you are entitled to a certain amount of privilege I believe. Now, do I think it would be more appropriate to have a somewhat more reasonable salary? Absolutely. But such a thing is one of the drawbacks, as well as perks, of capitalism and prosperity.
I thought it was interesting that campuses are banning bottled water. I think it sends the message that the Earth and being sustainable are important to the campus; however, as is noted several times, there is no panacea for the "plastic issue." I'd never thought about bottled water as a "healthy alternative to sodas." The way I see it is, if you want a pop, you'll get one. However, I feel like if you want water, go to the fountain and fill your container. My issue with bottled water is that most of the time IT'S THE SAME THING THAT'S IN THE TAP. The water company's make me sick with their constantly telling people there's something "different" about their water to keep their bottom line strong. As the article noted, water is posed to become the next big thing to fight over. Can you imagine this!?! Wars being fought over water! They already are. I encourage EVERYONE to watch "Blue Gold: World Water Wars" to get a better understanding of how serious an issue this is--and we haven't even talked about sustainability yet! I agree that we have bought into all the "8 glasses a day," "keep something to sip on" crap. I see students walking around with gallons, and they tell me they drink a gallon a day! However, like others on the blog noted we need to hammer the point of PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY home. At least in the short term, I would do what some others suggested and keep the contracts while simultaneously saying "Don't buy the stuff." Personally, I don't see why anyone would buy anything out of a vending machine. If you added up the money you spent buying a pop/bottle a day it's ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteRecycling is a sticky issue too. It's expensive, it uses oil and resources, and unfortunately, a lot of the recyclables don't actually end up being recycled at all. I believe the country is going in the right direction in that most people are much more aware (if not as passionate as Ralph) about the Earth and how our actions affect it. Like Angela? noted, colleges wield a lot of power when it comes to setting standards for the "next thing." Colleges/universities are like the big brother that science/industry/business look up to, and we should take advantage of that position to effect positive change. I think before big, costly decisions like banning water bottles and canceling contracts are made, things need to be thoroughly thought out. The article gave me the impression that they were in a rush to throw up these bottle filling stations without exploring all the implications (bacteria transmission).
ReplyDeletePt.II: The article on SCAD: I'm not going to say I have a problem with the president's pay. Here in America, we pay people hundreds of millions of dollars for doing things like..eh...throwing a ball in a hoop; so I say spread the money around! Why not have it go to someone in education? I dare say, in the grand scheme of things, her work is a tad more meaningful (sorry sports fanatics). HOWEVER, I certainly do have a problem with the nepotism that seems to characterize their decisions as to who receives this cash. It looks like they've got a Wal-Mart model employed in terms of the administration, or the journalist did not do a good enough job of balancing the story with illustrations of other highly paid execs who were not in her family. It is imperative that higher education does not stray too far into that business-like territory of running things. We risk losing the essence of who we are.