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Show H COLLEGE COSTS DON'T SPRING BREAK: the silent killer I MATCH EXPERIENCE as anyone else noticed that the U is totally fleecing us? If you saw the latest email about the proposed tuition increase, you'll know what I'm talking about. I was not at all relieved to read that "it is the University's goal not to raise tuition more than 3.5 percent ... per semester for resident undergraduate(s)."The university's goal should be to provide the very best education to as many students as possible, but we all know that is not the primary aim of secondary education. Colleges and universities are businesses, plain and simple. If their true function was to cultivate a more educated populace then school would be free. And in my opinion, it should be. The value of my college education hasn't been rising each semester since I enrolled, yet the costs of tuition have. When I enrolled in 2010, in-state tuition was $2,408. It has gone up every semester without fail, and by last Fall Semester it had risen to$3,093. It makes absolutely no sense that I should be forced to pay an increasingly higher price for the same product, which was overpriced to begin with. In fact, I would argue that the value of my future degree has actually gone down since I've been in college. Every year the oversaturated job market is flooded with more desperate, debt-laden college graduates. Of course, the U has used my extra money to invest in a handful of wonderful new facilities, like the beautiful new business building and the fancy fitness center. But I cannot afford a membership to an unnecessarily ornate gym, and it's criminal that the university makes me pay for one as part of my "education."That gym, and even the new business building, have nothing to do with my education, nor do they improve it in any way. Future potential employers aren't going to be impressed that I graduated from a school that has an 180,000-square-foot gym with half a dozen basketball courts and a pond-sized jacuzzi. The U isn't constantly constructing extravagant edifices for the student's benefit. Students don't have much of a say. Sure, stylish, shiny structures with luxurious lounge areas and chic cafes are great, but I only have access to those amenities for the four to five years I'm in school. And I'll still be paying for them 20+ years down the road. Education is the cornerstone of democracy and a prerequisite for social equality. A democratic society cannot function without an educated constituency. As education continues to become prohibitively more expensive, our political system continues to become alarmingly more aristocratic. The silk-gloved grip of the wealthy minority tightens around the neck of the increasingly indebted majority. Not only do universities themselves indiscriminately fleece students, but the government loan programs do too. My an- nual interest rates have fluctuated from over four percent to nearly eight percent while I've been in school. Meanwhile, the federal discount rate, the rate banks pay when they borrow money from the government, has ranged from .5 percent to .75 percent. And I've never even asked to be bailed out! In fact, I couldn't be bailed out of my student loan debt if I tried, or even if I died. A bank or a corporation can claim bankruptcy and all their debts disappear, but student loan debts can almost never be forgiven. Unbelievably, benefactors of deceased debtors can inherit the costs of unpaid college loans. The cumulative total of my loans, especially after the interest compounds a few times, is going to be astronomical. College is supposed to advance the lives and enhance the freedoms of smart, hard-working people, but it is effectively creating a population of indentured servants. That was not the intention of the college institution when it was established. The purpose is supposed to be to raise up generations of intelligent citizens capable of participating in the political process and enhancing the quality of our nation's workforce. Yet it seems our government is more interested in waging mindless foreign wars, subsidizing corporate conglomerates and securing plush executive positions for aging politicians, than in facilitating democracy, fostering equality or furthering the collective knowledge of the constituency. letters@chronicle.utah.edu he U's Center for Stress Control released a statement this week sympathizing with the many students overwhelmed with the stress of planning for Spring Break. According to Jane Oscar, the resident tranquility expert, there have been over 200 reports this week alone of students overcome with stress from planning their rigorous Spring Break activities. Spring Break is historically a week of intensity that the academic world reveres and treats with great respect. The Spring Break Hall of Fame at the U is dedicated to honoring those students who go above and beyond expectations for their Spring Break activities. This is an honor coveted by a majority of students as it is an accolade that will guarantee any student's future career and acceptance into the graduate school of their choice. Two years ago, the Hall of Fame had one additional name added. Robert Bludodge, a senior studying the migration patterns of sorority members, had spent three years planning and perfecting the perfect Spring Break project. In order to raise funds, Bludodge spent several hours, even sacrificing classes, to petition potential sponsors living in houses valued over $300,000. He succeeded in raising the funds for his project, including a donation to him personally as an independent cash scholarship. His Spring Break project expanded upon his dedication to his focus of study. After a rigorous audition process, Bludodge selected a group of 40 sorority members and took them to a series of major cities throughout the country to observe where the members thrived best. His study is results concluded that the top three cities with the best desired results for sorority members were Las Vegas, Los Angeles and, surprisingly, Branson, D C ■ f-N co co 0 0 10 { THECHRONY I NEWS I OPINION I ARTS I SPORTS I FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2015 } L Mo. Bludodge was featured on several local and national publications, extolling his dedication and initiative to such a groundbreaking and involved academic study. Unfortunately, however, this has set a very high expectation for other students who are hoping to win a spot in the Spring Break Hall of Fame. The candidate last year who received the most nominations was unable to receive her award as she was institutionalized for extreme PTSD due to the planning and events of her Spring Break project. Due to the dangers and overwhelming pressure students feel regarding their plans for this hallowed week, the Center for Stress Control has been working non-stop for the last month to set up tables and reach out to students to spread awareness of safety measures. Their well-known pamphlet, "So Your Spring Break Plans Are Causing Heart Palpitations," educates students to take care of themselves while handling the stress. Several professors have united in compassion towards their students and have set up the Professors for Spring Break Initiative. As part of this program, professors spend quality time as personal advisors with students who are able to confer with these respected instructors to receive guidance in planning their Spring Break Projects. This contributes to the slight alleviation of overwhelming stress felt by students, understood by the professors who have gone before them. According to Gene Black, a member of this new initiative, "We professors remember our own extremely stressful Spring Break projects. Back then we did not have resources like the Initiative available to help us, and the demand for exceptional, revolutionary ideas has only increased. We hope to assist students so that they may succeed with their Spring Break experiences and, in turn, sufficiently manage their stress." letters@chronicle.utah.edu ue to the recent snowfall, it is now undeniable that global warming has been a hoax this entire time. Utah's recently discovered 2015 winter has served as a wonderful reminder to all of us that climate isn't really changing. The mutual exclusivity of snow and global warming is a well-documented scientific fact. This truth is known by the science-literate population and by conservatives from all walks of life. Utah is a prime example of willingness to adopt and champion these new findings. One local voter told The Daily Utah Chronicle, "The lack of snow almost had me convinced of that `global warming' thing, but then I saw some snow. I knew I shouldn't have doubted what Pat Robertson told me." This discovery was foreshadowed by prominent senator James Inhofe (R-OK), whose famous biblical refutation of global warming and snowball defense have been lauded for their scientific accuracy and factual content. When asked about how he came up with such strong theories, Inhofe said, "I prayed day and night to Ronald Reagan. He gave me the revelations I have shared with you. Reagan bless you." Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was also reported as saying, "The recent snowfall is like any snowfall from my childhood, so the climate can't possibly be changing!" This recent conclusion, however, has been met with stark opposition by the denialists on the political left. Science watchdog Jim Rogers said, "The left has manipulated numbers to give the impression that there is an overwhelming majority of scientists who believe in this global warming crap. If they did a bit of research, they would know that over 31,000 scientists signed a petition to reject global warming. Thirty-one thousand is not a small amount, so this whole 'overwhelming majority' is obviously made up." When asked for comment about the recent findings, Green Party figurehead and environmental activist Roseanne Barr, responded by foaming at the mouth and passing out. The rampant denial of the clear facts, while strong and incessant, has been combatted with expert precision by great minds such as Alex Jones and Glenn Beck. At a recent CPAC event, Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) artfully and simply explained how wrong the left is to deny the facts when he said, "Since he talked about global warming at his inauguration, I found it ironic that the President was wearing a trench coat. It was so cold, but he's talking about global warming." In response to a quote by John Kerry, evangelical television host Pat Robertson refuted Kerry by saying, "I don't know where Kerry has been spending his time, but maybe he's so wealthy they have a special house that has tropical plants in it so he feels like he's in the tropics, but for the rest of us, it's been cold as the Dickens!" It would seem evident that global warming is a lie, but the opposition continues to deny clear scientific truth. This denialism by the left is, unfortunately, something all of us need to be vigilant against if we are to properly defend the facts. letters@chronicle.utah.edu 11 |