3-16-11 issue by Concord University

Page 4 March 16, 2011

Opinions

Finding funding without tuition hikes

By Scott Noble

Staff Writer I was reading an article from the Gilmer Press regarding the need for tuition hikes in our two and four-year college tuition rates. Then Governor Manchin proposed a freeze in fees and tuition for at least a year and there seemed to be mixed reactions on the issue. The opposition cited that unless additional funding is found, closures may be the only way to sustain the system. At the same time the “doom and gloomers” are talking about a record-setting enrollment of 93,712 students in our two and four year schools. I’m no rocket scientist or armchair economist, but a record number of enrollees should equal more revenue in itself, should it not? There was a bizarre litany of numbers and percentages thrown out in the story, but this one kind of stuck with me. Mind you, I’ve been around long enough to realize that as time passes, prices do go up, but this is coming off as a “smoke and mirrors” and “the world is toast in 2012” kind of scenario. Granted, we can use the “economy is in the toilet and folks just cannot afford higher rates” argument; however, how in the world can we not find the money to prevent closures and layoffs?

We continue to find funding for stupid remote control cars on Mars (get over it, there is nothing there and we really do not need to know why) and useless earmark-funded teapot museums in North Carolina, yet our higher education system is in peril. Sounds like a shell game or some sort of political ploy. I’m not a conspiracy theorist or anything of the like, but money for our 11 colleges and universities cannot be found without passing the buck (pun intended) onto our students and their families? With over 100 varieties of taxes paid on income, goods, and services are we so broke that this cannot be done? Is it a question of our lawmakers’ economic skills? I am sure the problems are rooted in politics and no one wants to give up any pieces of the pie, but when situations such as this arise it appears to me compromise is the last thing on anyone’s mind. I was fortunate enough to receive a call from a friend of mine who is attending his last term of law school in Boston. Allen is a pretty astute guy and was kind enough to kick around a few things regarding this subject. His field of expertise will be in medical administration law and he made a few good points. First, what is the auditing system used for in our higher

education system? When a new facility is being proposed, is a form of a “certificate of need” being used to justify said need? Are the enrollment numbers being presented current and as accurate as possible (i.e. are students that have dropped out or transferred being counted)? Note to our esteemed admin; my learned friend implies no impropriety, just a question of how is this number determined due to his (and my) lack of information regarding our system. We went on to discuss satellite campuses. In the case of Concord, we have a campus in Beckley and I believe a fledgling campus in Lewisburg. With Mountain State in Beckley, is this something we really needed at the time? If costs and funding are a problem, why expand right now? In the above referenced article, it stated West Virginia has more higher education institutions per capita than many of the other southern states. The story even mentioned counties with at least two four year schools in close proximity (Mercer ring a bell?). Instead of creating satellite campuses that compete, why not consolidate schools that are close to each other with different strengths? Concord, with our history of Education, Arts, and Business majors paired with a Bluefield State

where they tend turn out engineers and medical professionals would make for a fantastic choice at one school with two neighboring campuses. I wonder how many administrative functions and financial dynamic problems that could consolidate and solve. I’m not proposing this merger; I am just throwing ideas out there to get people to think instead of generally griping about a problem. What can we do to fix this? In the Air Force, I was taught to pair a complaint with what I would perceive as a workable solution. Even if what I presented was not viable, it showed I was at least thinking toward a fix rather than just idly whining about an issue. I am pretty sure when it comes to money and growth, no one really wants to give more than an inch or two, but eventually something has to give. With the advent of the lottery and gambling parlors, I’m still shocked when I hear of education funding being a problem. Between that sort of voluntary taxation (what I believe it is) and the 100 taxes or so I mentioned earlier, this conversation should never have a need to rear its ugly head. If this issue is of concern to you, please drop a line here at The Concordian. We would love to hear your take. This was just mine.

One of baseball’s best wrongly banned

By Scott Noble

Staff Writer Since baseball season is now upon us, I thought I would rant a little on a subject near and dear to my baseball lover’s heart. The topic is “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. For the uninformed, Shoeless Joe was a millworker’s son from Greenville, South Carolina, who honed his baseball skills in the organized mill leagues in his hometown around the turn of the 20th century. His nickname was derived from a story about a game in which the spikes he wore caused blisters so discomforting that he played the remainder of the game in his stocking feet. He was a hitting machine with a glove that was known as the place “where triples go to die.” Joe was one of the most naturally gifted all-around players in baseball history. In his first full season, Shoeless Joe batted .408 and finished second in the batting title race to the great Ty Cobb. As a “five-tool” player, I’d say

this guy had more tools than a NASCAR pit crew. Sadly, he was also involved in one of the biggest scandals in baseball history, the 1919 World Series. Eight players (including Joe) were paid by gamblers to lose the World Series. The White Sox did indeed lose that series and after the scandal broke, the eight were tried for conspiracy. In the end, all were acquitted. The owners, wanting to distance themselves from any culpability, hired the first commissioner of baseball, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis. Landis’s first act was to ban the “Black Sox” eight for life. This essentially put an end to their careers and any chance at being elected to the hall of fame. Unlike some, Joe took this news at face value and never once petitioned for reinstatement. Not out of guilt, but out of being pragmatic enough to accept the circumstances given to him. My problem with this lies within a couple of facts; first, Joe went to Charley Commiskey’s (then owner of the Sox)

office with the $5000 in his possession and told Commiskey of the fix and even offered the money as proof. Commiskey arrogantly brushed him aside stating that nobody could ever fix a series (denial, anyone?). Second, Jackson had the highest batting average, runs batted in, and a perfect fielding percentage for the series. If anything, he was guilty of welching on the gamblers. After his ban, Joe continued to play minor league ball under assumed identities and opened a dry cleaners in Georgia. Eventually, he moved back to Greenville and opened a liquor store and settled into the community. Ty Cobb mentioned an encounter with Shoeless Joe later in life. Ty walked into Joe’s store to purchase a bottle of liquor (go figure) and Jackson pretended not to know him. Before leaving, Cobb turned and said “Joe, it’s me, Ty. Don’t you recognize me?” Jackson replied, “Sure Ty, I just didn’t think you wanted to talk to me.”

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It shows just how bad he felt about being out of baseball. Joe Jackson was a decent man and a great ballplayer that got caught up in a bad situation and was pretty much made an example of by a rigid and draconian system. He was banned for life. Well folks, Shoeless Joe died in 1952. I believe his ban ended then. He served his time and his lifetime .356 batting average and other statistics speak for themselves. I’m pretty sure there are less than saints in that hall and what Joe did or did not do would not bring an ill pallor to that hallowed institution. I invite you to look this story up and would love to hear your thoughts on this. If you have not seen “Eight Men Out” with John Cusack and (ahem) Charlie Sheen, I highly recommend the film. Some of the characters have been embellished for dramatic effect (like Jackson), but it is a fairly accurate portrayal of the events that led to their dismissal from the game. Now, if only opening day would get here.

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Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 1. Loose gown worn at mass 4. Type of paint 10. Atmosphere 11. One of the N. and S. States 12. BB association 13. Calculator 14. Generator 16. Set of supplies 17. Beeps cousin 18. Beryllium (abbr.) 20. Teacher's assistant, for short 22. Water pipe 26. Feign 29. Slushy mass 31. Dainty 33. Bullfight cheer 34. SW Asian river 35. Pea holder 36. Inactivity 37. Doll © 2011. Feature Exchange

DOWN 1. Root beer brand (3 wds.) 2. African country 3. Cereal ingredients 4. Swiss-like cheese 5. Rich man 6. Precedes an alias 7. Twit 8. Decorative needle case 9. Endure 15. Clever 19. Flightless bird 21. Computer code for characters 23. Choose 24. Ice house 25. Homeless 26. Fifth book in the New Testament 27. Voucher for a small debt 28. Roman cloaks 30. Not as much 32. Tax agency

Sudoku The challenge is to fill every row across, every column down, and every 3x3 box with the digits 1 through 9. Each 1 through 9 digit must appear only once in each row across, each column down, and each 3x3 box.

Do you need advice? Ava Audreys is here to help! Email her at ava_audreys @yahoo.com or add her on Facebook!

The First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”