Colleges in Dire Financial Straits

[permanent imposter]

give painful private lessons to pay bills.

My private lessons are a joy and pay decently.

I will not let you take that away from me.

M.

+1. You do you!

[apl68]

Not the greatest fit into this thread, but I don't think it deserves its own thread yet.

Good news for mahagonny! (bills to eliminate tenure are advancing through both chambers of the Iowa legislature)


I don't imagine that's great news for Iowa universities. (Not that Iowa is best known for its universities, but still.)

Sounds like business and farm groups who understand the importance of good higher education to a state's economy are working to talk legislators out of this.  They'll probably succeed.

[Mobius]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

[dismalist]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

Yeah, it's all in the dialectic, except for the discourse.

[apl68]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

I believe that it's more a sense that tenured college professors are an arrogant, privileged class who need to be cut down to size.  Reflexive denunciation of moronic "rural yokels" is not going to do anything to change that perception.  People know when they're being disrespected and condescended to, and they push back against it.  It's not a good idea for those who ultimately depend on voter support to hold large sections of the voting public in contempt.

[Golazo]

There isn't enough discussion of how tenure allows faculty to insist that students actually do college level work.

[marshwiggle]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

I believe that it's more a sense that tenured college professors are an arrogant, privileged class who need to be cut down to size.  Reflexive denunciation of moronic "rural yokels" is not going to do anything to change that perception.

And that image of professors is reinforced by them engaging in all kinds of protests and making disparaging statements about groups of people that they would be outraged if they were said of other groups.

People know when they're being disrespected and condescended to, and they push back against it.  It's not a good idea for those who ultimately depend on voter support to hold large sections of the voting public in contempt.

The people who complain about "micro-agressions" feel totally unashamed about being intentionally insulting to others, and are either unwilling or unable to see the hypocricy.

[Wahoo Redux]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

I believe that it's more a sense that tenured college professors are an arrogant, privileged class who need to be cut down to size.  Reflexive denunciation of moronic "rural yokels" is not going to do anything to change that perception.

And that image of professors is reinforced by them engaging in all kinds of protests and making disparaging statements about groups of people that they would be outraged if they were said of other groups.

People know when they're being disrespected and condescended to, and they push back against it.  It's not a good idea for those who ultimately depend on voter support to hold large sections of the voting public in contempt.

The people who complain about "micro-agressions" feel totally unashamed about being intentionally insulting to others, and are either unwilling or unable to see the hypocricy.

I been avoiding all conversations such as these as essentially pointless, but I do have to ask, Marshy, specifically what incidents are you referring to?

[marshwiggle]

And that image of professors is reinforced by them engaging in all kinds of protests and making disparaging statements about groups of people that they would be outraged if they were said of other groups.

People know when they're being disrespected and condescended to, and they push back against it.  It's not a good idea for those who ultimately depend on voter support to hold large sections of the voting public in contempt.

The people who complain about "micro-agressions" feel totally unashamed about being intentionally insulting to others, and are either unwilling or unable to see the hypocricy.

I been avoiding all conversations such as these as essentially pointless, but I do have to ask, Marshy, specifically what incidents are you referring to?

Look at any institution where protestors (including academics) have tried to prevent someone speaking. A single example would be Bret Weinstein at Evergreen State, but there are dozens. In many cases, such as that one, professors have even had to leave campus permanaently because of the harassment, which if it were directed at someone in a "victim" category, would have the institution crucified in the media and/or in court.

[Mobius]

Ultimately, these bills aren't about finances. It's by GOP legislators (many of whom are college educated) using it to elicit support from rural "yokels" who hate book learnin'.

I believe that it's more a sense that tenured college professors are an arrogant, privileged class who need to be cut down to size.  Reflexive denunciation of moronic "rural yokels" is not going to do anything to change that perception.  People know when they're being disrespected and condescended to, and they push back against it.  It's not a good idea for those who ultimately depend on voter support to hold large sections of the voting public in contempt.

GOP legislators also do a great job in pushing that narrative in that "all faculty" are lefties looking to push a commie agenda. Maybe tenure is a good idea for conservative professors, too.

[secundem_artem]

At the state level, Republicans have both houses and the governorship.  Federally, both senators are Republicans.  Iowa went for Trump in 2016 and 2020.  In the 2020 elections, the 4 congressional members went from 3 Democrats and 1 Republican to 1 Democrat and 3 Republicans.

It seems that all the leftist academics allegedly poisoning young minds are doing a piss poor job of it.

[kaysixteen]

apl is certainly correct, and I have tried to point this out to secular lefty friends of mine, esp highly educated ones, who fall into the trap of doing exactly this, esp to evangelicals.

That said, ah, er.... well, it is unquestionably ALSO TRUE that these types of folks look down on college professor types, people who value booklarnin', etc., more or less just as much as the latter look down upon the former. One cannot have one's livelihood and basic values regularly and ignorantly reviled by a class of people, without beginning to develop some negative feelings towards the revilers, even if one did not hold such views originally.   Indeed, the ever increasing percentage of  GOP voters, who, when polled, think college and college education is bad for America, demonstrates that this chasm exists, and the bad thinking, lack of knowledge and critical analysis skills happily demonstrated by these people does deserve rebuke, even if such rebuke is often ham-fistedly done.

[Hegemony]

Both sides in this debate undoubtedly think the other side started it — profs think the country folk hated them first, and country folk think the profs hated them first. Neither side sees any reason they should be the first to stop. However, we also shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush. I do know a country gentleman who resented the way people from the coasts referred slightingly to "flyover country." "They're all the same out there," he would say, it not occurring to him that he was indulging in the same stereotyping that he was complaining of. I do know people in both groups who understand the subtleties of the other group. After all, there are a non-negligible amount of people who started out in poor rural areas and are now professors. I'm one of them.

[dismalist]

Hatfield - McCoy

[Mobius]

A lot of resentment comes from a combination of identity politics that gets splashed all over conservative news websites, voters not seeing how college benefits them (directly or indirectly), and the overall cost of higher ed. The irony is most faculty aren't fans of ideological conformity and are concerned about rising costs that also didn't put money into their pockets.

I understand the resentment that could come from the second factor I mentioned.

Iowa only has three public universities with two R1s. The sad part is you see this resentment toward regional comprehensives that try to serve local populations with "affordable" tuition.