It's Home Stupid Home, but the 'Clods' Can Read

NYTimes ^ | Feb. 17, 2004 | Barbara Novovitch

[paulklenk]

ALPINE, Tex., Feb. 16 — The first indication that Dr. Larry J. Sechrest's neighbors and students had read his article titled "A Strange Little Town in Texas" was when he began receiving death threats and obscene phone calls and his house was vandalized.

The article by Dr. Sechrest, an economics professor at Sul Ross State University, was published in the January issue of Liberty, a small libertarian magazine with a circulation of about 10,000 and only two local subscribers, one of whom is Dr. Sechrest. But it was weeks before people heard about it in remote Alpine, which is three hours from the closest Barnes & Noble, in Midland, Tex.

The article lauded the beauty of West Texas, the pleasant climate, the friendliness and tolerance of the locals. But Dr. Sechrest, who has a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Texas, also contended that "the students at Sul Ross, and more generally, the long-term residents of the entire area, are appallingly ignorant, irrational, anti-intellectual, and, well, . . . just plain stupid."

Criticizing the academic standards at Sul Ross State University, part of the Texas State University system, he told of a student who, after graduation, typed a note to a favorite professor, saying, "Thank you for all your patients."

In the fall of 2002, his article said, "42 percent of our freshmen had to take remedial classes in reading, writing, or math just to meet the state's ridiculously low standard of `competence.' "

He added, "The taxpayers of Texas have already paid for these kids to learn English and math in middle school, then again in high school, much of which is a review of what they were supposed to have absorbed in previous years."

Dr. Sechrest wrote that he was "prepared to defend to the death the proposition that Sul Ross, and this area of Texas more generally, is the proud home of some of the dumbest clods on the planet."

The article, copied and passed around by the hundreds, led to two anonymous death threats on Dr. Sechrest's office phone, scores of obscene phone calls in the middle of the night, eggs tossed at his home and windows smashed on a car parked outside his house.

In a recent interview, Dr. Sechrest said he never expected the people in Alpine to read the article, nor did he expect such violent reaction.

He thought of his piece as "a Mark Twain sort of thing, meant to be light-hearted," he said. "I can't believe there's such anger — not in Alpine!"

After their initial outrage, however, some of his neighbors and some local business owners decided to "turn lemons into lemonade," as the owner of the Apache Trading Post, Charlotte Allen, put it.

Mayor Mickey Clouse issued a proclamation establishing We Love Alpine Week, which was Feb. 6 to 14. It included a parade on Feb. 7 that drew about 100 people and a rally at the midtown Railroad Park that attracted about 65 people despite a cold snap.

"He's done us a favor," Ms. Allen said, "galvanized the whole area."

She added: "Business has been in a malaise. Now we've had this incredible group effort. We think maybe we'll make it an annual event."

At the Feb. 13 rally, Mayor Clouse encouraged all in attendance to send Valentines to "the occupant" and then gave Dr. Sechrest's address.

Dr. Sechrest, 57, a burly, gray-bearded man, said: "I did not go one step out of my way to throw this in people's faces. Am I going to apologize for it? No. But I never intended to insult them."

He acknowledged he felt frustrated because the Sul Ross president, Dr. R. Vic Morgan, and other university administrators have not, in his opinion, done enough to raise academic standards.

"We're not achieving very much in the way of education," said Dr. Sechrest, a tenured professor who has taught at the university for 13 years. "Half the teachers in my department don't give final tests, so that means they just take an extra week off. Sul Ross does not have top-flight people. There's always pressure on to let kids slide."

Dr. Morgan issued a statement in response to the professor's criticism. "The views of Dr. Sechrest do not reflect the view of Sul Ross State University," he wrote. "We can cite thousands of success stories that include Sul Ross faculty, Sul Ross experiences and Sul Ross diplomas as stepping stones."

"He's entitled to his opinion," Dr. Morgan said in a telephone interview. "We happen to disagree with him."

Asked about Dr. Sechrest's comment on final exams, Dr. Morgan said that all faculty members were encouraged to give final exams. The faculty, he said, has "academic freedom to teach their students. I do not believe that you will find faculty at Sul Ross different in terms of the way they grade students from any other institution in the state. There are faculty who don't give finals; if they choose not to, that's their option."

Last week Dr. Sechrest said he had begun to receive more positive e-mail and phone calls. He noted in particular an e-mail message from a former student.

"As I read your article I found myself laughing out loud and saying things like `amen' and `true,' " the former student wrote. "At the same time I felt somewhat guilty because it really did offend people I really care about. There's no denying these are legitimate concerns. The lack of interest in anything beyond Brewster County lines also baffled me."

The student added, "It is my sincere hope that all involved can extract what is true and good from your article, and get over the rest."

The message was signed, "A former clod."

[paulklenk]

A little amusement for you all, thanks to government education.

[Lancey Howard]

Bump

[wireplay]

Alpine is a piece of paradise. Beautiful, beautiful country. Everyone I met was great but I didn't spend as much time there as I desired. I have my own paradise now but for many years, Alpine was where I could have easily settled down.

A bear to get to though...

[paulklenk]

I was in south Texas recently -- Blanco, actually -- and sure enjoyed some good barbecue there. I'd drive through it for barbecue anytime. I don't know what Alpine is like compared to Blanco, but if it's anything like it, I could never live there.

The state of education in Alpine is probably due to poor government schools. But the parents should not put up with it either, and should make sure their kids get educated with or without the help of government.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"academic freedom to teach their students. I do not believe that you will find faculty at Sul Ross different in terms of the way they grade students from any other institution in the state. There are faculty who don't give finals; if they choose not to, that's their option."

Wow! Talk about being able to get paid for not doing any work! Boy that government teet must taste awfully nice to those Academiacs. It's time to start weening them off of it if you ask me.

[GeronL]

In this respect Texas is no different from any other state in the country

[GeronL]

I think we need a $3,000 tax credit for people who send their child to a private school.

[paulklenk]

I agree.

[paulklenk]

What we need are vouchers, and more community-run schools with authority to fire teachers who don't teach. Of course, we need parents who have decided it is their primary duty to educate their own children, instead of passing the buck to someone else.

[GeronL]

You'll see that when vouchers are created the private schools will be forced to conform to government standards.

Then your in the same boat as now.

[lonewacko_dot_com]

Alpine is at the far end of nowhere. There's nothing south of it except ghost towns and Big Bend National Park. You need to drive 70 miles to the nearest larger city, Fort Stockton. All Fort Stockton has is a four-mile long business strip off 10 with a Dairy Queen, a Sonic, a McDonald's, a Wal*Mart, a bunch of cheap motels (the East Indian-owned ones on the east side aren't as bad as you might expect for the price), and a Chinese restaurant.

Alpine has a bunch of art galleries and it even has a WiFi hotspot at a trailer park. I was in the area for a few days, but I didn't think the people there were any dumber than people would be in such an environment. It's also near a university observatory, so people from a larger institution than Sul Ross are in the area.

Now, the people in Fort Ross...

[wireplay]

Blanco doesn't look like Alpine. Very different. I still like the area though but I wouldn't live in Marfa, Blanco, or Ft Stockton. Alpine is special.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

We surely need something because if college is going to continue to be the cesspool of American institutions by promoting everything under-the-sun crap and less about an actual education you can better believe I will send my kids to vocational schools instead. Far better for them to learn a skill than deal with the radicals in the universities indoctrinating young American minds into the mush heads they are turning out.

I can tell you this. I am an IT Consultant and I have seen the garbage first hand by these so called institutions. Oh yeah a degree in computer science/engineering and a company hires them only to find out these mush heads don't even know the basics! I know it happens because I had to take on one of these mush for brains as a technician at a very prominant investment firm and he couldn't even dir a dos directory much less even understand IP addressing and he gets hired by RJR 2 weeks later making $60k.

To tell you the truth they are the reason I am a consultant and not working as a full time IT guy. If it wasn't for these mush heads messing stuff up and companies paying me a fortune to get them out of a jam I would actually have to work with all these morons on a regular 8-5 basis. Nowadays I work maybe the equivalent of 6 days a month and make more money and less headaches and don't have to listen to their ideological indoctrination rants and more time teaching my kids how not to be an idiot like these guys.

You wanna know the real reason why IT has been going overseas? Because people like me who actually know how to do things right take getting less money than a moron as an insult and won't take the jobs for cheap. Serves them right if you ask me. Frankly, I like making $125/hr only to come in and show that little punk with his arse in a bind how to do it right the first time only to know that he won't learn it and I'll be back in a few weeks covering his butt again for another $125/hr. After all he's gotta justify it to his bosses not me.

[GeronL]

wow.

These companies should learn from these mistakes, but they don't fire these people?? Why don't they just hire them from deVRY and stay away from the 'liberal arts' universities??

[LibertarianInExile]

College has become daycare for the 18-21 set. We just send kids there as if there is some value to them learning to be communists. Would that reality allowed people to be hired for their ability instead of their little pieces o' paper!

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"These companies should learn from these mistakes, but they don't fire these people?? Why don't they just hire them from deVRY and stay away from the 'liberal arts' universities??"

Number one reason why most of these morons arn't fired in small to medium sized businessess. Nepotism and the second is below.

Number one reason in large corporate America is the legal issues. HR has to spend a fortune in man power trying to catch incompetence first then another fortune in man hours trying to find a legal way to give them 40 last chances to get it right as to avoid any possibility of percieved discrimination.

India and Pakistan don't have such rigourous policies and even less legal recourses. It's domestic law and social policies that promote keeping incompetant people in the work place and it is systemic.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"College has become daycare for the 18-21 set. We just send kids there as if there is some value to them learning to be communists. Would that reality allowed people to be hired for their ability instead of their little pieces o' paper!"

I bet if the kids had to pay for their college or at least pay their parents back for it more of them would spend less time socializing and more time studying or at least demand a refund when they are old enough to see that they didn't actually learn much more than where to troll for the next peice of arse and a good time.

[NathanR]

I bet if the kids had to pay for their college or at least pay their parents back for it more of them would spend less time socializing and more time studying or at least demand a refund when they are old enough to see that they didn't actually learn much more than where to troll for the next peice of arse and a good time.

The ones who are just trolling for nookie are probably hurt less than the smart ones who become true believer Marxists or worse.

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

We are all hurt because of this and the Marxists become the greatest benefactors because they setup the system of safety nets to divert the public's wealth to their own pockets (elitism) to further the theft of our society's ability to produce. I have no sympathy for the true Marxists, only scorn.

If they are hurt the most by their beliefs it is only when the people drive them from their posistions of oppression and to the gallows after they have raped society to the point of revolt. This is how Reagan defeated the Soviet Union. Communism was never truly defeated in the 20th century. It's name was changed. ;^(

[MikeD]

Hey, don't knock Fort Stockton, they also have a Pizza Hut and a Subway!

Seriously, I was driving a Ryder truck with a sounding rocket in the back at the beginning of December and blew a tire 80 miles east of Ft. Stockton. It took two hours for the tow-truck to arrive with a new tire. I'll never forget Mile Marker 334 on I-10...

MD