I have four articles this week to read and choose from for discussion. The first two discuss funding and budget cuts. I felt these were tied into our recent discussion in Ecology class as we discussed budget constraints on our campus recommendations and heard over and over again from Dr. Conway and our guests about budget cuts and concerns that affect the university's master plan. These articles are:
As Pledges Fall Short, Colleges Face the Music As economic uncertainty lingers, fewer donors are willing to commit http://chronicle.com/article/When-Pledges-Fall-Through/124772/?sid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en
At Rallies Across the Country, Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Turn-Out-in-Defense/124853/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The third article deals with diversity, and since this was a question on our midterm yesterday I thought this was a good topic to discuss. Although this article has a twist! It talks about transgender athletes and NCAA athletic teams. Currently the NCAA is studying this and leaves the decision up to each college or university (no national standard exists). This topic could prove to be interesting as standards begin to development and more transgender athletes decide to compete in sports.
Transgender Athletes, College Teams http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/05/trans
The final article is more for entertainment. Ironically, it discusses a new software program called Sherpa (this one is for you Clara!) that can make recommendations based on student's information.
Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/like-netflix-new-college-software-aims-to-personalize-recommendations/27642?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
So I was reading the Sherpa article and did not see a great advance in technology until it addressed the student who has not registered for classes yet. Of course all of this will be based off of what information you put into the system, but it think it will be an amazing tool if used by students properly. The thing is creating buy in instead of give in. Once you sell it to the students and they take an interest; it will become a fast growing trend. I would have loved a program during my undergrad that could find a set of classes that fit in with what I needed to take that also worked around my schedule. I will say that I am a fan of this Sherpa program, but I do fear that it will tear students away from being able to do things on their own.
I found the transgender in athletic competition very interesting. I think the NCAA needs to make a stance as soon as possible on this situation, although I am aware that much more research is needed in order to do so. I do not think that indentifying yourself as a sex is enough to make you be able to switch to a differnt sex team. Women who identify as males and go though sex hormone therapy should not be able to compete I believe. Women cannot naturally produce enough testosterone to make this change so anabolic steriods are necessary in order to do so. Now weather it is your intention to or not, steroids provide a competitive advantage for athletes. With the big push to test and ban steroids, I do not think it should be legal for anybody to take them, even with the clearance they were asked for. I am interested to see the stance that the NCAA takes on this issue. I think the Sherpa could be a really good idea but then again how much are we going to baby people. We need to stop bringing everything to their computer and get students out and let them discover things themselves. I think the idea could be good for some but I think I would be kind of offended if my friend got an email to get into honors programs and I got one to talk to a tutor. It may be helpful but I am a fan of having students discover things themselves, you learn much more that way I think
As far as the rallies across the country go, I have to give creativity points to LSU at Baton Rouge for their “education funeral” display. I was unaware that a “National Day of Action to Defend Public Education” even existed, but I will say I am glad it does. It gives an organized opportunity to students, faculty and staff who disapprove of the budget and program cuts. There are so many great programs out there that deserve funding and are not receiving it. Kudos to everyone who participated.
Even though I was drawn to the Sherpa article, I thought the transgender article was the most interesting. I agree with Lisa that there should be an official position for the NCAA on rules for transgendered athletes as soon as possible. It is unfair to keep these student athletes guessing what the outcome will be if they are transitioning while playing a collegiate sport. It is a complicated situation and its something that was normally not talked about or discussed. Diversity and acceptance is something that all college campuses are striving for and the population of transgendered students is growing. With more and more transgendered student athletes becoming open about their journey, it is necessary to address how institutions will handle those students, and have it be a standard all across the board. It is key through this whole process to provide support for the transitioning student as well as their sports team that may be affected.I think students who are going through this process are brave and should be given all the consideration when creating new standards within the NCAA.
The Sherpa article was very interesting! I think that's exactly the type of thing that colleges should have been using for years. There's already a system in place that is passive about your personality and likes/desires (BlackBoard), so why not jazz it up a bit? The copious amounts of information that people haphazardly feel comfortable putting on facebook will finally be working for you in a positive way! Think about it, every time you type something, upload a photo, evaluate a professor, or sign up for a class, you input more data and the system "learns" about you and can offer specialized and individualized content that you might find useful. Google is doing this. Facebook is doing this. So, why not your university? The only problem I see is the issues about your privacy, but you’re probably more protected by your university mining data about you then you are with the rest of the world because you have more legal protections with education. Overall, this idea gets my seal of approval (I know, impressive).
I think the article on pledges falling through goes nicely with our conversation last week in ecology. Planning for a university is tough and it doesn’t seem like there are any perfect answers to funding new projects. When the University of Iowa built its new Rec Center some students weren’t happy with the new fee they had to pay, but I think they would have been more upset if the project never happened. And now with state budgets being what they are it’s hard to imagine any public school being able to get a firm idea of what new projects are reasonable. It gives me new appreciation for the people in charge of the USF master plan (and master planning at many universities) it seems like a tough job that requires reevaluating and reexamining almost constantly, along with the ability to be creative and flexible in project planning.
The transgendered student-athlete article brought up some good points about student inclusion, diversity and equality. It is interesting to note how difficult it is to even come near providing equality for the teams & students. The NCAA's non-stance makes the disparities even more glaring. The factors of hormonal treatment, gender specific bylaws & other specifications make it really difficult to see a way to make things "fair" or "equal." I also wonder how student-athletes who did not find their teams to be supportive feel about NCAA regulations. How do their experiences and perspectives compare?
I think that the Sherpa article is very interesting, however isn't college about learning what you want to do as well as what you do not want to do? I understand that it will look at a students grades and point them in the correct direction, but how much should we be spoon-feeding a undergraduate? High school maybe, but in college they should be doing things on there own now. It seems as though this technology could eliminate some of the positions which we are in our program of study to obtain.
A student is not going to learn if we are doing everything for them. While it is important to point them in the right direction, I do not think that we should be giving them all the answers. It is also important to take a variety of subject material to ensure they know what they do and do not like about the major and field of study. Not just what they enjoy. This way, especially in economic times like we are in right now, they have better chances of obtaining a job when they graduate since they have a more rounded education.
My thoughts are great idea, but students need to do things themselves in order to learn and grow.
The article about student rallies in defense of public education was really interesting to me. Unfortunately, in the current economy budgets are being slashed everywhere and higher education is really beginning to feel the effects. Tuition rates at many schools are already astronomically high and students struggle to make ends meet or they come out on the other end with a massive amount of student loans to pay off before they can even find a job. These protests are important and I hope that more campuses and students become involved because right now we are sending mixed messages. We tell students throughout their childhood that they can all go to college; there are laws in place that are intended to provide equal access to education for everyone. How can we maintain those standards when budgets keep getting cut and tuition keeps going up. It boggles my mind that education is always one of the first targets when cutting budgets. A restructuring of the system to make it more efficient may be necessary; however, education is extremely important and should continue to be well-funded. Hopefully these protests will make an impact on the politicians.
In "Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education", I found it interesting that the student at Northeastern University thought his university was becoming "corporatized". His arguement was about using Adjunct professors and non-union workers but it immediately made me think about the many college presidents that come from the corporate world. I looked it up and Dr. Joseph E. Aoun came from academia as a linguistics professor. I suppose more colleges even without trying to run like a business are needing to cut costs and run on less. This directly relates to the first articleabout pledges falling short. Students shouldn't have to take up the burden of costs, but the money has to come from somewhere.
The Sherpa article was interesting and I can see how many of us might want to stay away from such an invasive and spoonfed piece of technology. USF currently uses a social media program called UConnect that is used for first year students. It acts a lot like facebook, but if a student answers questions that trigger concern, New Student Connections tries to get in contact with someone in housing or their University Experience instructor to keep an eye out and offer support if needed. Additionally, UConnect sent out an email to its users saying that it was time to start making appointments with your academic advisors regarding Spring registration. It is not as tailor made as the Sherpa program, but USF does use this to help its first year students.
The article on student rallies shows how budget cuts in higher education is affecting the people it is supposed to benefit...the college students. In the US, a large sum of our federal funding is going towards failed and overly-supportive initiatives that force the government to cut back on the programs that do help people. What is even more frustrating about this issue is that students do go to college to make themselves better, to help themselves get the help they need to advance in society. Unfortunately, with the decrease in federal funding and rising tuition costs, students will be presented with a bigger challenge to afford the college experience with little government support. There seems to be a disconnect with rising tuition costs, decreased federal funding and family incomes that are somewhat plateauing. Eventually, something needs to happen where all of the factors listed above even out. I think for the students to speak out and organize these rallies will have an effect with government official to fight for educational funding.
After reading the article about Sherpa, I began to think of what a great opportunity this program would be for students. I say this because it has the opportunity to serve as a great portal for students to become more involved at their university by linking them up with available resources (i.e. the honors college and tutoring services). It would also be beneficial to students because it would keep them on track by providing them with tips for when they are falling behind in the registration process for classes and possibly other areas. I think the most positive thing about the Sherpa is its ability to understand a student’s personality by looking at student trends and such. I believe that this would make students more comfortable and at ease knowing that their university cares about them by trying to meet their needs.
I enjoyed the article about the rallies held in many areas of the country. It is not just students that are at the rallies, but staff, faculty and schoolteachers. One question that arises from all the rallies about budget cuts and universities ways of compensating for them is whether or not there be any reaction or change from the state or institutions. Institutions should work on finding ways to balance the loss of funds so students do not feel like cash cows. The article mentioned Berkely students feeling this way after the institution raised student fees and increased out-of-state admissions. After learning about all the different funds that can be used towards initiatives in ecology Tuesday, it seems much more complicated to find ways to raise money for certain programs. This also relates to the article about pledges falling short. I would think it wise for institutions to build only once they have a certain amount of funds already in hand for the building, but even if they have some of the money they can’t be certain the rest will come through.
I appreciate the article about the rallies for public education. I love when students gather collectively to make a positive statement. I think it needs to happen more across the country. Kudos to the staff and faculty as well. Our government doesn't do the best job at teaching folks how to spend money. So when money is allocated I think Universities need to really look at how/what the money is spent on. And if students aren't happy with the "quality" education they are paying for they should continue to make noise and put pressure on the government.
The NCAA article about Transgender athletes is cool. I'm glad this is being discussed. I do think there should be a national standard and deep consideration for inclusion safety. I think this nation wide discussion will educate and open the minds of many.
I found the transgendered article interesting. I think it is a very complicated area that is on the rise.We have seen a little bit of this surface in the past Olympics, and many were stirred up by it. I am curious to see how far this will go. The area of sport in this article was track and field. What about when female-male transgendered play football? What will the safety issues be, there are already health issues/injuries dealing with male football players.
I read and appreciated the article, “Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations.” The feature where it can recommend services and facilities to students could prove very useful. It is not always the case that students need help, but the ability to always be recommended assistance will offer the student a sense of inclusion or “mattering”, in that the university had the foresight to consider their potential needs. It can be taunting for some students to continually seek the advice of an advisor or department head. It can also be frustrating for some students to receive bad grades and assume that they’re already tapping into all the resources that university offers. A program like this would be great for those initial steps a student could try to take on their own and attempt before seeking counsel. For many students, they are in a state of denial when things start turning south and assume it’s their environment rather than anything that they are doing that could be influencing their disposition. Also, for students who are stable in their grades, the benefit of being made aware of special programs would seek to have them excel further. All in all, this initiative would provide supplemental service for students to consider alongside that of an actual advisor.
I love the idea presented in the article "Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations." If colleges and universities are going to start emphasizing the use of technology this is a great way to go, with a system that really supports students. I especially like the involvement aspect that was mentioned because, at large and midsize institutions this can be an area where students struggle. For students who are independent and like to take their course planning, etc. fully into their own hands this software sounds like it will allow those students to do so without risking missing details that could derail them. Since this system seems to do a portion of the work that is done by academic advisors, the integration of the system into the professional's work will be an important consideration when introducing the software.
I appreciated the articles on budget cuts in higher education. As others have stated, it is great that students are protesting these cuts. It was also interesting to read in “When Pledges Fall Through…” that the lack of funding does not end with state cuts. This is an especially hot topic with the elections nearing and Florida state universities increasing tuition. With the increase bringing Florida tuition averages closer to the national average, I’d be curious to see how the spending trends at Florida institutions differ from those at other large state universities and if private donations played a significant role in offsetting tuition costs as well.
Two of the articles that Brent chose complement one another. The articles about “When pledges fall short” and “Students turn out in defense of Public Education” both focus on the extremely challenging fiscal uncertainty facing higher education. Sometimes the simplest solution to revenue needs is to seek a successful corporate partner. The unexpected inability of Lehman Brothers to fulfill the pledge to Spellman highlights the uncertainty of reliable corporate support. However, more important than anything else is the ability of Spellman to respond effectively to the unfulfilled pledge. The Univ. of South Carolina had a remarkably simple and effective response to their donor shortcomings; reevaluate the project and delay progress until they have “cash in hand”. This may seem unreasonable when a university is trying to fulfill its “strategic vision for planning growth. But in reality, sometimes you have to readjust timelines or scale back expectations. Every individual must be “realistic” with their personal budgets and often that means changes or delays to goals or wants. Regardless of the funding source: federal, state, corporate, private, alumni, higher education providers must become more proactive and realistic. Proactive meaning that there must be new institutional policies established to reduce the risk of uncertain revenue streams and realistic responses the shortfalls. One example of a realistic response might be to attempt a student supported fundraising campaign each semester. A “week of giving” campaign can build school pride and financial support through the small donations of current students, WITH pre-arranged matching donations by alumni foundations or corporate partners. A week of serious fundraising from students who occupy the campus could attract the notice of other funding sources to match or multiply the student collection. Clearly, the budget crisis issue is not going away, and the response is critical. Protests draw attention but creative fundraisers draw attention and raise money.
The "Transgender Athletes, College Teams" article got my attention because I didn't even realize this was a problem or not regulated by the NCAA yet. Like most people who commented on this article, I think that the NCAA needs to come up with set regulations for this issue. According to the article, as it stands now, there isn't any formal policies regarding transgendered athletes just some imposed thoughts. I found two considerations mentioned in the article to be fair regulations. I thought the comment about waiting a year for the hormone pills to kick in before switching to a different sex team was a good idea. Also, I thought the remark about women being able to switch to male teams, but males not being able to switch to women teams was another valuable point. I think men are a lot stronger than women and it would not be fair to have them switch right over to a woman's team without valid documents and accurate judgments from coaches or athletic directors. However, I do believe there should be opportunities available for all transgendered people to play sports in college.
I found the article about Sherpa to be informative. It’s great to see a form of technology that can do such a wide scan of so many possibilities to meet your needs. I can’t imagine what will come next. Will a program be able to order my groceries next based on my preferences? I think it’s a step in the right direction in aiding students in college and class searches. However, I think it will cater to folks who wait until the last minute or don’t know how to plan properly for college. It may produce a generation of people who cannot research and make big decisions for themselves. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this can be used to help employers find job candidates or help students find internships. There are many possibilities with programs like these.
Remembering some of the work I did in my undergrad I was drawn to the article, "Transgender Athletes, College Teams." I had a professor that enables us to look at what the NCAA actually regulates and its history of slow decisions over the years. Building off of what Megan said, the NCAA does not have control over a number of issues that are occurring in collegiate sports right now. Just a few years ago there was an incident of a student punching another student after a football game. That student was given a year suspension which was eventually 8 games, 6 games, then 4. In an identical situation with a Michigan player, he was given a 1 game suspension and back on the field the next week. I am not surprised of the issues regarding transgender athletes because it has become a consistency in recent years.
I think it would be interesting to bring this to the attention of our president, Dr. Genshaft. She chairs the board of the NCAA and may have a reason or standpoint that could help clear up some of the controversy we are noticing within the organization.
I think the Sherpa article was awesome. I feel like a lot of students are often unaware of the resources available to them, or some do not feel comfortable going to someone when they need help, or often do not realize that they are not doing as well as they had hoped. I think having a system such as this one that makes valuable suggestions for students,could be very beneficial.I do also believe that some may look at this as an invasion of privacy. Although I think it is a great program students should be given the option of not signing in to Sherpa. I must agree with Scott too. Technology is creating so many possibilities to help students succeed. I can't imagine what will happen in 10 years.
I found the article on transgender athletes to be especially interesting. I first can't believe NCAA doesn't already have a statement or verdict so to say on this issue, I feel like the at this day in age the world and issues of transgender individuals is out there and very progressive. It is obvious though that we still have a lot of progress to make and alot of grey areas that still need clearing up, the world of competitive sports being a big one.
I also found the Sherpa article very fasinating. As Shelly said many students are unaware of the resources available to them. I was a very involved student and I still didn't know about a lot of the resources that were out there. This could be an amazing step forward in the age of technology and the ways we can use it to assist us.
Wow, that article on transgender athletes was pretty intriuing. First off, I must say I found it uplifting that the athlete featured in the article recieved so much positive support from all those around him. Displays like this could have an effect on this issue. I do agree with others that the NCAA should have something in the books on the issue, but from what the article said it seems as though they being pretty fair. I found it interesting that the report quoted in the article recommended female to male changes be allowed to play on either mens or womens teams but not the other way around. Who's to say the female who switches to male would have what it takes to compete with men in NCAA competition? I am not tryin to be sexist, just throwin it out there.
The Sherpa article caught my eye because it shows how many colleges and universities are looking towards technology to help them interact and educate students. I think this is a step in the right direction and something that is necessary if institutions plan on being relevant in the next 15 years.
It really intrigued me how Sherpa can recommend classes like Netflix recommends movies. I think that is a smart move to have such software for students and it helps the students become more interactive and really pick classes they are going to enjoy.
With all the pros for this type of technology one has to wonder about the cons. I could see a couple of mistakes happening with this software and I only hope that when people use it they still do their research and do not blindly pick classes just because a program tells you to. If there is a glitch in the system and dozens of students get transferred to another class or dropped from a class I could see that being a huge crisis the institution would have to deal with. This problem can happen with any type of software, but I see Sherpa being a popular tool and can vision hundreds of students logged on at the same time and the program crashing. I simply hope that the institutions take that into consideration.
The article that resonated the most with me was the one on students standing up for higher education. As I noted in a previous blog post, sadly higher education is becoming "corporatized" and placing more emphasis on the bottom line of dollars instead of educational outcomes and what's best for students and their learning needs. Why is education the first thing to be cut? This is evident at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. When states are running low on funds they look to cut costs on necessary educational programs, which is why I took physical education online, my little sister will never have a music class, and why high school is short for juvenile detention center. At the postsecondary level, the shift has implications for the administration/leadership. As discussed in a prior blog, the shift to hiring administrators with backgrounds outside of student affairs and in more industrial field is both a symptom and a cause of the changing focus . If higher education in America is going to continue being the international standout it is, it needs to resist this as much as possible and refocus on what's best for students and their learning. And America needs to refocus on Education!
It is rather pathetic that education—one of the most essential aspects of our country’s culture and economic prowess—continues to face budget cuts. Yes, times are hard and government needs to make cuts, but there are more reasonable options. How about instead of allowing BP to get tax cuts for drilling in areas they would anyway, we simply get rid of these tax exemptions? It’s a good thought though to think that people care enough to protest these cuts. Sadly, it is probably too little too late. If state’s need to make budget cuts, I think the first thing that should go is unnecessary tax exemptions for wealthy individuals and institutions….
Sherpa seems to be an interesting opportunity for students. By providing students a quick reference point for their education interests, many opportunities abound. While it is somewhat worrisome that students private data is used to market to them, I don’t think this is much of a concern. It isn’t a particular problem as opposed to a slight prospective problem. The potential of the future is great indeed!
The article that interested me is the one about the revenue shortfalls based on donation pledges. I thought that there would be a consistent process for spending money that has only been pledged and not received. I was very surprised that the schools are not more consistent in their applications of the pledges. It speaks to the shortsightedness of the university funding model. Most businesses focus on generating revenue from alternate sources so that a downturn in one economic segment can be offset or maintained in a different area. Higher education income is all hit at once. Although they have multiple revenue streams, they each follow the same path. A good year for the state and federal sources is usually a good year in the private sector also. Unfortunately, a bad year hits all of their sources at once. The students are left facing rising tuition and fees while services are being cut all around them.
Like a lot of people I was interested in the Transgender article, and I found it odd that they do not have a policy on this yet. As this population is growing and many are struggling to find acceptance it is frustrating to think a large organization like this does not have a policy. By leaving it up the the college it puts more pressure on the student to find acceptance then if there was something already there. Like many said, I think it will be interesting to see where they go with their policy.
I found the article on Athletics interesting. Of course with my background in athletics, this is intriguing. I think it's good that the NCAA has identified this problem, and is in the process of making a stance. I think this is a growing problem, that needs to be addressed. I don't think its fair to restrain people from expressing who they feel they are. I believe people should be able to compete how they are. I think the idea of going by driver's licenses is good for now, but I can definitely see where that can become complicated. I think people should be able to play on whatever team they feel most comfortable, and who are we to deny them that?
Ok, so I'm going to drop a grenade here, since I'm the last one to post and all...
I'm a little torn on this article about transgendered athletes. In the article it clearly states that Keelin "wanted to transition from being a woman to a man" and that during his senior year, he "started identifying as a man" - meaning that Keelin made the choice, which is perfectly acceptable in my book.
The part that gets tricky, however, is the fact that there is no policy on this in collegiate athletics - or professionally for that matter. So, who is to stop a man from competing in women's athletics and dominating the competition, or vice versa? Both scenarios are completely possible.
It wouldn't really bother me to see a man lose to a woman or a woman lose to a man. In fact, I think it'd be kind of fun to watch. But then why did we create men's leagues and women's leagues in the first place? Why doesn't Serena Williams compete against Andy Roddick every year at Wimbledon?
Especially with the use of steroids, performance enhancing drugs, and other non-natural increases in testosterone or estrogen - how is one to decide what is fair competition and what is not?
Too bad Teddy Roosevelt didn't think of that when he got the collegiate presidents together to form the NCAA years and years ago...
I have four articles this week to read and choose from for discussion. The first two discuss funding and budget cuts. I felt these were tied into our recent discussion in Ecology class as we discussed budget constraints on our campus recommendations and heard over and over again from Dr. Conway and our guests about budget cuts and concerns that affect the university's master plan. These articles are:
ReplyDeleteAs Pledges Fall Short, Colleges Face the Music
As economic uncertainty lingers, fewer donors are willing to commit
http://chronicle.com/article/When-Pledges-Fall-Through/124772/?sid=wb&utm_source=wb&utm_medium=en
At Rallies Across the Country, Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education
http://chronicle.com/article/Students-Turn-Out-in-Defense/124853/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
The third article deals with diversity, and since this was a question on our midterm yesterday I thought this was a good topic to discuss. Although this article has a twist! It talks about transgender athletes and NCAA athletic teams. Currently the NCAA is studying this and leaves the decision up to each college or university (no national standard exists). This topic could prove to be interesting as standards begin to development and more transgender athletes decide to compete in sports.
Transgender Athletes, College Teams
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/10/05/trans
The final article is more for entertainment. Ironically, it discusses a new software program called Sherpa (this one is for you Clara!) that can make recommendations based on student's information.
Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations
http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/like-netflix-new-college-software-aims-to-personalize-recommendations/27642?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
So I was reading the Sherpa article and did not see a great advance in technology until it addressed the student who has not registered for classes yet. Of course all of this will be based off of what information you put into the system, but it think it will be an amazing tool if used by students properly. The thing is creating buy in instead of give in. Once you sell it to the students and they take an interest; it will become a fast growing trend. I would have loved a program during my undergrad that could find a set of classes that fit in with what I needed to take that also worked around my schedule. I will say that I am a fan of this Sherpa program, but I do fear that it will tear students away from being able to do things on their own.
ReplyDeleteI found the transgender in athletic competition very interesting. I think the NCAA needs to make a stance as soon as possible on this situation, although I am aware that much more research is needed in order to do so. I do not think that indentifying yourself as a sex is enough to make you be able to switch to a differnt sex team. Women who identify as males and go though sex hormone therapy should not be able to compete I believe. Women cannot naturally produce enough testosterone to make this change so anabolic steriods are necessary in order to do so. Now weather it is your intention to or not, steroids provide a competitive advantage for athletes. With the big push to test and ban steroids, I do not think it should be legal for anybody to take them, even with the clearance they were asked for. I am interested to see the stance that the NCAA takes on this issue.
ReplyDeleteI think the Sherpa could be a really good idea but then again how much are we going to baby people. We need to stop bringing everything to their computer and get students out and let them discover things themselves. I think the idea could be good for some but I think I would be kind of offended if my friend got an email to get into honors programs and I got one to talk to a tutor. It may be helpful but I am a fan of having students discover things themselves, you learn much more that way I think
As far as the rallies across the country go, I have to give creativity points to LSU at Baton Rouge for their “education funeral” display. I was unaware that a “National Day of Action to Defend Public Education” even existed, but I will say I am glad it does. It gives an organized opportunity to students, faculty and staff who disapprove of the budget and program cuts. There are so many great programs out there that deserve funding and are not receiving it. Kudos to everyone who participated.
ReplyDeleteEven though I was drawn to the Sherpa article, I thought the transgender article was the most interesting. I agree with Lisa that there should be an official position for the NCAA on rules for transgendered athletes as soon as possible. It is unfair to keep these student athletes guessing what the outcome will be if they are transitioning while playing a collegiate sport. It is a complicated situation and its something that was normally not talked about or discussed. Diversity and acceptance is something that all college campuses are striving for and the population of transgendered students is growing. With more and more transgendered student athletes becoming open about their journey, it is necessary to address how institutions will handle those students, and have it be a standard all across the board. It is key through this whole process to provide support for the transitioning student as well as their sports team that may be affected.I think students who are going through this process are brave and should be given all the consideration when creating new standards within the NCAA.
ReplyDeleteThe Sherpa article was very interesting! I think that's exactly the type of thing that colleges should have been using for years. There's already a system in place that is passive about your personality and likes/desires (BlackBoard), so why not jazz it up a bit? The copious amounts of information that people haphazardly feel comfortable putting on facebook will finally be working for you in a positive way! Think about it, every time you type something, upload a photo, evaluate a professor, or sign up for a class, you input more data and the system "learns" about you and can offer specialized and individualized content that you might find useful. Google is doing this. Facebook is doing this. So, why not your university? The only problem I see is the issues about your privacy, but you’re probably more protected by your university mining data about you then you are with the rest of the world because you have more legal protections with education. Overall, this idea gets my seal of approval (I know, impressive).
ReplyDeleteI think the article on pledges falling through goes nicely with our conversation last week in ecology. Planning for a university is tough and it doesn’t seem like there are any perfect answers to funding new projects. When the University of Iowa built its new Rec Center some students weren’t happy with the new fee they had to pay, but I think they would have been more upset if the project never happened. And now with state budgets being what they are it’s hard to imagine any public school being able to get a firm idea of what new projects are reasonable. It gives me new appreciation for the people in charge of the USF master plan (and master planning at many universities) it seems like a tough job that requires reevaluating and reexamining almost constantly, along with the ability to be creative and flexible in project planning.
ReplyDeleteThe transgendered student-athlete article brought up some good points about student inclusion, diversity and equality. It is interesting to note how difficult it is to even come near providing equality for the teams & students. The NCAA's non-stance makes the disparities even more glaring. The factors of hormonal treatment, gender specific bylaws & other specifications make it really difficult to see a way to make things "fair" or "equal." I also wonder how student-athletes who did not find their teams to be supportive feel about NCAA regulations. How do their experiences and perspectives compare?
ReplyDeleteI think that the Sherpa article is very interesting, however isn't college about learning what you want to do as well as what you do not want to do? I understand that it will look at a students grades and point them in the correct direction, but how much should we be spoon-feeding a undergraduate? High school maybe, but in college they should be doing things on there own now. It seems as though this technology could eliminate some of the positions which we are in our program of study to obtain.
ReplyDeleteA student is not going to learn if we are doing everything for them. While it is important to point them in the right direction, I do not think that we should be giving them all the answers. It is also important to take a variety of subject material to ensure they know what they do and do not like about the major and field of study. Not just what they enjoy. This way, especially in economic times like we are in right now, they have better chances of obtaining a job when they graduate since they have a more rounded education.
My thoughts are great idea, but students need to do things themselves in order to learn and grow.
The article about student rallies in defense of public education was really interesting to me. Unfortunately, in the current economy budgets are being slashed everywhere and higher education is really beginning to feel the effects. Tuition rates at many schools are already astronomically high and students struggle to make ends meet or they come out on the other end with a massive amount of student loans to pay off before they can even find a job. These protests are important and I hope that more campuses and students become involved because right now we are sending mixed messages. We tell students throughout their childhood that they can all go to college; there are laws in place that are intended to provide equal access to education for everyone. How can we maintain those standards when budgets keep getting cut and tuition keeps going up. It boggles my mind that education is always one of the first targets when cutting budgets. A restructuring of the system to make it more efficient may be necessary; however, education is extremely important and should continue to be well-funded. Hopefully these protests will make an impact on the politicians.
ReplyDeleteIn "Students Turn Out in Defense of Public Education", I found it interesting that the student at Northeastern University thought his university was becoming "corporatized". His arguement was about using Adjunct professors and non-union workers but it immediately made me think about the many college presidents that come from the corporate world. I looked it up and Dr. Joseph E. Aoun came from academia as a linguistics professor. I suppose more colleges even without trying to run like a business are needing to cut costs and run on less. This directly relates to the first articleabout pledges falling short. Students shouldn't have to take up the burden of costs, but the money has to come from somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThe Sherpa article was interesting and I can see how many of us might want to stay away from such an invasive and spoonfed piece of technology. USF currently uses a social media program called UConnect that is used for first year students. It acts a lot like facebook, but if a student answers questions that trigger concern, New Student Connections tries to get in contact with someone in housing or their University Experience instructor to keep an eye out and offer support if needed. Additionally, UConnect sent out an email to its users saying that it was time to start making appointments with your academic advisors regarding Spring registration. It is not as tailor made as the Sherpa program, but USF does use this to help its first year students.
The article on student rallies shows how budget cuts in higher education is affecting the people it is supposed to benefit...the college students. In the US, a large sum of our federal funding is going towards failed and overly-supportive initiatives that force the government to cut back on the programs that do help people. What is even more frustrating about this issue is that students do go to college to make themselves better, to help themselves get the help they need to advance in society. Unfortunately, with the decrease in federal funding and rising tuition costs, students will be presented with a bigger challenge to afford the college experience with little government support. There seems to be a disconnect with rising tuition costs, decreased federal funding and family incomes that are somewhat plateauing. Eventually, something needs to happen where all of the factors listed above even out. I think for the students to speak out and organize these rallies will have an effect with government official to fight for educational funding.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article about Sherpa, I began to think of what a great opportunity this program would be for students. I say this because it has the opportunity to serve as a great portal for students to become more involved at their university by linking them up with available resources (i.e. the honors college and tutoring services). It would also be beneficial to students because it would keep them on track by providing them with tips for when they are falling behind in the registration process for classes and possibly other areas. I think the most positive thing about the Sherpa is its ability to understand a student’s personality by looking at student trends and such. I believe that this would make students more comfortable and at ease knowing that their university cares about them by trying to meet their needs.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the article about the rallies held in many areas of the country. It is not just students that are at the rallies, but staff, faculty and schoolteachers. One question that arises from all the rallies about budget cuts and universities ways of compensating for them is whether or not there be any reaction or change from the state or institutions. Institutions should work on finding ways to balance the loss of funds so students do not feel like cash cows. The article mentioned Berkely students feeling this way after the institution raised student fees and increased out-of-state admissions. After learning about all the different funds that can be used towards initiatives in ecology Tuesday, it seems much more complicated to find ways to raise money for certain programs. This also relates to the article about pledges falling short. I would think it wise for institutions to build only once they have a certain amount of funds already in hand for the building, but even if they have some of the money they can’t be certain the rest will come through.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the article about the rallies for public education. I love when students gather collectively to make a positive statement. I think it needs to happen more across the country. Kudos to the staff and faculty as well. Our government doesn't do the best job at teaching folks how to spend money. So when money is allocated I think Universities need to really look at how/what the money is spent on. And if students aren't happy with the "quality" education they are paying for they should continue to make noise and put pressure on the government.
ReplyDeleteThe NCAA article about Transgender athletes is cool. I'm glad this is being discussed. I do think there should be a national standard and deep consideration for inclusion safety. I think this nation wide discussion will educate and open the minds of many.
I found the transgendered article interesting. I think it is a very complicated area that is on the rise.We have seen a little bit of this surface in the past Olympics, and many were stirred up by it. I am curious to see how far this will go. The area of sport in this article was track and field. What about when female-male transgendered play football? What will the safety issues be, there are already health issues/injuries dealing with male football players.
ReplyDeleteI read and appreciated the article, “Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations.” The feature where it can recommend services and facilities to students could prove very useful. It is not always the case that students need help, but the ability to always be recommended assistance will offer the student a sense of inclusion or “mattering”, in that the university had the foresight to consider their potential needs. It can be taunting for some students to continually seek the advice of an advisor or department head. It can also be frustrating for some students to receive bad grades and assume that they’re already tapping into all the resources that university offers. A program like this would be great for those initial steps a student could try to take on their own and attempt before seeking counsel. For many students, they are in a state of denial when things start turning south and assume it’s their environment rather than anything that they are doing that could be influencing their disposition. Also, for students who are stable in their grades, the benefit of being made aware of special programs would seek to have them excel further. All in all, this initiative would provide supplemental service for students to consider alongside that of an actual advisor.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea presented in the article "Like Netflix, New College Software Seeks to Personalize Recommendations." If colleges and universities are going to start emphasizing the use of technology this is a great way to go, with a system that really supports students. I especially like the involvement aspect that was mentioned because, at large and midsize institutions this can be an area where students struggle. For students who are independent and like to take their course planning, etc. fully into their own hands this software sounds like it will allow those students to do so without risking missing details that could derail them. Since this system seems to do a portion of the work that is done by academic advisors, the integration of the system into the professional's work will be an important consideration when introducing the software.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated the articles on budget cuts in higher education. As others have stated, it is great that students are protesting these cuts. It was also interesting to read in “When Pledges Fall Through…” that the lack of funding does not end with state cuts. This is an especially hot topic with the elections nearing and Florida state universities increasing tuition. With the increase bringing Florida tuition averages closer to the national average, I’d be curious to see how the spending trends at Florida institutions differ from those at other large state universities and if private donations played a significant role in offsetting tuition costs as well.
ReplyDeleteTwo of the articles that Brent chose complement one another. The articles about “When pledges fall short” and “Students turn out in defense of Public Education” both focus on the extremely challenging fiscal uncertainty facing higher education. Sometimes the simplest solution to revenue needs is to seek a successful corporate partner. The unexpected inability of Lehman Brothers to fulfill the pledge to Spellman highlights the uncertainty of reliable corporate support. However, more important than anything else is the ability of Spellman to respond effectively to the unfulfilled pledge. The Univ. of South Carolina had a remarkably simple and effective response to their donor shortcomings; reevaluate the project and delay progress until they have “cash in hand”. This may seem unreasonable when a university is trying to fulfill its “strategic vision for planning growth. But in reality, sometimes you have to readjust timelines or scale back expectations. Every individual must be “realistic” with their personal budgets and often that means changes or delays to goals or wants.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of the funding source: federal, state, corporate, private, alumni, higher education providers must become more proactive and realistic. Proactive meaning that there must be new institutional policies established to reduce the risk of uncertain revenue streams and realistic responses the shortfalls. One example of a realistic response might be to attempt a student supported fundraising campaign each semester. A “week of giving” campaign can build school pride and financial support through the small donations of current students, WITH pre-arranged matching donations by alumni foundations or corporate partners. A week of serious fundraising from students who occupy the campus could attract the notice of other funding sources to match or multiply the student collection. Clearly, the budget crisis issue is not going away, and the response is critical. Protests draw attention but creative fundraisers draw attention and raise money.
The "Transgender Athletes, College Teams" article got my attention because I didn't even realize this was a problem or not regulated by the NCAA yet. Like most people who commented on this article, I think that the NCAA needs to come up with set regulations for this issue. According to the article, as it stands now, there isn't any formal policies regarding transgendered athletes just some imposed thoughts. I found two considerations mentioned in the article to be fair regulations. I thought the comment about waiting a year for the hormone pills to kick in before switching to a different sex team was a good idea. Also, I thought the remark about women being able to switch to male teams, but males not being able to switch to women teams was another valuable point. I think men are a lot stronger than women and it would not be fair to have them switch right over to a woman's team without valid documents and accurate judgments from coaches or athletic directors. However, I do believe there should be opportunities available for all transgendered people to play sports in college.
ReplyDeleteI found the article about Sherpa to be informative. It’s great to see a form of technology that can do such a wide scan of so many possibilities to meet your needs. I can’t imagine what will come next. Will a program be able to order my groceries next based on my preferences? I think it’s a step in the right direction in aiding students in college and class searches. However, I think it will cater to folks who wait until the last minute or don’t know how to plan properly for college. It may produce a generation of people who cannot research and make big decisions for themselves. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this can be used to help employers find job candidates or help students find internships. There are many possibilities with programs like these.
ReplyDeleteRemembering some of the work I did in my undergrad I was drawn to the article, "Transgender Athletes, College Teams." I had a professor that enables us to look at what the NCAA actually regulates and its history of slow decisions over the years. Building off of what Megan said, the NCAA does not have control over a number of issues that are occurring in collegiate sports right now. Just a few years ago there was an incident of a student punching another student after a football game. That student was given a year suspension which was eventually 8 games, 6 games, then 4. In an identical situation with a Michigan player, he was given a 1 game suspension and back on the field the next week. I am not surprised of the issues regarding transgender athletes because it has become a consistency in recent years.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to bring this to the attention of our president, Dr. Genshaft. She chairs the board of the NCAA and may have a reason or standpoint that could help clear up some of the controversy we are noticing within the organization.
I think the Sherpa article was awesome. I feel like a lot of students are often unaware of the resources available to them, or some do not feel comfortable going to someone when they need help, or often do not realize that they are not doing as well as they had hoped. I think having a system such as this one that makes valuable suggestions for students,could be very beneficial.I do also believe that some may look at this as an invasion of privacy. Although I think it is a great program students should be given the option of not signing in to Sherpa. I must agree with Scott too. Technology is creating so many possibilities to help students succeed. I can't imagine what will happen in 10 years.
ReplyDeleteI found the article on transgender athletes to be especially interesting. I first can't believe NCAA doesn't already have a statement or verdict so to say on this issue, I feel like the at this day in age the world and issues of transgender individuals is out there and very progressive. It is obvious though that we still have a lot of progress to make and alot of grey areas that still need clearing up, the world of competitive sports being a big one.
ReplyDeleteI also found the Sherpa article very fasinating. As Shelly said many students are unaware of the resources available to them. I was a very involved student and I still didn't know about a lot of the resources that were out there. This could be an amazing step forward in the age of technology and the ways we can use it to assist us.
Wow, that article on transgender athletes was pretty intriuing. First off, I must say I found it uplifting that the athlete featured in the article recieved so much positive support from all those around him. Displays like this could have an effect on this issue. I do agree with others that the NCAA should have something in the books on the issue, but from what the article said it seems as though they being pretty fair. I found it interesting that the report quoted in the article recommended female to male changes be allowed to play on either mens or womens teams but not the other way around. Who's to say the female who switches to male would have what it takes to compete with men in NCAA competition? I am not tryin to be sexist, just throwin it out there.
ReplyDeleteThe Sherpa article caught my eye because it shows how many colleges and universities are looking towards technology to help them interact and educate students. I think this is a step in the right direction and something that is necessary if institutions plan on being relevant in the next 15 years.
ReplyDeleteIt really intrigued me how Sherpa can recommend classes like Netflix recommends movies. I think that is a smart move to have such software for students and it helps the students become more interactive and really pick classes they are going to enjoy.
With all the pros for this type of technology one has to wonder about the cons. I could see a couple of mistakes happening with this software and I only hope that when people use it they still do their research and do not blindly pick classes just because a program tells you to. If there is a glitch in the system and dozens of students get transferred to another class or dropped from a class I could see that being a huge crisis the institution would have to deal with. This problem can happen with any type of software, but I see Sherpa being a popular tool and can vision hundreds of students logged on at the same time and the program crashing. I simply hope that the institutions take that into consideration.
The article that resonated the most with me was the one on students standing up for higher education. As I noted in a previous blog post, sadly higher education is becoming "corporatized" and placing more emphasis on the bottom line of dollars instead of educational outcomes and what's best for students and their learning needs. Why is education the first thing to be cut? This is evident at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. When states are running low on funds they look to cut costs on necessary educational programs, which is why I took physical education online, my little sister will never have a music class, and why high school is short for juvenile detention center. At the postsecondary level, the shift has implications for the administration/leadership. As discussed in a prior blog, the shift to hiring administrators with backgrounds outside of student affairs and in more industrial field is both a symptom and a cause of the changing focus . If higher education in America is going to continue being the international standout it is, it needs to resist this as much as possible and refocus on what's best for students and their learning. And America needs to refocus on Education!
ReplyDeleteIt is rather pathetic that education—one of the most essential aspects of our country’s culture and economic prowess—continues to face budget cuts. Yes, times are hard and government needs to make cuts, but there are more reasonable options. How about instead of allowing BP to get tax cuts for drilling in areas they would anyway, we simply get rid of these tax exemptions? It’s a good thought though to think that people care enough to protest these cuts. Sadly, it is probably too little too late. If state’s need to make budget cuts, I think the first thing that should go is unnecessary tax exemptions for wealthy individuals and institutions….
ReplyDeleteSherpa seems to be an interesting opportunity for students. By providing students a quick reference point for their education interests, many opportunities abound. While it is somewhat worrisome that students private data is used to market to them, I don’t think this is much of a concern. It isn’t a particular problem as opposed to a slight prospective problem. The potential of the future is great indeed!
The article that interested me is the one about the revenue shortfalls based on donation pledges. I thought that there would be a consistent process for spending money that has only been pledged and not received. I was very surprised that the schools are not more consistent in their applications of the pledges. It speaks to the shortsightedness of the university funding model. Most businesses focus on generating revenue from alternate sources so that a downturn in one economic segment can be offset or maintained in a different area. Higher education income is all hit at once. Although they have multiple revenue streams, they each follow the same path. A good year for the state and federal sources is usually a good year in the private sector also. Unfortunately, a bad year hits all of their sources at once. The students are left facing rising tuition and fees while services are being cut all around them.
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of people I was interested in the Transgender article, and I found it odd that they do not have a policy on this yet. As this population is growing and many are struggling to find acceptance it is frustrating to think a large organization like this does not have a policy. By leaving it up the the college it puts more pressure on the student to find acceptance then if there was something already there. Like many said, I think it will be interesting to see where they go with their policy.
ReplyDeleteI found the article on Athletics interesting. Of course with my background in athletics, this is intriguing. I think it's good that the NCAA has identified this problem, and is in the process of making a stance. I think this is a growing problem, that needs to be addressed. I don't think its fair to restrain people from expressing who they feel they are. I believe people should be able to compete how they are. I think the idea of going by driver's licenses is good for now, but I can definitely see where that can become complicated. I think people should be able to play on whatever team they feel most comfortable, and who are we to deny them that?
ReplyDeleteOk, so I'm going to drop a grenade here, since I'm the last one to post and all...
ReplyDeleteI'm a little torn on this article about transgendered athletes. In the article it clearly states that Keelin "wanted to transition from being a woman to a man" and that during his senior year, he "started identifying as a man" - meaning that Keelin made the choice, which is perfectly acceptable in my book.
The part that gets tricky, however, is the fact that there is no policy on this in collegiate athletics - or professionally for that matter. So, who is to stop a man from competing in women's athletics and dominating the competition, or vice versa? Both scenarios are completely possible.
It wouldn't really bother me to see a man lose to a woman or a woman lose to a man. In fact, I think it'd be kind of fun to watch. But then why did we create men's leagues and women's leagues in the first place? Why doesn't Serena Williams compete against Andy Roddick every year at Wimbledon?
Especially with the use of steroids, performance enhancing drugs, and other non-natural increases in testosterone or estrogen - how is one to decide what is fair competition and what is not?
Too bad Teddy Roosevelt didn't think of that when he got the collegiate presidents together to form the NCAA years and years ago...