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Adam Fletcher
Joined: Sep 13, 2001
Posts: 41 (view all)
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Gender & Age: Male & 36
Country: United States
Province/State: Washington
City: Olympia
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College = Segregation?
May 22, 2002 - 03:22 AM
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I attend The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Right now I'm in the computer lab with a friend, trying to explain to her why Evergreen is the perfect place for her to go. As I sit here, I'm surrounded by so many people with so many diverse perspectives. Its comfortable for me- sometimes.
But sometimes I feel like a stick in the mud.
See, Evergreen is an anomoly in Washington State, and among a lot of colleges and universities its size around the US. The coursework here is completed as "programs", featuring a multi-disciplinary, interactive, and diverse viewpoint. As a result, the college attracts a lot of students who wouldn't otherwise be in university. Oh, and its a public school, too, so its affordable and accessible to a variety of people.
While that sounds great, it creates a really wierd seperatedness between the college and Olympia. The city itself is the state capital, and is midly conservative. So the students' activism and community involvement is often not respected or appreciated by the community; likewise, the community usually disregards the students' perspectives on the city's issues.
Aside from all of that, Washington State is divided by a distinct economic class barrier, and the deeply wealthy (haves) and the working class (have-somes), don't interact that often. The poor are (as in most places) left on the fringes.
So when this school opened its doors and brought folks in, there were two distinct groups almost immediately. However, instead of manifesting themselves as "rich" and "poor", a strange cultural piece has crept in where the haves are "greeners"; characterized with dreadlocks and ragged clothes, or thick black glasses and punk regalia. Meanwhile, the have-somes come as state workers or as "normal joes"; characterized by work clothes and a bit of conservatism in their perspectives.
And I haven't even mentioned race yet, although it should be first.
An eliteness exists from many perspectives, around race, around culture, around sexual orientation, and around economics. Its so real you can taste it- in the organic food served at the cafeteria. Or in the vending machine junk food.
Another day's thoughts. Is it like this in anyone else's college?
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Raymond M. Kristiansen
Joined: Mar 1, 2002
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Country: Denmark
Province/State: Roskilde
City: Roskilde
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:)
June 2, 2002 - 05:55 AM
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great update. in fact I found this update by reading an article you wrote and then going via your profile to here. so much information out there - so many connections to make..
well, my university is not like that at all. It is a pretty standard, mediumsized university on the western coast of norway. As for who goes there? Well, a good mix I guess. In norway about 50% of a years amount of young people go to higher education institutions, university, college or etc. Higher education is mostly free in Norway (most of it being public, and most of the private colleges also getting a lot of subsidies from the government), and the University of Bergen, being located in the second largest city in Norway, has a pretty good mix. However, it tends that some of those who wants to go to prestige university - in terms of Appearance - go to the University of Oslo, which is bigger and older. However, the University of Bergen has a better word in the field as to how students are being welcomed (due to for instance a good introduction week), and the city itself is being known as a better student city. I find it difficult to compare the universities&colleges of Norway to those of the US. Not only because I have never been to the US - yet - but also because in the US there are so many more private universities and colleges.
nice update, looking to learn more about campus life at your university, especially with some of the perspectives which you are throwing into it.
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Ha Thi Lan Anh
Joined: Dec 5, 2001
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Gender & Age: Female, 27
Country: Canada
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Re: College = Segregation?
June 3, 2002 - 12:35 PM
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Raymond's rite : this thread is interesting.
Next year, i'll be in my last year in highschool.After that heading off to university. So this thread caught my attention. 
Universities (Unis) in Vietnam. Well..we have public and private universities. But private ones are just for low rank students,whose pockets are big but knowlegde is little. So opposite to US, public UNis here are good ones.UNis fees are cheap (something like 100 USD for 2 semesters at some UNis).For those in poor families then its free.
So whaz the problem here with colleges in terms of diversity.First not many colleges students are from rural areas or poor families. Because to enter university here, after passing a highschool diploma exams on 6 subjects, you have to pass another university Entrance tests on 3 subjects(depends on what you gonna major later). You can only apply for ONE university ( so there are no options,just one chance). Plus the exams are damn difficult (much more difficult than SAT in US). So basically, to have a seat in university you have to spent heaps of money to buy extra books, go to extra classes during your high school time which is almost impossible for poor families to afford.That is why unis students are mostly from middle families and rich families.
Solution. The Min of Edu here had a solution.They devided the students into small locations. Those who live in special locations( ie : poor areas,mountainous areas, ethnic groups,..) will have Given Marks in their unis exams( from 1 to 4 marks. For example : if a guy from an ethnic group and he got 5 marks in his exams. Then he is given 2 marks. And his final total will be 7)... So for the past few years,the unis become more diverse. But at the same time, there are many other good students who deserve to have a seat in unis can not enter unis at all because their seats are taken by those who got given marks.So the solution make the unis more diverse but not a best solution to benifit all.
About gaps between the rich and the poor. Well i think its a problem everywhere not only in colleges but also in kindergarten! Even the rich kids wear differently with the poor kids. IN highschool, we have to wear uniform so that we all look the same regardless of our backgrounds and to create tolerence in diversity. But in colleges, its impossible to do so cuz the students are much more awared of their rights to express themselves, in which dressing and showing off their fashion styles is a way of expressions. In o ther universities , this is not so clear. But in Hanoi, since its a city, capital and we have loz of people from other places coming so the gaps are more considerable and you can recognize it in universities here.
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Simiso
Joined: Mar 17, 2002
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Country: South Africa
Province/State: Gauteng
City: Pretoria
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is it the same everywhere?
June 5, 2002 - 06:42 AM
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Thank you for the interesting thread. First i'd like to tell u about high schools here in Bulawayo. There are the private schools and the government (public ) schools. There is very little interaction between the two types of schools.
The private school kids mix with each other and the same goes for the public school kids. This mainly has to do with family income or a lack ther of. There is such a HUGE difference between the public and private school kids here, it's unbelievable. You can tell be the way someone talks, the type of words they use and their accent which school they attend.
When it comes to universites, the one's here are really tough to get into. they usually want people with 13 points. we work with the british 'A'level system here, so u have to get at least 2 A's and a B in your 3 subjects. Bearing in mind that these are much harder than SAT's. On top of that, the students are constantly demonstating and this makes it hard to learn anything. So the one's who can afford it, usually the one's from private schools, go off to South Africa, the States, England, Canada, Australia, wherever their money can take them. But then what happens to the ones who can't get into a local university or who don't have the funds to go abroad? There are too many of those here, and the future doesn't look too good for them right now.
When i leave for university, i want to see what it's like else where. I want to find out if it is the same wherever you go. But i think i already know the answer
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