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Universities and the Poverty Narrative. By convincing students they’re destitute, colleges are breeding government dependence.
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | September 29, 2023 | Elizabeth Weiss

Posted on 10/01/2023 11:36:22 AM PDT by karpov

Universities are supposed to prepare young people to become independent by teaching them critical thinking and preparing them for careers. When a young adult enters university, we expect him or her to come out prepared to handle life as an independent and resilient adult. However, it seems to me, after nearly 20 years teaching at San José State University (SJSU), including living on campus for two years as a faculty-in-residence, that universities are creating a dependency on government systems.

Creating dependency is done in a variety of ways. One way is by treating students as children. This treatment retards their maturation. At SJSU, I saw this often. The University Health Center held Saturday morning cartoon events for students to attend in pajamas while they ate cereal and watched television meant for kindergartners. The movies the university showed often included the latest animated children’s film, like The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

When I attended universities in the mid-1990s, we were shown films such as the 1970 cult classic The Honeymoon Killers. Cartoons and other forms of children’s entertainment, such as bouncy castles, were not sponsored by the schools I attended. If we wanted to relive our childhoods, it would be on our dime and time—as it should be.

While I was a faculty-in-residence, I treated students as adults and encouraged them to rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, I was often alone in these endeavors, as the other faculty members held friendship-bracelet nights, hosted hair nights, and sponsored petting zoos.

Another method to ensure the raising of a dependent generation is safeguarding students from offense.

(Excerpt) Read more at jamesgmartin.center ...


TOPICS: Education
KEYWORDS: college

1 posted on 10/01/2023 11:36:22 AM PDT by karpov
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To: karpov
I was astonished when a couple guys at my college said they were on Food Stamps, which we apparently all qualified for, by voluntarily not working, by going to school.

I was working my way through, and said I didn't know this welfare approach was possible.

They added that they even had all their schooling paid for, via Pell Grants and such.

Even their housing was free!

I was a sucker.

2 posted on 10/01/2023 11:40:46 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: karpov

The idea that college is to prepare for a career is how we got in this mess in the first place.


3 posted on 10/01/2023 12:03:53 PM PDT by Romulus
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To: ConservativeMind

I went to college in the 70’s, and IIRC, in Michigan, students getting food stamps was specifically prohibited.


4 posted on 10/01/2023 12:08:09 PM PDT by beef (The pendulum will not swing back. It will snap back. Hard.)
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To: karpov; All
Thank you for referencing that article karpov.

"Universities and the Poverty Narrative. By convincing students they’re destitute, colleges are breeding government dependence."


I wouldn't be surprised if teaching government dependence is a requirement for receiving unconstitutional federal funding.

Probably many parents who aren't making sure that their children are being taught the federal government's constitutionally limited powers as the drafters of the Constitution had intended for those powers to be understood doesn't help either.

5 posted on 10/01/2023 12:25:28 PM PDT by Amendment10
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To: All

Gee, the only time anyone in College (and I went to several of them, for way too many years) talked to me about money is when they wanted tuition or money for books (which were way over-priced even for used)......

Oh, and they talked about it a bit in my Finance and Economics courses, although on a much grander scale than getting a few bucks from the government for my own pocket.


6 posted on 10/01/2023 12:47:26 PM PDT by LegendHasIt
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To: karpov

Universities morphed from “Institutes of Higher Learning” into cesspools of disinformation.


7 posted on 10/01/2023 1:39:42 PM PDT by antidemoncrat
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To: karpov
I was poor when I was in graduate school. I scrimped and saved and spent very little on anything.

I thought it was a good experience. In fact, it was one of the happiest times of my life.

Actually, it prepared me for retirement.;-)

8 posted on 10/02/2023 3:11:28 AM PDT by RoosterRedux (A person who seeks the truth with a strong bias will never find it. He will only confirm his bias.)
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