tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post8820857867739959390..comments2024-03-22T01:06:23.845-07:00Comments on Confessions of a College Professor: Student (sic) Athlete Says UNC Is BogusDoomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-34312087681870033642014-06-28T12:56:55.012-07:002014-06-28T12:56:55.012-07:00Hey, I'm something of a journalist myself; I u...Hey, I'm something of a journalist myself; I used to earn $1000 a month freelancing, decades ago. Now I'm lucky if I break $30 in a month.<br /><br />That said, I don't understand how "journalism" is an actual degree program on many campuses...I can do as well as most journalists without any such slip of paper.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-33818229544503910662014-06-28T12:36:28.333-07:002014-06-28T12:36:28.333-07:00It has been apparent for some time that the Powers...It has been apparent for some time that the Powers That Be want the legal right to import endless numbers of low-wage workers into the US to replace virtually everyone.<br />Due to the internet and blogs, journalists have seen their job prospects and earning power diminished. Because it affects their pocket books and their bottom lines, journalists are very aware that lower-cost competitors are crushing the market for their skills (such as they are).<br />Yet these same journalists seem to be ignorant of the fact that these economic realities affect Americans who are construction workers, restaurant workers, and STEM workers.<br />Which is why I am not sad to see the profession of ‘journalist’ go the way of typesetter. They are, by and large, worthless SOB’s.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04330558772895201278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-158641936723072072014-06-26T12:53:24.011-07:002014-06-26T12:53:24.011-07:00Heh, I guess there's just no way to get the id...Heh, I guess there's just no way to get the idea across here. Ah well.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-68902113613973411142014-06-26T12:50:46.736-07:002014-06-26T12:50:46.736-07:00Because of the difference between some online scam...Because of the difference between some online scam and what looks like a legitimate degree from a recognized institution of higher education. It's the recognition that matters. I'm not showing the "certificates" I earned on the Babbel.com site even though I'm really taking their language lessons seriously and the courses are not free. If Harvard provided bogus degrees for bogus courses, they would still be worth much more than the Babbel certificates or scam online degrees.Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-18823926242200517022014-06-26T12:23:54.672-07:002014-06-26T12:23:54.672-07:00And again, I'm confused. Everyone who wants a ...And again, I'm confused. Everyone who wants a degree can already get one, there are loads of sites that will sell degrees for a couple hundred bucks right now.<br /><br />Since you accept that joke degrees are fine, and you can already get those...why is it morally OK to forcibly take money from me to get a more expensive joke degree?Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-76460866435418019112014-06-26T11:55:02.694-07:002014-06-26T11:55:02.694-07:00My assumption is that everybody who wants a degree...My assumption is that everybody who wants a degree should be able to get one. If the degree is a total joke, the student will suffer the consequences (such as not getting a job) or the student just needs a piece of paper (for instance, because the student's future is otherwise secure but a degree is practically a must nowadays).<br /><br />You seem to assume that the student would just go away instead of taking other courses and perhaps costing the taxpayer more money by failing and retaking courses. Then, instead of a joke degree, the student may end up with no degree at all. Isn't it better to get the degree the easy way?Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-18022548755817102972014-06-26T11:27:19.593-07:002014-06-26T11:27:19.593-07:00I have to concede considerable confusion here. Sup...I have to concede considerable confusion here. Suppose a legitimate course costs $1,000.<br /><br />Based on this price, how much money should be forcibly taken from me to allow a student to go into debt for a bogus courses at a bogus institution? Is $500 stolen from me at gunpoint for this purpose fair to you? <br /><br />I just don't understand how price factors into this, from a moral point of view...Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-11794866282541313792014-06-26T11:13:28.943-07:002014-06-26T11:13:28.943-07:00But bogus courses don't necessarily cost more ...But bogus courses don't necessarily cost more than serious courses. They may even cost less. Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-65801964219798960242014-06-25T22:05:33.868-07:002014-06-25T22:05:33.868-07:00I tend to agree with you, people should totally be...I tend to agree with you, people should totally be allowed to do even incredibly stupid things with their money. On the other hand, should I be forced to loan money to a "student" so he can buy a bogus course? Should tax dollars also be forcibly taken from me to build a public institution selling bogus courses, which I also pay for?<br /><br />UNC is a public institution; it's your tax dollars paying for a bogus institution with bogus students taking bogus courses. I think it's reasonable to complain about that, and to ask that things change.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-76249369706228776432014-06-25T21:55:14.409-07:002014-06-25T21:55:14.409-07:00If someone is willing to knowingly pay for a cours...If someone is willing to knowingly pay for a course that is not very good or even for the opportunity to play the student role on occasion (going to class once in a while, meeting one's so-called classmates and professors, doing easy coursework or getting others to do it as part of the "course", etc.), that's OK. People are paying for all kinds of odd things. If someone is misled into taking such a course when s/he really wanted a serious course, there is a problem. However, I don't see why one should not be able to knowingly choose a so-called bogus course. If someone is willing to pay, it must obviously meet a need. If a so-called student really does not learn anything, regular employers will notice or the required skills don't have much to do with the course. However, athletes may not even have such concerns. They may never need a regular job.Monicahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08103879727877816655noreply@blogger.com