Posted on 05/28/2009 2:48:58 AM PDT by Scanian
Over the Memorial Day weekend, many college administrators attended a conference about the absence of men on today's college campuses and expressed concern about the negative experiences and unprecedented challenges facing college men today.
The "2nd Conference on College Men" at the University of Pennsylvania featured sessions examining the implications of negative comments about men that are prevalent on college campuses and the sexist campus activism of participants in the nation's 500 college gender studies departments. The conference program, attended by about 100 professors and student affairs personnel, exposed some unpleasant facts: men are "overrepresented" in drug and alcohol abuse, violations of campus regulations, and acts of violence and sexual assault, and they are "underrepresented" in academic programs and campus leadership activities.
Over the past couple of decades, the male-female ratio on campuses has been changing dramatically. Women outnumber men by a 4-3 ratio on college campuses. Men currently make up only 43 percent of college graduates.
In short, many today acknowledge that there is a crisis of the disappearing educated male.
Some experts claim that the imbalance begins in the public schools, where recess and physical education are being cut. More active boys are at a disadvantage, they say, when there is no outlet for their energy and restlessness. In addition, Title IX programs have hurt men's athletics with the less profitable men's sports being cut (over 400 men's collegiate athletic teams have been cut since Title IX went into effect) in order to fund women's programs.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
The secondary effect of all this is the decline in enrollment in the “traditional” male majors: science and engineering. Even 30 years ago when I was an undergrad, fully half of our professors in EE were from Taiwan/Hong Kong. The doctorate program was filled with foreign-born students because there weren’t enough domestic students applying. The school tried to recruit me into grad school, but I declined, completing my MS after going to work. Today the problem of filling technical slots has shifted down into the undergrad ranks. My grad work was done at Santa Clara University, and I saw where they are actively recruiting high school students, because of the lack of applicants to the Computer Science undergrad program...
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Another stat they don’t add in is that a huge percentage of female college grads (something like 40%, don’t know the exact number) end up being full time mothers/housewives.
I remember an article from a few years ago that had the president of Harvard bemoaning the fact that like half the women who graduated from HARVARD didn’t work full time.
Lets not forget that the bias against men has reached the point that more women graduate from law school, medical school, and graduate school now. Women now out earn men in many career fields, and for the 1st time in history there are more women in the work force nationally then men.
Oh, for God’s sake please medicate boys with some more Ritalin in grade school. Got to medicate out that evil manhood. LOL. Everyone has to be Adam Lambert now.
Absolutely. One thing I've found as I've grown older is that just about everyone has something they know a lot about. They may know nothing about computers, but can rebuild an air-conditioner. Both skills are critical in the modern society. I think it's a real shame that the "trades" are looked down upon by so many. I appreciate my mechanic because he has applied himself to learn the ins and outs of mechanical things in a way I've never had time to. I'm a professional computer nerd, who will gladly fix his computer if he'll fix my motorcycle.
I think we should run you for President. ;-)
I paid my own way through college and didn’t go to an Ivy league university... I don’t think I would qualify, but thanks for the invite.
See, you just keep looking better and better ! ;-D
From my Alma Mater no less! Nice to see some folks still have balls at U of C (albeit in the nebbishy manner of most U of C male students).
Leave it to them to inject race into the mix.
I agree with a lot of what the author has said, but I will add this:
My older generation wanted to be CEOS, the upcoming generation wants to be owners of companies. Lots of reasons for this switch but many younger people have no intention of working for a company that may or will replace them with an H1b employee for one third the price, or will be replaced by out sourcing, or will be subject to periodic layoffs or will be replaced by technology. There is a long list that extends beyond the above written list.
Many are not willing to pay a large sum of money and 5 years of their life for a degree that will result in a 15 year career that becomes difficult after the age of 40.
They will go to college, but they will do so for specific courses and information and may never bother to get a degree.
They will hire those female college graduates and pay them well, but ultimately those college grads will always be employees. Because that is what they were taught.
The upcoming generation’s belief is:
“If you’re an employee, you’re a failure.”
Would also recommend “The Death Of The Grown-Up” by Diana West as a companion read.
The female predominance is not seen at the most selective colleges, there it is more like 50:50.
Excellent work by you and your husband. Another thought, when the boys get to be mid-teens and finish with Scouting, is to consider volunteering with one of the local service branch auxiliaries. Here in San Diego we have the Civil Air Patrol (USAF auxiliary) and the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The CAP takes them pretty young (age 14 I think) and is quasi-military in that the youths wear uniforms and drill. The Coast Guard Auxiliary is real-man stuff — working the radios, riding the boats, carrying out duty. I think the minimum age for the Coast Guard Auxiliary is 16. Depending on where you live there may be associated organizations for the other service branches.
Whatever it is, recognize that your boys need men and not just their Dad, uncles and grandparents. They need other men whose role model they can also observe. I am technical and business-oriented so I am lousy at fix-it guy stuff around the home. But it would do my son well to be volunteering in a Coast Guard shop and watch a technician use a lathe or fix an electronics box. Or, to get to know an MP at a guard post and listen to him talk about his duty.
Good luck to you and your family. God bless.
bttt
Office Space is a perfect reflection of how the modern workplace is.
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