Campus News

Washington state campuses going green Seattle University is making monumental jumps toward a greener campus for all parties involved. From biodegradable forks to composting leftovers, from green gathering spaces to multiple forms of car-pools, they are doing just about everything they can in a united effort to help our planet.

"There's a lot of student activism on campus, and students are used to people talking to them about social or environmental issues," says Katie Boehnlein, a Seattle U. senior involved in environmental advocacy. "I hope that when they leave, students will take away some knowledge about their local environment and think more about the decisions they make every day."

The campus's biggest achievement so far is in their composting and recycling habits. In the last three years they have gone from composting and recycling 120 tons of debris up to an amazing 540 tons per year.

Seattle University isn't the only campus making these changes either. Students on several other campuses have begun growing their own gardens, and Evergreen has even made their own organic farm and outdoor classroom. All colleges and campuses should take a page from the book of Seattle University, and take a step toward protecting our planet, it's the only one we have.


Is college worth the price?

Everybody knows that normally, a degree from a higher education institution translates into a better career when you enter the real working world. But such is not the case. These days people, both college educated and those with only a high school diploma have been finding that it is hard to survive in the real world. The recent coining of the term "upside-down" (here defined as having more debt than your larger possessions such as a car or hour are worth) is a clear representation of the times.

"Whether college is worth it depends on how much you pay for it," said Kevin Carey, the policy director at the Education Sector, a Washington-based education think tank. "It's not worth much if you pay too much for a degree that has no value in the market, or one that pays too little to pay back what you borrowed."

College costs are rising all across the map, with the average being approximately $40,000 per year. "Educators and politicians, President Barack Obama included, preach loudly and frequently that everyone should seek some college. In speech after speech, you hear that college graduates make at least $1 million more in their lifetimes than those who quit after high school," says an article in the Kansas City Star.

In the end, a lot depends on what your area of study is, your willingness to take some time off to work a smaller job after college and your willingness to move to a larger city with more job opportunities in your field. Is college an absolute guarantee for a successful future? Nothing in life is absolute, or guaranteed.


Chicago University turns away applicants

Interest in a college education in Chicago is sky-rocketing, documenting a 42% increase in the number of applications for the upcoming fall's freshman class. Over 19,306 students have expressed interest in the campus this year, over double the number who applied only four short years ago in 2006. And here's the bad news for the overwhelming number of applicants, the university only plans to admit 3,700 students, only 19% of those who applied. Now, to contrast that statistic, twenty years ago, 73% of the students who applied received an acceptance letter.

Christopher Watson, the admissions dean at Northwestern University, said U. of C.'s application increase is shocking. "I have never heard of an increase like that before," he said.

James Nondorf, the dean of admissions says that the jump in admissions is an interesting puzzle. Nondorf said recruiters this year emphasized not only the core liberal arts curriculum for which the university is known, but also the opportunity for undergraduates to take pre-professional courses such as those in the university's Booth School of Business, a graduate school. What can the college do? Not much, they can only accept so many students, but the numbers are flattering to their institution. It also reflects well on an old Chinese proverb. "The teacher opens the door, it's the student's job to walk through." Today's youth wants to learn, and that is one of the most important things.