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Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas
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Today is Thursday,
August 21, 2008  |
 Created and Designed by Jonathan Smith, Sul Ross Senior Why You Are (Or Should Be) In CollegePeople come to college for many reasons. Maybe you're here because your parents expected it of you, because you wanted to put off the real world another four (or five) years, because you just wanted to edify yourself, or more likely, because you've been told your whole life that going to college will help you earn lots of money. All of these things are common, but none of them are why you should be enrolled. What follows is a twenty-year-old, degreeless person's opinion of the purpose of college, so keep that in mind (I preface as though I fear people will blindly follow my advice otherwise). First, college should help you find what you like and are good at and then equip you with the skills required to earn a living at it. That's all one thing because each part is necessary. You may be good at caring for horses and able to make a fine living at it, but if you hate everything that walks on four legs, equine science is probably not for you. You may enjoy playing football and get coached up to know how to do everything right, but if your talent isn't NFL-caliber, making that your main focus as a career will only lead to failure. Likewise, enjoying and having an inclination for teaching is useless unless you're also taught how to educate others. Second, college should help you meet those with whom you can form lasting relationships. It's not the only place by any means, but it's one of the best places to meet wildly different people similar to yourself. That is, much more than your hometown or high school, college is diverse and pulls in people from a much broader spectrum than you'd interact with otherwise. But you're also likely to find many more people who share your interests, especially your most passionate interests. This is important as it relates to finding friends, sure, but it's even more important when it comes to finding potential mates. Opposites may attract, but it's awkward to sit across from someone at the table of a restaurant booth for one night when you have nothing to talk about. How much more so the kitchen table for forty years? Finally, college is a great place to meet (ultimately) influential people. The first two reasons given have been primarily related to personal happiness, but this is almost wholly practical. People who go to college tend to be more successful than those who don't. On a personal level, this helps you not at all, but as far as playing the averages, it can help a lot because it means you might be able to get a job from those people some time in the future. Or more indirectly, you may find it easier to get a job because their parents put in a good word for you, or a fellow alumnus has a tendency to favor graduates of his or her alma mater when interviewing. It's easy to get unrealistically optimistic in this way, but it is true that having a diploma (even if it's in underwater basket weaving) and your university's reputation have a huge impact on where you land your first job. The most important thing about all this is that college is not for some people. High school counselors can't say it, but if you love selling things and can make a living pitching cell phones or cars, by all means, you should go and do it. If your passions lie outside college's scope, those you have things in common with probably will as well. The influential people in your occupation may not be at a university; they may be in your workplace, so what better place to meet them? A public library card is a lot less expensive than a diploma, and it's possible to put off the real world and edify yourself for much cheaper than whatever tuition is raised to next year. You shouldn't go to college or feel bad if you drop out rather than throwing more money down the drain, if down the drain is where you're throwing it. But if you're here at college and reading this, I'll assume you're supposed to be here. Just keep in mind why you're enrolled. God willing, most of us still have sixty years ahead of us. There's more to life than money (great as money is), and more to college than grades (important as they are). You can't put a price on doing what you love, or an institution that enables you to do it. Texas, Our Texas"Texas, Our Texas! All hail the mighty State! The official state song of Texas was adopted by the Legislature in 1929. It expresses the optimism and idealism that made our state one of the most powerful and influential in the United States. Many of us still feel enormous pride in our state, but pride and optimism without rational thought is superficial and self-delusional. For a sober view of Texas, read "Texas on the Brink, Distant Dream: How Texas Ranks among the 50 States," January 2007, 3rd edition, compiled by Senator Eliot Shapleigh, El Paso. Some of the key ratings and facts from Senator Shapleigh's release appear below. For the full study and all source citation, visit http://www.borderhealth.org/files/res_880.pdf. Texas is 1st-5th (top 10%) in the following categories: Texas is 46th-50th (bottom 10%) in the following categories: Open Space Protection (50th) • Tax Revenue Raised per Capita (49th) • Tax Expenditures per Capita (50th) • Per Capita Spending on: Mental Health (46th), Parks and Recreation (49th), Police Protection (48th) • State Arts Agencies (48th) • Percentage of Children Immunized (49th) • Amount of Welfare and Food Stamp Benefits Paid (47th) • Minutes of Daily Care by Registered Nurses for Nursing Home Residents (46th) • Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance (50th) • Percentage of Women Who Have Had a Dental Visit within the Past Year (48th) • Rate of Women Aged 18+ Who Receive Pap Smears (47th) • Women's Voter Turnout (49th) • Average Net Worth of Household Assets (48th) • Amount of Money that Banks Located in the State Collect through Deposits in Relation to the Amount of Money the Banks Re-channel Back into Communities through Loans (48th) • Percentage of Workforce Represented by a Union (48th) • Homeowner's Insurance Affordability (50th) • Residential Electric Bill Affordability (50th) Key Facts: If you find this profile of Texas disconcerting and a bit frightening, what can you do? Becoming informed about the issues that affect you, writing to your representatives in state government, and voting are the means to transform our state back into one in which our pride is not misplaced. Carlos Uresti is the senator for Texas Senate District 19. Pete Gallego is the representative for Texas House District 74. Their contact information is below. Carlos Uresti District Address Alpine District Office |
Nov. 8 , 2007 Vol. 85, No. 10 News Features Sports Opinion Main Page
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