Interpersonal relationships are contingent on communication.
And communication is changing, so it logically follows that our relationships are changing. The full extent of this change remains to be seen, but advocates are premature to celebrate the downfall of the old media monarchs and power dynamics.
In “Selling Out the Future” (below), a letter addressed to the school board of my own former high school, I implore the administration to reconsider cuts to arts education. Facing very real budgetary constraints, the appeal rests on scientific data as well as interviews with school faculty to demonstrate the value of the arts.
Selling Out the Future:
An Open Letter to the Frankling Area School Board
November 14, 2008
I understand compromise dictates school policy, a delicate balance between budgeting and meeting federal/state mandates. And I understand that in a post-NCLB system, sacrifices must me made or suffer more drastic consequences imposed by the federal government. Unfortunately, not enough has been said in defense of music education, and I hope to add one more voice to those committed to a broad curriculum – one that includes music. This is not a request to gamble school funds on unproven methods; it is a plea to continue investing in programs that promise to contribute to the development of productive members of our society…
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Though I drafted the letter as an assignment, I submitted it to the school board in question, demonstrating how academic pursuits inform my citizenship and vice versa. Then, as the financial crisis hit, the inevitable cuts were not only made but exacerbated as administration raced to meet federally mandated standards (or risk even greater cuts). While losing resources, our educational institutions increasingly turn to technology to fill the gaps. The inherently horizontal and democratic tendencies of which seem a natural fit for American classrooms.
At universities, professors are attempting to harness this potential by creating class blogs and Facebook discussion groups. But these same professors “impose traditional pedagogy on this new technology and the result is predictably conventional,” and they treat mobile devices as toys rather than tools. Fortunately, where message boards fail to generate discussion, old-fashioned public forums can still step in. When the College of Liberal Arts hosted its inaugural Liberal Arts Scholarship and Technology Summit (LASTS) at the start of the Fall 2011 semester, organizers invited several students, myself included, to participate in a panel discussion (embedded below).
As pundits celebrate the rise of social media, credited with empowering the disenfranchised and toppling authoritarian regimes, conventional forums continue to shape actual policy. Following the high-profile death of a student near campus, the Presidential Leadership Academy tasked its students, formed into several committees with producing a policy proposal intended to curb the rise of “high-risk” drinking behaviors. The endeavor produced over 250 pages of charts and graphs with recommendations (audio of the presented findings, along with the full report, can be found here). So, despite the clamor around the Internet and social media, in particular, traditional power structures appear very much intact.
Greek Life and the Community:
Combatting High-Risk College Drinking
A policy proposal co-authored with Eboni Hatchell, Gary McMillan, Matthew Stankiewitch and Melanie Torres
Last September, Penn State was thrust into the national spotlight after the Princeton Review released its annual rankings of the nation’s top universities, bestowing PSU with the dubious honor of the “Number 1 Party School.” The issue was exacerbated by the high-profile death of Penn State freshman Joseph Dado last September, culminating in a feature on NPR’s This American Life. While the issue has faded from the headlines, the core problem of High-Risk College Drinking (HRCD) remains unaddressed as a chorus of community advocates inundates the opinion pages with anecdotes and observations of the latest weekend debauchery.
Central to the debate surrounding HRCD, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Penn State has moved forward with a number of policies intended to curb the dangerous drinking habits associated with fraternity gatherings and repair the tarnished reputation of the Greek Community. While the new rules and restrictions acknowledge the role of fraternities in collegiate drinking culture, they fail to address the fundamental concerns of school administration and community leaders alike and will likely have little long-term impact…
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