OPINION
APRIL 1, 2010
THE COLLEGIAN - 13
Targeting the best and brightest dardized testing in addition to the other merit scholarships. Students with an exceptionally high score as well as high class rankings are in effect doubly rewarded, while at the same time, students with high scores, but a lower ranking, can still receive merit awards. This policy helps ensure that the students who attend the University are dedicated and passionate about their education. As these students graduate and become leaders in their industries, the University will become more prestigious, thus benefiting all those who hold degrees from the University. The scholars reception on March 28 invited dozens of admitted students who have excelled in high school and have shown interest in the University to see the campus and meet members of the administration. The event was a success by all accounts, and future receptions should be considered. The administration is to be commended for implementing new and creative ways to ensure the growth of the University and increase the number of elite scholars.
staff editorial The University still works toward the goal of becoming a more prestigious institution. Rather than attempting to increase the size of the student body to numbers comparable to larger universities, the University has instead refocused its efforts on increasing the academic standards for new students. The economic downturn forced high school students to wait as long as possible before choosing their intended university or college in order to secure the best financial aid package. This caused the University to reach into lower tiers of students in order to fill spots in the incoming freshman class. To counter this, the University has restructured its scholarship packages to further reward the upper echelon of students. The packages now take into account high school class rank as well as SAT and ACT scores. In addition, the Endowed Academic Scholarships are now separated into three achievement levels which are solely based on stan-
Sins of the Holy Father by Nathan Cadis Editor in chief
Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican has denied this accusation, but the evidence seems to implicate the Holy Father and others in the Vatican hierarchy. A 2009 report by the Vatican acknowledged that up to 5 percent of clergy engaged in child sexual abuse. That’s 20,000 priests worldwide. The continued reports of abuse and the cover-ups are a cancer to the Church’s credibility. It is time that parishioners demand reform. Church officials need to stop with the secrecy and report sexual abuse cases immediately to the authorities. These cases are damaging to young people forming their own values. It is disheartening to not only know that this happens with those who command so much respect, but that it is covered up by leaders in the Church. Unless steps in reform are taken, the Church will continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.
It’s déjà vu for Catholics as the Church has once again found itself embroiled with sex abuse scandals. The recent scandals surfaced last year in Ireland when a government report alleged 2,000 cases of sexual abuse over 60 years. Church officials did not report the incidents to the police and instead made some victims sign a pledge of secrecy. The Ireland incidents triggered a domino effect as allegations surfaced this year against priests in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria in addition to a Wisconsin priest who molested 200 deaf boys in 30 years. The allegations are accompanied by claims of a cover-up led in part by Cardinal Joseph
The Collegian Nathan Cadis Justin Schneewind Daniel Cadis Phanuel Roxas Paris Corbitt Erica Drexler Mauricio Guerrero
Editor in chief Managing editor News editor Advertising manager Advertising assistant Religion editor Editor at large
Josué Elizondo Brandon Porter Colby Primeaux Ashley Davenport Deborah Clanton Beth Zapach Dr. Alice J. Rowlands
Sports editor Asst. sports editor Opinion editor Asst. entertainment editor Photography editor Student adviser Faculty adviser
Newsroom: 281.649.3670 | Advertising: 281.649.3668 | Fax: 281.649.3246 | News e-mail: thecollegian@hbucollegian.com | Advertising e-mail: ads@hbucollegian.com | Circulation e-mail: subscriptions@hbucollegian.com | Address: 7502 Fondren, Hinton Center, Room 113, Houston, TX 77074
Backtalk
illustration by CALEB CADIS
Antithesis
Is the health care bill financially sustainable? by Caleb Cadis Contributing writer
It is the previous health care system that is unsustainable, not the health care bill passed March 23. According to the Congressional Budget Office report, the health care bill, as passed, is estimated to save $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years that would have come out of American pockets. The previous system denied coverage to millions of sick Americans because of pre-existing conditions. This resulted in tragic cases like one last week in which a newborn in Dallas was denied health insurance to cover his expensive heart surgery because of “pre-existing conditions.” This policy, to strip coverage away from the sick, has allowed for the creation of software that automatically targets patients diagnosed with expensive conditions for a fraud investigation. The insurance company would comb through the patients’ medical records for evidence of fraud. Additionally, if someone owned or worked for a small business, they could forget coverage. Insurance prices were so high that many small employers were forced to forgo coverage altogether. Now, small employers will receive substantial tax credits for insuring their workers. There are winners and losers in politics. The American people are the winners and can say goodbye to an unsustainable health care system.
by Daniel News editor
Cadis
The 111th Congress deserves applause for working to provide health insurance to the 46 million uninsured Americans. Its plan for universal health care, however, is unsustainable without cutting costs in the U.S. health care system. Health care costs contributed to 62 percent of all bankruptcies in America in 2007, according to a study by The American Journal of Medicine. A principle drive of costs is inefficiency. Billions of government and private dollars are wasted on unnecessary treatments. David Cutler, a noted health care economist, estimated that nearly $700 billion per year — one third of medical spending — is not worth the cost. This is because U.S. health care is primarily a fee-for-service system, in which consumers pay health care providers for the quantity and not quality of care. In addition, fraud, administrative inefficiency and redundant paperwork make up 40 percent of health care waste according to a 2009 report. The fee-for-service model is broken and liable to abuse. It needs to be replaced with a system that rewards quality of care and not quantity. Providing insurance to millions of people is a worthy goal, but it is unsustainable without cutting the cost of health care.
Opinions on these pages do not necessarily reflect those of the University. The Collegian welcomes the views of readers who wish to help foster informed and interesting debates regarding issues that impact students’ lives.
If you were a celebrity, what would you name your baby? For more Backtalk, go to hbucollegian.com
“Torgo”
“Avatar”
“Sirius James and Emmett Castiel”
“Optitron”
“Johkn with a silent ‘k’”
Sterling Barker senior
Anthony Cade freshman
Giselle Andujar sophomore
Kwinton Baylor freshman
Terrance Slack junior
BE HEARD. The Collegian welcomes your comments and opinions.
Send your letters to opinion@hbucollegian.com. We reserve the right to refuse publication and to edit for content, brevity, style or taste. Limit letters to 300 words or less.