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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 1997)
▼ EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Steven Asb ury MANAGING EDITOR: Thom Schoenborn NIGHT EDITOR: Thom Schoenborn EDITORIAL EDITORS: Ashley Bach & Brian Diamond editorials, letters, commentary and perspective NEWSROOM: (541)346-5511 DISPLAY ADVERTISING: (541)346-3712 BUSINESS OFFICE: (541)346-5512 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: (541) 346-4343 mmfmm The drop-out dilemna ■ OUR OPINION: High college drop-out rates can he linked to cutbacks at the high school level The statistics are nothing new. In fact, for people who have been at the Uni versity for a while, the numbers may be getting old, but they still deserve repeating. Of all the incoming freshmen, the Uni versity reports only 40 percent will leave with degrees from the Uni versity. No matter how many times that statistic is repeated, it is still shocking. Admittedly, the statis tics are a little deceiving. Many students transfer, some leave for jobs and others enroll again at a lat er time. Still, a good percentage of these students simply disappear from the academic scene, never to return. Why do these students drop out, and perhaps more impor tantly, who or what is to blame? To some degree, it is natural that colleges would experience a signif icant amount of drop-outs. College is the first time many people are completely free from parental guidance, and some students can’t handle it. They party too hard and study too little. With no one to en force attendance, they choose sleep over class. In other words, they just mess up. This is to be expected, and there is little the University or anyone else can do about it. The problem isn’t with these drop-outs — it’s with the ones who just seem to fade out of the college picture alto gether. It’s with the ones who prob ably shouldn’t have come to col lege in the first place. And surprisingly, the problem revolves more around high school than it does college. At one time, high school was a place to get young people ready to enter the working world. Now it is a place to get young people ready for college. More and more, high school is becoming a form of col DROP OUT FACTS ■ 25 percent of incoming freshmen at the University will not I return to school here next fall. ■ 40 percent of current freshmen j will never graduate from the University. ■ 50 percent of current freshmen j will not have a University diploma j five years from now. ■ 26.6 percent of Oregon high school students entering college in 1992 left school before their class graduated in 1996. ■ 7.2 percent of Oregon high school students dropped out during the 1995-1996 school year. I rrelevant classes was the main reason given for dropping out. lege training — a prelude to a col lege education, worthless on its own. For those people who are col lege bound, that’s great. For every one else, it poses somewhat of a problem. With cuts in education at all lev els, high schools have had to cut back on the non-essentials. This means non-academic programs like shop and the arts are usually the first to go. What is left is a basic academic curriculum that is geared specifically for college-bound stu dents. Unfortunately, not all students are college bound and for those that aren’t, high school can become a waste of time. If someone is not planning on attending college, a strictly college-prep education may not provide as much value as one that incorporates other ele ments. It isn’t surprising to find that as the high school curriculum becomes more and more narrow, the high school drop out rate con tinues to rise. Many students find high school has nothing to offer them. But not everyone who is not “college material” drops out of high school. Many go with the flow, doing just what it takes to get by. When high school ends, these students are faced with an interest ing dilemma. Even though they have no idea what they want to get out of a college education, they see few other options. Their whole ed ucation has been to prepare them for college, so it seems natural that they should go. As natural as going to high school after junior high. Students who end up in college because they think that’s where they’re supposed to be don’t stand much a chance of succeeding. With no real plans or goals, it’s easy to see how these students slip through the cracks of the system and drop out. Many realize that college isn’t for them. In many cas es they learn the lesson a couple of thousand dollars too late. Instead of assuming everyone should go to college, high schools have a responsibility to satisfy the needs of different kinds of stu dents. Even bringing back basic shop classes could provide an al ternative for people who really have no interest in traditional aca demic courses. College isn’t for everyone and further, it shouldn’t be. People not interested in pursuing academic career could better meet their needs outside of college. As long as there aren’t alternatives for high school graduates who aren’t ready for college, however, high drop-out rates will continue to plague the college atmosphere. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. To ABC News: After losing a $5.5 million lawsuit to Food Lion Inc. on Jan. 22 for using false resumes for an investigation of the supermarket chain, the network has set a danger ous precedent in its deceitful ac tions. While most muckraking must involve some level of deception, ABC's blatant lies harmed the media more than Food Lion — even if the story in question was right. To bike owners: We all know the campus is a bicy cle black hole, with 834 thefts in the University sec tor in 1995 alone. Regardless of all the tips police pre sent each year, the real solution is not to ride an expen sive bike on cam pus. It’s too dan gerous, and if one does so, there’s no excuse if the bike is stolen. To Mayor Jim Torrey: Torrey’s one-on one meetings with citizens on Wednesday may have been poorly attended, but its symbolic effect was undeniable. By reaching out to the average citi zen, not just peo ple of power, the mayor displayed his willingness to at least listen to common con cerns. The only thing left to be de termined is whether he will act on any of those ideas. To Pi Kappa Phi: We hope the new fraternity, with its hopeful and en thusiastic new leaders, will take the place of such Greek tragedies as Sigma Chi, which lost its lo cal charter last year. Ill Drawing Board I Propose Sweeping CAMPA*GiM FINANCE reform ...JUST LET US FINISH Our Sweeping.. A penny... (and maybe more) for your thoughts ■ What’s your opinion on University, state or na tional issues? Be a staff columnist or submit a guest commentary and share your views with over 10,000 readers, ■ Submitted commentaries must be on a topic of importance to the University community and one of personal experience or knowledge to the writer. A 500-word maximum length is also rec ommended. ■ Staff columnists are enrolled University stu dents who write twice a month on topics of their choice and are paid per column inch. Along with general columnists, a writer who comments solely on University affairs is also sought. The person must be well-versed in campus affairs and willing to write as often as once a week. Pick up an application today for all columnist positions at: Oregon Daily Emerald Suite 300, EMU