News
Students Give up Wheels for Their Own Two Feet
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/27/world/europe/27bus.html?ref=health
Saturday, March 28, 2009
In Lecco, Italy, students are encouraged to walk to school rather than be driven by their parents; the schools have gone so far as to eliminate busses and instead set up routes for the children to walk to school. Each morning, a ‘bus driver’ walks to each of the stops to collect the children from that part of town, and the group continues, exactly like a bus—but without the vehicle itself. The system was set up to help reduce childhood obesity and carbon dioxide emissions, and it is estimated that, so far, over 100,000 miles of total driving have been saved. Most of the routes that the children walk are under a mile in length, but walking has a larger impact than might have been anticipated; the families of the children who walk in the mornings have begun walking more places as well. Not everyone participates, however; some students simply live too far to walk, and some parents feel that it is more convenient to drive. Additionally, on rainy or snowy days, some parents choose to drive their children. Although the walking routes and ‘buses’ have not eliminated driving, they have reduced carbon emissions and are encouraging children to learn to not be dependant on cars. Some other parts of Europe and a select few cities in America—including Boulder—have begun encouraging students to walk more, as well.
I love the idea of setting up ‘bus’ routes, complete with ‘bus’ drivers, for students to walk to school; it would make parents more comfortable with the idea of their children walking, as it would ensure the child’s safety and that he or she would make it to school without getting lost. Perhaps if a system like this existed in more places, more parents would encourage their students to walk to school. Additionally, when it’s done in a group, more of the children would want to walk so that they could interact with other children. Unfortunately, it’s not perfect. Even if this occurred here, it’s unlikely that I ever would have participated, as I attended Stargate rather than the public schools the other kids in my neighborhood went to, and I go to Legacy because of the L2K program. I live five miles from the school. It’s honestly not that far, but it takes a long time, and school starts at seven. A few times, I have considered biking to school on late-start days when the weather is nice, but I usually need to plan ahead for this. Although it might not have worked for me, I think that systems such as that in Lecco ought to be established in more places throughout Europe and America. To simply encourage walking might not change much, but if actual routes, complete with ‘drivers’ were set up, things might begin to change.
To Keep Students, Colleges Cut Anything but Aid
By Kate Zernike
February 28, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/28/education/28college.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper
Everyone has been impacted by the economic downturn, including private universities. Although some are expecting financial aid to decrease, most private colleges are planning on increasing financial aid to help students and prospective students who can no longer afford the tuition costs. While this seems illogical, it actually makes perfect sense: a school cannot function without students. In the last year, some universities have found themselves with fewer students than anticipated and have lost money. If colleges lose enough students, they are often forced to cut classes, fire staff members, and lower tuition costs. The lowering of tuition sends a very strong message and, ironically, can result in the university losing prospective students. It is therefore more logical for the universities to offer more financial aid in the hopes of winning over prospective students. Many of the universities have done other things to save money; they’ve stopped hiring, frozen salaries, and halted plans for expansion. Additionally, they must be very careful about how much financial aid they give. By not giving enough, they lose students. By giving too much, they lose money. Additionally, some schools are changing how they distribute the aid; some give aid based on need, so that poor families are more likely to receive help, and some give based on merit, so the best students attend that college. Many have struck a balance between the two or are becoming more balanced in hopes of gaining more students.
While it’s obvious that this is not a ‘good’ thing, it is good for me and most of my peers. The college I want to attend is tiny and has about the same number of students as Legacy. That’s Reed College, in Portland, Oregon, and I can only imagine that Reed is desperate to keep students. Additionally, the tuition at Reed is very expensive and I would not be able to attend without financial aid. My family is not poor by anyone’s standards, but my parents could never afford $40,000 a year with no help, especially not now. Still, even with financial aid, if I intend to attend Reed, I’m almost certainly going to have some debts. I’m not sure if Reed gives more money based on need or based on merit, but I intend to keep my GPA above 4.0 and to do as good as I possibly can on the ACT and SAT, mostly because I want to do my best, but also because I realize that I’m more likely to be given a scholarship or aid if colleges want me to attend their school.
The fact that some schools have stopped hiring and have frozen salaries could affect me, too, though. I want to be either a teacher or a professor; I want to teach math. I would hope that by the time I’m ready to begin working, the economy has recovered some; but in some countries the Great Depression lasted more than ten years. In ten years I will probably need a job, and if I intend to teach, it would be nice if there were positions available to me. This seems like a strange thing for me to be worrying about at the moment; I still have a year of high school and at least six years of college ahead of me before I become fully educated, so why should I worry now? The truth is that I’m really not that worried, but the universities’ change in attitude will affect me in more ways than one.
Obama’s Inaugural Speech
January 21, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/20/us/politics/20text-obama.html?em
Obama discussed many things in his inaugural speech: the economic crisis, how certain policies will be changed, how he intends to work with the Middle East, America’s varied background, American ideals. Although his words were eloquent and his speech was very well received, to many it makes little difference what he says. A republican friend of mine said she would respect him when she saw results, an attitude I can understand very well. However, I also think that inspiring words can often make a great difference; few remember every protest that Martin Luther King Jr. led, but nearly everyone knows the words “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed…” Additionally, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent…” are well known words. A well delivered and well received speech can sometimes make a very large difference.
But it is not just the speech that mattered; what makes a larger difference is what it represents. Bush’s term ended at noon yesterday, and America is now being led by a very different man with very different ideas. Many nations celebrated on November 5th, 2008; even if almost half of America did not want Obama to be elected, most of the rest of the world did, and the fact that he has now taken office will, hopefully, help to remedy the relationships America holds with other nations. Additionally, America now has, for the first time—but not the last—a President whose skin is not white, whose father was Muslim, then Atheist, and whose family was often poor. The fact that America finally, almost a hundred and fifty years after the civil war, elected an African-American man to be president means that America has come a long way towards ending racism.
