Saturday, March 25, 2006

Wow! Thanks for your Comments!

My C-SPAN appearance this morning garnered an unbelievable 25 emails, almost all positive. This for a show that aired from 8:45-9:30 am! Lots of people asking for help and advice and I know there is a huge need out there.

This is one of the best news I've gotten-- a small indication that this work is making a difference:

I heard you on Minnesota Public Radio a few weeks ago and used much of your logic in a proposal I made to our recent DFL caucus. The proposal asked that the ratio of Annual Tuition/minimum wage at UM at Duluth (UMD) be returned to the 1952 ratio (when I started college) which was: $99/$1.19. The proposal was accepted and is going to the next level (county) on 4/1.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I greatly enjoyed the C-SPAN dialogue on education this morning. I am a graduate student in physics at the University of Wisconsin, and the information the panel presented confirmed several of my experiences and views on the financial system. I enjoyed your comments on the investment costs of education, but I felt that the 'worth' of an education is a matter of perception, and that that perception may vary with time.
I have two additional comments based on personal experience. First, I droped out of college due to fear of loans and incurring debt I could not pay. I enrolled in the military and eventually found scholarships, grants, and loans to pay for my education. A degree was important enough to me that I eventually figured out that it was worth entering into debt to get it. I simply wish that there had been more information available to help me make that decision. Second, I think most people don't realize that if you pursue graduate study in the physical sciences and math, the universities incur most if not all of the cost of tuition. In fact, I don't know a single physics, chemistry, or math graduate student who pays tuition or does not receive living expenses from their department. I know that people aren't aware of this because when I speak with students in other departments they are usually shocked to hear the benefits that I receive. Maybe there would be more interest in these fields if prospective students realized the low cost of obtaining a degree.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anya,

I saw you this morning on C-Spann. I think that you did a good job but I must take somewhat of a different tack. I'd like to address the national debt issue and I've written a short piece on it (15,000 words; an evening, no more) I'd love to send it to you if you think that you might be interested. Every challenge has an answer; not a complete answer, but a possible answer. I'd love to share the idea that America takes responsiblity for those who have not been conceived so that they have a brighter future when they face their demons and demogogues. I've got some thougths on that and I'd love to let you in on it if you thought that if might be useful. Just drop me line. (It's a FREE book for you)

Sincerely,

L.J. Simmons ljsimm@sbcglobal.net
316 789 8349

Anonymous said...

Re Doug Overland's proposal to return the "Annual tuition/Minimum wage" to the 1952 ratio: Does he propose deconstructing UMD to its 1952 version--with barebones dorms, cafeterias, athletic facilities, computerless-campus. With only a handful of student counseling services, no women's hockey team, and on and on?

Anonymous said...

holy smokes. you're absurdly gorgeous, brilliant, and are angry about the right wrongs. get ready to become an "it" girl for at least a little while.

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