newsobserver.com projects - debate - Comments

Re: What Bowles said about physics teachers

Proctor — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:31:34 -0500

I'm glad to hear discussion about this topic in the gubernatorial campaign. How can physics people not be in demand in the Reserach Triangle area? Well, people have tried to explain it to me, but I still can't accept the basic premises of this employment-demand curve.

A bandmate in one of three groups I play music in here in the Triangle earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of North Carolina in the 1908s. In fact, that's when he met his bandmates and started playing music with us--when he was working on his physics doctorate in Chapel Hill. Then what happens a few years out of the gate?

"Not enough demand for Ph.Ds in physics!"

So our bandmate had to go all the way out to the West Coast to get suitable employment and in fact not even in the physical sciences but rather in computer technology. Fortunately, he can fly back and forth to North Carolina on occasion for special music events and band recording sessions. But we feel it's our loss that he had to move out there. And what a great professor or teacher he would make in a college physics class or a high school science class right here in the Old North State!

Here's hoping Bill Graham will continue bringing attention to these bread-and-butter education issues facing the people of North Carolina. There's too much nice talk about education and not enough shirt-sleeves work on solutions! In Erskine Bowles, the UNC system has a leader with the energy and the commitment to make a difference in improving the ties between public higher education and the North Carolina public schools, so it's up to the rest of us to get in the boat and row a little ourselves to help get the vessel of education across the waters to more promising shores.

David McKnight
Durham

Re: Claims Dept: Moore on tuition increase

twoshadesofblue — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:59:27 -0500

I think you'll find that student body presidents, school paper editorial boards and the student body often support the tuition and fee increases if they're reasonable, predictable and for good reason. And at some campuses, the students would rather have a communications department or a football team than $200.

Students talk about the yearly increases in per year amounts or percentages, not "over the course of the next four, five, six or seven years."

Calling it a $1,000 increase was an intentional misrepresentation to artificially inflate the cost in Joe Public's mind to $1,000 PER YEAR. Why? Because most people just don't really think a $200 tuition increase is that unreasonable, especially when it gets them a higher quality education and more services.

Re: Claims Dept: Moore on tuition increase

kimkim — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:08:51 -0500

I think Mr. Moore is correct with his main point. Bev Perdue DID increase state tuition. I also believe that Mr. Kaplan has an excellent point. You cannot add the tuition increase once - you must add it for every year that student attends school. In most cases that is 4 years - 5 years for some (or 6, 7, etc...).

Re: Claims Dept: Moore on tuition increase

twoshadesofblue — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 17:39:05 -0500

If you leave out the fact that there are college seniors, juniors, sophomores, and freshmen who wouldn't have four years at $242. So you're really just including high schoolers for your numbers. Doesn't it just make more sense to refer to the actual increase instead of adding an invisible asterisk and invisible disclaimer of "*for high school students not currently enrolled in college only"?

Would hope the State Treasurer's math is a little better than that...

Re: Claims Dept: Moore on tuition increase

EliRKaplan — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:36:09 -0500

Four years of tuition increases of $242 = a $968 increase. What Moore said was accurate.

Eli R. Kaplan
Richard Moore Committee

Re: Graham's lottery trust

gvgc2658 — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:49:46 -0500

Can you tell me if the Public Charter Schools have begun to receive any of the Lottery Education monies? And if not, why don't they receive a fair portion? They do not even have the expenses of a cafeteria or buses, but yet have to go out and buy used furniture from other public schools' who get new furniture? I feel they should get an extra portion to pay their teachers more since they have the other bigger expenses.

Maybe I'm just not understanding the whole idea of a charter school.....thank you for a lay-person's explanation! G. Casey

Re: Graham: More on 'home-grown diplomas'

Proctor — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:54:01 -0500

I appreciate what Mr. Graham is saying here. I've been waiting years for the Democratic Party in New York and Massachusetts to give permission for me to get a graduate degree in the University of North Carolina system, but they're still holding out on me.

Just think if our UNC System did not have to serve out-of-state political groups first and North Carolinians second! We could start by asking our North Carolina Democratic and Republican parties to form a bi-partisan agreement that North Carolinians ought to have at least equal access to higher education as the good folks from the other 49 states in the Union and the District of Columbia.

Then, if we can help our own people advance to that master's or doctoral degree program they've been needing, we could say to everybody else in the country: "Y'all come!"

Maybe Richard should read the State Constitution

Anglico — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:00:54 -0500

Our state constitution calls for tuition at NC’s public universities to be "as far as practicable…free of expense."

When things are right, you find a way to pay for them. Period.

Re: Claims Dept: Graham on state workers

paladin — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:07:15 -0400

Hey, stop making Bill Graham look bad! Why, he's the 3rd best Republican candidate running for Governor.

Re: Claims Dept: Graham on state workers

riverrd — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 13:18:53 -0400

If this was a Democrat that said this, the Corporate Media would scream 'Lie, Lie, Lie' on the front page! Your 'Toadie' verdict of "Misstatement" is just another lie that protects the republicans!

Re: Orr on 'home-grown' diplomas

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:40:51 -0400

If you follow the link to the Statistical Abstract, you'll want to look for Tables 15 and 18. Table 15 gives the total number of students and Table 18 gives the number of foreign students.

— RTB

Re: Smith's swipe at NCAE

jerimee — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 19:00:12 -0400

You got to wonder about the judgment of a fellow who thinks attacking teachers is a way to win votes.

It's nice to know that if Smith gets a chance to destroy our education system we'll have his support to teach our kids at home. Does his budget plan support people building their own roads and bridges?

Re: Smith's swipe at NCAE

ElicSenter — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:41:03 -0400

If you're going to jab a group, at least get their name right.

Affirmative action confusing to Mr. Graham?

cal — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 16:46:08 -0400

I watched the debate this morning and read some of the articles in Sunday's papers. Mr. Graham's position on affirmative action was confusing. As I understand it, Bill Graham wants "all hands on the table" and would support forms of affirmative action to do that. However, he also would stop subsidizing foreign students who come to North Carolina for masters and doctorate programs. Those foreign students are obviously qualified and certainly have things to bring to the table, but apparently Mr. Graham doesn't want them there. It looks like he only supports admissions assistance if a student's parents will give him their vote and that doesn't seem fair.

Re: Louisiana calling

Proctor — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 14:49:15 -0400

I find it annoying that both political and journalism folks in North Carolina like to use Louisiana as a kick-around reference point for state government standards. They do a lot of marvelous things in Louisiana for the people of the Bayou State that you never read about here in North Carolina. Yes, they have had major corruption episodes from time to time, but they have a broad track record of great service to the people of Louisiana from all walks of life.

Try spending some time in Louisiana before making such wholesale off-the-cuff assessments and judgments about all the other Southern states supposedly being so much better than Louisiana.

Vive La Louisianne!

David McKnight
Durham