Education can save
future of economy
The United States stands in danger of
developing a "two-tiered" society like
some South American countries with
an elite strata of educated people and a
lower tier of people locked in poverty
because of lack of schooling.
— George Munoz
Chicago School Board president
Michael R. Cowen
Columnist
w,
ith a free trade
agreement between the United States,
Canada and Mexico just around the
comer, Munoz's warning is more
frightening than ever. If the free trade
agreement is passed, high-paying
manufacturing jobs for uneducated,
American workers will disappear. It
will simply be more economical to hire
a Mexican worker who will do the same
job at a lower wage.
However, rejecting the free trade
agreement will only temporarily
protect American workers, because if
Japenese and European companies can
produce products that are just as good
(or better) than American ones, no one
will buy American goods. Not only
would this put American workers out
of work, their employers would be
joining them in the unemployment
lines.
However, the free trade agreement
will bring about many job
opportunities for Americans, but only
for Americans with the education and
skills to make themselves marketable.
For the educated, free trade will bring
an economic boom and a plethora of
jobs. For the uneducated, free trade
will forever trap them in the endless
cycle of poverty many of them have
already entered.
There is only one way to keep
Americans out of the cycle of poverty:
we must keep Americans in school.
About one-fourth of Americans
entering ninth grade never graduate
from high school. In our cities, this rate
is even higher (43 percent in Chicago
and about 50 percent in Boston). If the
drop-out rate continues at this rate, we
will be left with,two choices: support
one-fourth of our population through
our welfare system or l£t them become
a permanent — and dangerous —
underclass (like those found
throughout Latin America).
To solve the drop-out problem, we
need to do two things. First, we need
to make students aware of the
consequences of dropping out. Second,
we need to create opportunities for
drop-outs to resume their education.
To ensure that a student is aware of
the consequences of dropping out,
students who wish to drop out should
have to meet with a counselor. This
counselor should ask them how they
will earn a living if they drop out. The
counselor should then inform them
they will receive no government
assistance of any kind if they drop out
— no welfare, no food stamps,
nothing. The logic behind this is
simple: society has already offered
them a tremendous amount of aid —12
years of free school. By dropping out,
these people reject society's aid. Why
should society go out of its way to help
them any more?
I propose, however, that drop-outs
can receive welfare if they return to
school, but continued payments would
be contingent on good attendance,
discipline and the completion of
schoolwork. The drop-outs do not have
to turn into honor students, but
because they are being given a second
chance, they should be required to
work hard in school. This will help
prevent a bunch of people from
enrolling in school and either not
attending or disrupting the class when
they do attend.
There will be some new expenses if
this program is implemented — the
cost of childcare centers to take care of
the children of the students, the cost of
adult education classes, etc. However,
these costs will be small compared to
supporting generation after generation
of an uneducated, impoverished family
through our welfare system.
We also need to improve our school
system so that students won't want to
leave. However, we need to do this in a
way that does not lower the quality of
education. If we graduate illiterates to
improve graduation rates, we haven't
helped anyone. If real improvements to
our educational system are combined
with making dropping out costly and
unattractive, then America can be a
more competitive, more prosperous
nation.
A final point I want to make is that I
believe virtually anyone can graduate ^ 1
from high school. In Japan, over 90
percent of students complete 12 years
of education in a system much harder
than ours. They are only required to
complete nine years of it. Unless the
Japenese are genetically superior to
Americans, I can see no reason why
Americans can't graduate in the same
numbers. We just need to look back in
our history and teach our children they
need to work to succeed, not just drop
out and take what they are given.
Michael R. Cowen is a senior
psychology major.
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The Battalion ia interested in hearing from its readers and welcomes all letters to the editor. Please include name, classification,
address and phone number on all letters. The editor reserves the right to edit letters for style and length. There is no guarantee
letters will appear. Letters may be brought to 216 Reed McDonald, sent to Campus Mail Stop 1111 or can be faxed to 845-5408.
Student consumer bill is needed
EDITOR:
Not every high school student who graduated this
spring will enroll in a college or university this fall.
Many students want to enter the work force as soon as
possible and hope to do so by learning new skills at a
post-secondary vocational school. Many of these institu
tions are privately owned and operated. Students at
tending these schools rely heavily on guarantees by the
federal government. In effect, this allows the American
taxpayer to subsidize a private business.
That's OK as long as the subsidized business is pro
viding a needed and quality service. If a student relies
on a student loan to attend a career school, learns the
skills necessary to graduate and obtains a job in that
field, then both the student and society benefit. The stu
dent takes a small portion of the earning from his or her
job and repays the loan. If, however, the student ob
tains a loan and attends a school where he or she does
not receive adequate training or gets trained for a job
market that doesn't exist, the student will likely default
on the loan. Then the American taxpayer must step in
and absorb the costs.
The Texas Legislature is moving forward on impor
tant legislation for the student consumers of Texas in
the area of proprietary school regulation. While Texas
students have a choice of many excellent, privately
owned, for-profit career training institutions, they also
must beware of institutions that care far more about a
loan check than the student. Unfortunately, many stu
dents have selected poor quality institutions and have
been victimized rather than helped.
The Texas Legislature, led by the efforts of State Rep.
Wilhelmina Delco, has addressed this situation by pro
posing tough legislation to monitor the state's trade
school industry. The recommendations come from an
18-month long investigation into proprietary schools
chaired by Rep. Delco and Sen. Bill Haley. The bill —HB
2 — strengthens the state's oversight of the proprietary
school industry and requires schools to provide a whole
list of consumer protections information to prospective
students. It is landmark legislation and should be sup
ported and passed into law. Students need the protec
tion this legislation brings to ensure they receive a qual
ity education.
Joe L. McCormick
president
Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corp
Seminar can help seniors
EDITOR:
This letter is in response to Sharon Gilmore's column
regarding soon-to-be graduates and their dismay at the
job market.
For the past two years, the Association of Former Stu
dents and the Career Planning and Placement Center
have offered a one-day "Interview and Resume"
workshop/seminar for graduating seniors. This
workshop is presented by former students of Texas
A&M who return to campus and share their expertise
and skills in areas of recruitment, interviewing tech
niques, targeting the resume, professional ethics and
examples of good and bad job interviews. The purpose
of this workshop is to assist the students arid help them
prepare for their upcoming job interviews. Many stu
dents have indicated they feel they have an "edge"
going through the interview process (and securing a
job) after attending the workshop.
This year's workshop is around the corner and will be
Saturday, Sept. 7, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will in
clude a luncheon ($5 charge). Preregistration is nec
essary and will be Monday through Thursday, Septem
ber 2,3,4 and 5, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the hallway of the
MSC, directly across from the post office. Registration is
limited to the first 250 graduating seniors.
We look forward to working with and assisting the
student body of Texas A&M University.
Jean Herbert-Wiesenburg
Class Programs coordinator
Association of Former Students
Rape cartoon is inappropriate
EDITOR:
I found Mr. Mogonye's July 30 comic strip, Ph.D.,
highly objectionable. Rape is not a subject of amuse
ment, whether the victim is a man or woman. In a re
cent issue of Time magazine, which featured a cover
story on date rape, it was pointed out that approxi
mately 10 percent of all rape victims are men. It is time
the message gets out that all forms of sexual violence are
serious and are not to be tolerated. It is as inappropriate
to find humor in this comic strip as it is to laugh at Clay
ton Williams' joke about the weather.
Paul Herrera '93
Organized activities for today’s youths will help solve gang problem
W,
lappened to the
days when children could play safely
in neighborhoods and parks? The kids
growing up today are not doing "kid
things" anymore. Instead, they're
doing drugs, stealing and shooting
each other. Gangs are increasing
across America at a fast rate.
An article in the Houston Chronicle
on Sunday, "Mean Streets," said the
lack of organized activities and sports
in inner-city neighborhoods has
increased the gang population. The
summer is an eternity for youths with
nothing to do. Some youths join gangs
and "hang out" to alleviate boredom
while others glue themselves in front
of the television.
Our society needs to focus more
time, energy and money on its young
people. We need more good and
supportive activities that will keep
children from wanting to join gangs
and commit crimes.
"The graffiti across inner-city
Houston marks the end of the days
when youths safely used sports and
outdoor activities as their ticket to
success and suburbia," the Chronicle
said.
It's sad to think about the future of
these neglected youths. Children can
be happy with the simplest things in
life. A game of football, soccer or any
organized activity can bring the biggest
smile to a child's face. But without
recreational programs or safe parks,
good children who want to play sports
are lured into the streets. When there
aren't many options, gangs and drugs
look appealing.
A disturbing aspect of the gang
situation is the age of youths involved.
The average age of a gang member last
year was ISVi, according to the
Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Remember
what you were doing when you were
13? Probably not playing with drugs
and knives.
In "Mean Streets," Houston Police
Sharon Gilmore
: : : :
Columnist
"We may spend more money to
build prisons for these neglected
youths to enter in the future than
we would on more recreational
programs."
Sgt. John Black said, "I think it's just
scarier growing up nowadays."
Parks are swarming with drug
dealers where laughing children once
played, according to the article. Few
parks are available for youth to play
sports because of overgrown grass,
and the number of safe, outdoor
basketball courts is disappearing
ouickly. Lack of financing, as usual, is
tne major reason for neglecting the
parks.
Fewer parks and recreation
programs are offered to youth due to
severe cutbacks in the past five years.
The inner-city areas have been hit the
hardest as a result. Schools that once
offered summer recreation programs
don't have the money to continue.
Some organizations are offering
scholarships for kids to go to summer
camp. I was a counselor at a YMCA
camp for four years and came across
many low-income and inner-city
scholarship children from the Dallas
area. They had a harsher vocabulary,
and their family life was usually not
the best, but most of them were good
kids who enjoyed all the activities.
Opponents of closing school facilities
in the summer have made
gymnasiums available for a few hours
each day. A little bit of recreation is
better than nothing. If money were
spent on worthwhile activities for
youths then maybe fewer young
people would join gangs.
Unfortunately the state's budget
doesn't seem too concerned about day
camps and general youth activities.
The state may spend more money in
the long run if children don't learn
good values.
The disrespect for the law that gangs
practice is most likely to continue in
their future. Therefore, we may spend
more money to build prisons for these
neglected youths to enter in the future
than we would on more recreational
programs.
Every person deserves a chance to
succeed in life. An increase in activities
such as organized sports, counseling
groups, day camps and social groups
would enhance the mental and
physical growth of youths.
The future is in the hands of
America's youth. They deserve our
support and guidance toward a better
tomorrow.
Sharon Gilmore is a junior journalism
major.