Inside the world of higher education
To the editor:
Your Friday editorial, “University enrollment,” betrays a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the workings of higher education.
First, while many professors do indeed teach “only” two classes, teaching is just a portion of what professors are required to do. In order to gain tenure — and thereby keep their jobs — professors must also produce high-level, publishable research, a very time-consuming task, indeed.
Plus, with many of the best journals having rejection rates upward of 90 percent, competition for these publication slots is extremely intense.
UNLV professors who have successfully published in these journals have not only survived a very difficult process, they have worked extremely hard to do so. Their students are the direct beneficiaries of their work.
Second, it is not at all unusual for major universities to have student attrition rates of upward of 60 percent. There are a number of reasons students fail to complete their baccalaureates, none of which has anything to do with the quality of instruction.
Finally, I find it ironic that on the same day you publish an editorial decrying how the No Child Left Behind Act shortchanges gifted students you also choose to use UNLV’s increasing academic standards as an excuse to call for funding cuts.
JOHN FARRISH
NORTH LAS VEGAS
Olympic boycott
To the editor:
China is whining because she thinks America is the cause of all her woes. It has nothing to do with the lead-infected toys they wish to sell to our children.
The other day, the Chinese refused entry into Hong Kong harbor two American Navy mine sweepers that were seeking refuge from a storm. This is a travesty and an insult to international maritime tradition. No ship is ever refused port in a storm.
The next day, the Chinese refused entry into Hong Kong harbor of the USS Kitty Hawk CV 63, one of our most well-known and well-respected aircraft carriers. Chinese officials offered no explanation for this petulant action.
Why are we planning to send our Olympic team to the Beijing Olympics? We should boycott them. That action would result in no American television coverage of the games, and deny China a world stage upon which to strut her stuff. I wonder if our politicians have the guts to do that.
Lead, follow or get out of the way.
Rick Ainsworth
HENDERSON
Political warming
To the editor:
In response to the letter by Vernon Bostick, published in Thursday’s Review-Journal:
The issue of global climate change is a matter of ongoing study and discussion in the scientific community.
On the other hand, political global warming is much more exciting. Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming. Plus, the not overly exciting hurricane season this year and the lack of moisture in the southeast is a result of global warming. If we have an exceptionally cold winter it will be caused by global warming. If we have no winter at all, you guessed it, global warming.
Southern California has had seasonal wildfires since before it was called California — and who knows how long before that. But things have changed and these fires are now caused by global warming.
Should we look to our politicians, who all have agendas, for answers about our climate — or for that matter, anything else? When was the last time a politician or the media factored in water vapor when discussing global warming?
The true percentages of greenhouse gasses (made by nature/made by man) and their individual contributions to the whole picture don’t work well for the political global warming crowd.
Gordon Hurst
LAS VEGAS
Debate query
To the editor:
My GOP debate question that didn’t make the cut:
“So, Mr. Giuliani, do you support a constitutional amendment declaring marriage to be a sacred union involving a man and one woman at a time?”
Robert Gladd
LAS VEGAS
Tough spot
To the editor:
The invasion of Iraq was a tragic mistake. The surge is working only because 160,000 troops have put a lid on the violence. If we start to withdraw troops, however, the violence will erupt again.
America must decide whether to end this war and lose Iraq, probably to Iran, or continue fighting for many years to come.
We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t.
ANTHONY TIDEI
LAS VEGAS
