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Page 4 Editor | SoRelle Wyckoff letters@cw.ua.edu Monday, November 26, 2012
Decreasing hours covered in tuition costs a sly money strategy By SoRelle Wyckoff Opinions Editor
CW | SoRelle Wyckoff
Ducks football tradition reveals comparable cultures By Cora Lindholm Weeks ago, talk about Alabama playing Oregon sparked my interest. Yes, after Notre Dame beat USC, Oregon lost their chance to play Alabama. But, just asking people about their reactions to both teams is reason enough to talk about it. We all know it’s been a rocky couple of weeks in the world of college football. Juggling around the No. 1 spot for the BCS National Championship like it’s a game within itself. But, Alabama versus Oregon wouldn’t be just a football game; it would be an epic battle of cultures. Alabama and Oregon could not be further opposite than the North and South Poles. I am lucky enough to experience both varying cultures. I grew up among endless evergreen trees, cloudy rainy days, salmon infested rivers, liberals and Democrats, mixed with the pride in local everything, and Oregon was quite the bubble compared to the elephant-strong culture of Alabama. I love traveling and understanding different perspectives. So, after high school and experiencing the natural beauty and unforgettable flair
of the Portlanders, I flew down south for another view through the looking glass. Humidity and endless blue skies beyond belief. Country boys, country fried chicken and country music. Culture shock. Love it! After interviewing a handful of Oregon Duck fans and Crimson Tide fans, I definitely feel the tension rising! As my childhood friends bash the “big and slow” Alabamians, my fellow classmates mock the Ducks’ “horrible colors and constant change in uniform.” Hearing both perspectives makes me laugh out loud, comment back and say, “You’re right! You’re wrong!” Let the fun begin. We have some strong willed fans out there. Nick Kish from U of O is certain the game “would be really close. The Ducks may even be down at half, but our speed is just too much for a team centered around size and strength like the Tide. Ducks would pull away in the second half and win by 10.” In retaliation, Doug Wilson, born and raised in Mobile, Ala., has the same enthusiasm but for the Tide, of course. “I would expect an Alabama victory by about 10 points,” he said. You heard it here first folks.
Ten points will be the deciding factor, say these big fans. The Ducks stick to their courageous, speedy offense while the Crimson Tide holds true to their rock wall defense. Who could possibly win this game? New, fresh blood from the West Coast or traditional blood from the South? I had to ask: “Do the Oregon Ducks know football like the South? Why or why not?” Doug Wilson (Mobile, Ala., sophomore): “No. [In] the South, back in the day during the Civil War, football became a measure of manhood, depending on whether or not you can play football. It was the mark of the man. It’s kind of a big deal. In Mobile, our newspapers start a 150 day countdown with a quote leading up to the starting of football season. We have two different seasons, waiting for football season and football season. That’s it.” Emily Ab e r n a t h y (Huntsville, Ala., freshman): “No. In the South, it grows more deep. We have more passion.” The Alabamians stay true to their history, the core of their spiritual connection to the sport of football. What say you, Ducks?
Nick Kish (Portland, Ore., graduate): “I’d say the Ducks know present-day football better than the South. We’re not stuck in the past. We’re innovating the sport and going faster than most can keep up with. And yes, I do believe it makes a difference knowing present-day football better than the South.” The present challenges the past. The Crimson Tide criticizes the Ducks’ lack of experience and passion for the sport, while the Ducks believe they have the technique to revolutionize football and push aside the traditional ways of the South. Bold, very bold indeed. I started writing this columnweeks ago, when the Ducks were an actual potential contender. I give them props for stirring up the playing field, but it’s all about consistency and pulling through. And so, we cross our fingers and anxiously continue watching our beloved Crimson Tide football team plow through the next couple of weeks. Throughout the nation we are feared and challenged, making each season more thrilling than the next. So get ready. Roll Tide. Cora Lindholm is a photographer for the Crimson White.
Thanksgiving commercialized, now ‘Gray Thursday‘ By Tori Lee Staff Columnist Just when we thought there was at least one holiday that was not commercial, Black Friday sales sneak in and take over Thanksgiving Day, … Or should we call it Gray Thursday? Thanksgiving is a holiday that has traditionally been about spending time with family, eating turkey and dressing, and taking the time to remember each and every thing we are thankful for. It is a time for the hustle and bustle of life to pause – for us take the time to visit with our long-lost cousins, meet our siblings’ significant others, play a few board games and pass out from eating too much
of Mom’s pecan pie. When all of the family has returned home and the turkey’s all gone, Black Friday is a good time to start Christmas shopping and catch a few deals. Some people put up their Christmas trees and hang up the lights outside after waking up at the crack of dawn to snag a cheap, new TV down at the local Wal-Mart. But for others, it seems Black Friday is almost more important than Thanksgiving, especially now that it’s crept into the day of thanks. The Old Navy in Tuscaloosa, as well as several other businesses, was open all day on Thanksgiving. Many more stores across America opened as early as 8 p.m. to begin Black Friday
sales, even though it was still Thursday and still Thanksgiving. While we were enjoying delicious treats and laughs with our loved ones, many employees across the nation were working, or preparing to work, a very, very long night. Not only does this take the fun out of waking up super early for Black Friday sales, it takes away from the actual holiday. It’s hard to be thankful for everything while you’re fighting people you don’t know for a sale on 700 thread-count sheets. It’s hard to be thankful and enjoy the holiday when you’re working all day. It’s also really hard to have a turkey-induced nap with no turkey. Perhaps we should go back to the way things used to be, before Black Friday became
Gray Thursday and people missed Thanksgiving dinners to stand in lines for the latest sales on the coolest electronics. Fewer businesses should be open, and more people should spend time with their families. Besides Christmas, it’s the only day almost everyone can take off and spend at home, and it’s the only day especially for giving thanks. Maybe next year America’s businesses will postpone the sales so more people will be inclined to spend Thanksgiving being thankful with their loved ones. Tori Lee is a senior majoring in dance and public relations. Her column runs biweekly on Mondays.
covered under tuition but attributed the decision to an earlier vote of the Board of Trustees. We are warned online and at enrollment that “rates are subject to change without notice,” but this outlines no potential causes of changing rates. Accountability and transparency are ideal but not required, putting students’ expenses in the hands of a select group behind closed doors. And this ploy was well-played. Some students will never take more than 16 hours, making the tuition change unnoticeable to a majority. It also technically isn’t a “tuition increase.” It’s more of an hours decrease. But it’s a sly way to make more money. Because I never had to take Econ 101, I lack trained economic verbage and analysis. Yet while my technical understanding is minimal, I am perfectly capable of questioning the morality behind lowering the amount of hours covered in tuition. Neither my parents nor I were made aware of this change until we received a $30 late fee for owing $3,000 for classes I was allowed to take without extra cost only a semester earlier. You can imagine our sentiments. For education to become affordable, we should not be relying on the federal government to mandate costs of individual universities. There is an equal, if not greater, amount of responsibility on the shoulders of the universities themselves. With a growing population, it’s easy to see students as numbers and checkbooks, rather than individuals, but numbers and money are not the way to build a university. Happy students pursuing excellence build a strong university, but when costs rise, the dollar is often stronger than the dream.
When I decided to attend The University of Alabama as an out-of-state student, I knew each semester’s tuition would be wellplanned by my parents. My job was to apply for scholarships through both the University and outside donors; and I did it. I avoided parking tickets and made sure I would do everything to “finish in four.” And that meant taking 17 or 18 hours almost every semester. When I was a freshman, I was able to take 18 hours of classes without being fined extraneously. Now, students are charged extra for any hours over 16. At first, the “finish in four” campaign I passed out T-shirts for as a First Year Council member seemed unnecessary. But as course loads picked up, classes didn’t work out and majors were changed repeatedly, I realized finishing undergrad in four years requires a fair amount of effort. And as tuition increases and additional fines are added with additional hours, it requires a fair amount of money as well. For in-state students, each hour over 16 is $350. For out-ofstate students, it’s $925. Taking 18 hours, while previously part of the tuition fee, is now an extra $1,850. Yikes. Summer classes provide some chance to make up for lost time, but at almost $1,000 an hour for out-of-state students, and considering most classes are three hours, community college is usually more sensible. Raising tuition is, understandably, a touchy subject. It is necessary to maintain academic costs and match outside inflation, but too much increase can deter students, even preventing some from continuing their education. The UA registrar was fuzzy on SoRelle Wyckoff is the opinions the reasoning behind the shift editor of The Crimson White. Her from 18 hours to 16 hours being column runs on Mondays.
{ON THE TWITTERVERSE IN RESPONSE TO:
‘Legal marijuana in state ‘unlikely’’ “Prohibition has finally run its course: Our prisons are full, our economy is in ruins, the lives and livelihoods of tens of millions of Americans have been destroyed or severely disrupted.” – malcolmkyle “This should be completely up to the states and not a federal matter. Colorado and Washington are well within their rights to permit recreational use, and Alabama is equally within its rights to prohibit it.” – Gary Steele
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