The University of Illinois has gone global. For the first time, the state's flagship public school is home to more international students than any other public university in the country. In fact, the number of foreign students at the Downstate Urbana-Champaign campus -- well over 5,000 -- is more than had ever attended any public university in U.S. historyHey. I'm proud. It's my alma mater.
A few years ago FD and I shlepped our bicycles to Champaign-Urbana to celebrate our anniversary (did I tell this story?).
We stayed at a B & B in a nearby town, pedaled in and walked the campus. I reminded him that the day he proposed to me we walked down Green Street and he had a fever. I tried to let him off the hook later.
Anyway, we stopped in at Murphys, a local watering hole, to see if it had changed. I immediately got claustrophobic (the smoke) so we left. I've only been to a bar twice in 30 years, this is why. So we left, but not before noticing that the racial composition at Murphy's was decidedly Caucasian.
From there we went to the library. I'm a library person, basically, I feel safe in libraries. So I spent many evenings in this particular, wonderful library.
This was finals week. I forgot that detail, but our anniversary fell out on finals week.
The racial composition at the library, was decidedly not Caucasian. What can I tell you? Why would I make it up? Everyone there, it seemed, a person of color.
UIUC only admits top students. ACT's have to be relatively high, and grade point average, too.
So no. It's not a scientific study. And yes, obviously if there are more people of color at the university, then we'll see more people of color at the library. But I didn't see a one at the bar.
And you have to wonder, don't you,
Is the school now admitting more foreign students because their applications reflect that they work harder and keep that grade point average up because the academic goal is to learn, study, succeed, and make the family proud? I think yes. The grandchildren of immigrants might be less motivated, having assimilated into the greater (sic) culture that values entertainment above all else.
So. You go, UIUC! Admit the kids who are going to reflect well on your faculty, who will perhaps one day donate to the alumni association, who will contribute to society. Admit young people who will actually read those books that we tax payers pay for in the library.
And the rest of you kids at the bar, in the middle of the day no less?
Take a lesson.
therapydoc
30 comments:
Well, somebody is gonna have to buy all these foreclosed homes .
Americans apparently cant !
Ha!
Just for the record... white is a color too! :-P
It's an interesting observation, and probably doesn't bode well for the future of Caucasian domination in leadership. It should be noted, though, that White kids have significant advantage (otherwise known as "privilege"). They are familiar with the school system (and how to "get by"), they know the rules (generally), and many of them have families who will provide that first big "leg up" when they leave the ivory tower of mid-day drinking binges. In fact, they are probably building a significant lifelong network of cronies in that bar...
It reminds me of a "friend" of mine -- a young man who partied and drank his way through a big state party school. He graduated (barely) and joined the family business. He got a mail-in law degree (seriously!) His parents paid the down payment on his first house (among other things). He is now middle-aged and doing QUITE well for himself, despite serious deficiencies in his formal education. He is raising his kids the same way. i.e., same values. Drive a BIG car, live in a BIG house, earn LOTS of money and two things will happen: people will (pretend to) respect you (they want your money) and you will be happy. *sigh*
Estee, do you have a blog somewhere?
I do hope that many of the library lurkers were reared right here in the states. For the most part, children attending school in urban districts do not have anything resembling equality of (academic) opportunity or parity with children who attend suburban and exurban schools. It makes competing for positions at places like Champaign-Urbana a daunting challenge.
That said, very cool about C-Us international diversity...exposure to peeps from different places who speak different languages and hold different world views is broadening.
My Name is sunny! Or is it ? Oh well ! ha , right back acha .
estee- its mostly who ya know ,not what ya know . There are exceptions of course . I think 'inheritance' is the key to having an easy life of luxury . That could be inheriting money ,property, even a world view and thinking processes, a place in a social system (network).
I think that just having white skin is becoming less and less of a factor in 'success in america' . And this is coming from someone who a few short months ago said that Obama didnt have a chance in heck to win , cuz of skin color . Of course a puppet can only be as white or non-white as the puppet-master .
here is my kinda edumaction , cuz , its free !!
http://webcast.berkeley.edu/courses.php
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm
What do ya think of these TD ? Do ya know of anymore free psych. edu sites?
No, but there's got to be stuff out there. The "free" thing might hold you back.
Well, the 'not free' stuff is what always holds me back !
There are some good psyche lectures(courses) at these sites . Just yesterday , while listening to one , i realised that I might be one of harlows real-life tortured
monkeys . Wasnt pleasant , but it was insightful.
Sorry for the spelling ,;back pain; darvocets !
Watch that stuff.
I remember studying with a foreign grad student who could barely speak English. I was in awe. How could she keep up, missing so much lecture material, reading dense books in an unfamilliar language? Point of my story, perhaps some of the extra face time in the library is necessary due to language and cultural deficits. I also knew a foreign student or two who "lived in" the library study carrels. For real. Potential reason #2: Beer as unaffordable luxury item?
No, beer's cheap. It's culture.
Eh, I was a music major. I spent my 4 years glued to a chair in the practice rooms. (or in rehearsals, or in a bazillion pesky 2-credit-hour theory or methods classes, in addition to two or three univ core classes that we'd listen to BA majors whine about because they interfered with their partying)
Ah, fun times. How DID I ever find time to play laser tag in the music building at 1am? LOL
One of the three times I ever set foot in the bar across the street from the school (not a dive, but was never my thing) I ran into my biology prof, seven sheets to the wind. It was still light outside. I was not impressed...
There really isn't a better time to play laser tag.
TD- Cheap is relative ! I've noticed that the price of my occassional 6-pack has gone up 40 cents recently, and that it takes $4 worth of gas to go to the store to get it .
and ya gotta have a bag 0 chips too dont ya ? $3 for a little bag o chips , geesh!
i know that a drive by my local college is like going through a wormhole or something and all of a sudden you pop up in India or pakistan and as soon as you leave the school zone , it's like you wormhole yourself back into
redneckville .... mobile homes , pickups ,po folks , americana.
I think there is some major social engineering going on here.
But mostly i think the banking system just wants everybody on the planet to be indebted to them (long-term).
College loan , car payment , house payment ... pretty soon youre enslaved to the banks eternally . They love that!
TD- is there such a thing as a TTND ?
Textually Transmittable Negativity Disorder?
I think I may have that . SIGH !
Lesson for the day - negativity is contagious , or maybe- ' if ya cant say somethin nice why say anything...
Ok - I'll just shut up for a while now .
Hard to do, right? DON'T answer that.
That was meant fondly, of course, don't read a negative tone.
You have NO idea how hard it is for me to 'just shut up ' , textually, I mean , cuz there aint NOBODY physically available to talk to ,And I get bored with everything , and it's FREAKIN RAINING AGAIN !!
No offense taken , of course. Its obvious that its hard to do, for me . But I Really am Gonna try , I think ! Maybe .
Sunny, a lot of people start a blog just to do this. Go for it. Go to blogger.com and do this.
We'll all visit often, blee neder(no promises)
Right, everyone?
I thought we were talking about drinking at college bars.
But if she includes discussions like that, sure, I'll visit.
TD- thanks for the advice . But , in my present state of mind , I dont seem to have much to offer to the blogosphere except for negativity, and who wants that ? I dont !
Maybe later when i have a specific blog topic in mind , i will do that,but summertime usually turns me into an outdoors laboring slave and so blogging time will decrease daily from now on .
What I really need to to do is ....is...is...lunch! I'm gonna go out for lunch, just to spend some money that i cant afford to spend and to reaffirm that there really are human beings 'OUT THERE'.
Have i ever told you how much i like your blog ?i especially like the jewish aspects of it , cuz , being a country bumpkin , i havent ever really seen any of jewish culture .
Please have a nice day!
i'm going to lunch now !
the simple coping strategies. I'm going to one of mine, work. Will post comments later, friends.
Very interesting and telling observation! There is a major lesson for many to learn!
What do you mean Mark ?
Expand ? What is the Major lesson ?
Well, there is such a thing as being tooooo quiet ya know !
Coping ? What is that all about ? Its an interesting topic , i
think . I was thinking about it as I was driving home just now , what else could i do , the only thing on the radio was Charlie Daniels singing a red white and blue redneck song .
And , i was thinkin , If youre coping with something , its something in 1 of these 3 categories
1- something that you feel pressured to do that you dont want to do .
2- something that you want to do that ya cant seem to .
3- something that you are confused about
Am I missing any categories here
TD ?
You need to start a blog, Sunny.
sorry if i've offended you . Didnt mean to . Bye!
Don't be silly. You have good ideas. Coping's personal, complicated, etc., one of those things you can't summarize on one foot, so to speak.
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