A College Education… At What Cost?
By Judson Cox (09/14/04)
Thank you, all who contacted Lees McRae College to request that “Fahrenheit 9/11” not be presented as an official college program. For perhaps the first time in the school’s history, there is a real political debate going on. Students are vocally complaining about the misuse of their tuition.
The administration is refusing to budge. They may feel that any hint of customer service would set a bad precedent. More likely, they are standing by their decision to present this treasonous film, because to do otherwise might imply a hint of patriotism. The ivory tower elite champion the most abominable evils imaginable under the guise of academic freedom, but will not tolerate pro-American sentiment.
At Lees McRae College, I encountered shockingly blatant bigotry toward our troops. Every class, it seemed, was an opportunity to deride our president and devalue the ideals of our nation. America was branded evil and imperialistic. Our soldiers were described as ignorant rednecks, degenerates and criminals, bribed into service. They were called baby killers, murderers of innocents and mercenaries. President Bush was portrayed as worse than Hussein and Hitler.
I tried to defend our troops. I attempted to describe the torture chambers, rape rooms and prisons full of children that characterized Saddam’s rule. I tried to tell them of the mass graves, the Kurds lying dead in the streets and dissidents having their tongues cut out. I tried to recount the bravery and selflessness of our soldiers, who ran into hostile fire to rescue women and children, who freed Saddam’s prisoners, who build schools and hospitals and bring food to starving people. I tried, but class had a way of ending suddenly.
The final straw came when one of my classmates, whose boyfriend is in the Air Force, asked the class if we would accept yellow ribbons and display them in a show of support for our troops. I was the only person in the class who wanted one. The rest sneered at her or refused to make eye contact.
I could not, in good conscience, allow my tuition to pay for a film that Hezbollah is using to recruit terrorists. I could not say to my friends, when and if they return from Iraq and Afghanistan, ‘while you were fighting for our freedom and safety, I was funding our enemies.’ I could not answer their sacrifice by supporting a school that encourages its students to hate our country and our soldiers. With a heavy heart, I withdrew from Lees McRae College. I only wanted to finish a few hours to get my degree. Instead, I was forced to choose between loyalty to our country, and the piece of paper that is supposed to be admittance into the professional world.
A student should be able to receive an education without indoctrination. Courses in literature, science, math, language, etc., should have no political component. Colleges should not be able to use student funds to fund politics of any kind, but especially not those that side with our enemies in a time of war. However, there are only a handful of colleges that do not fund leftist radicals. Their committees ensure that only Anti-American professors get hired, and their policies allow them to punish students who do not conform to their ideology. These problems are so widespread as to necessitate legislation in many states to protect the rights of students.
Given that the anti-American bias in our colleges is well known, why do patriotic parents continue to fund them? Why do patriotic students continue to attend? Because, a college degree is seen as a necessity in allowing one to enjoy all that America has to offer. However, college is not what it used to be! Primary education has devolved to the point that colleges must offer remedial courses. Social promotion and lower standards, along with the idea that everyone has a “right” to a college education mean that many students graduate college having learned only what their parents knew when they graduated high school – if even that. Personally, I learned more during my first full-time job than in all of the years I have been in school.
We must ask ourselves if a college degree is worth the cost. Is it worth spending $50-100,000 for a degree that may be worthless? Is any degree worth funding treason, terrorism and those who encourage the hatred of America? Regardless the conclusions we reach, the best and brightest are not to be found in colleges and universities. The best among us are our military. On the third anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we should remember what we are fighting for and who is doing the fighting. Our soldiers fight and die even for those who deride their service. They are brave, loyal, sacrificing heroes who enable us to live in peace, comfort and security. Never should we allow their service to be devalued, their honor denigrated or their memory tarnished. No college professor, with multiple degrees, tenure and a shelf full of books bearing his name, ever made a contribution to humanity greater than a single one of our soldiers.
(Printer friendly version) Email: Judson Cox
