Sonia Sotomayor for USSC?

[DisturbedPervert]

Most public universities these days have open admissions AFAIK.

Most, if you include community colleges.

[alfred russel]

No, not really. And who says some musician in college is a "real" musician anyway? Aren't ALL the students "real" musicians? They are their for their potential right?

I don't see what this huge advantage is to having an exceptional musician is that makes them somehow superior to an exceptional athlete.

I think you are just trying to come up with a pseudo rational justification for your dislike of athletes.

I'm fine with preferential admissions to athletes, so long as the standards aren't lowered too much. I also think that the music department is capable of providing input on the capabilities of the students it thinks deserves preferential admission.

[alfred russel]

Most public universities these days have open admissions AFAIK.  If you have a high school diploma and some means to pay your tuition and fees, you'll be admitted, no matter how bad your HS grades and test scores.  If they're going to admit students who barely graduated HS and got 850 on their SAT's who are working their way through college or whose parents have the money to send them, I don't see why there is a problem with admitting students with the same lack of academic acheivement on an athletic scholarship as well.

Now, you may not like open admissions, and that's a different issue.  But that argument was lost about 40 years ago.

I'm not sure how an open admission university is possible or desirable, but I'd agree with you in those cases and concede the point. Are there any top tier athletic programs at open admission universities?

[jimmy olsen]

Most public universities these days have open admissions AFAIK.  If you have a high school diploma and some means to pay your tuition and fees, you'll be admitted, no matter how bad your HS grades and test scores.  If they're going to admit students who barely graduated HS and got 850 on their SAT's who are working their way through college or whose parents have the money to send them, I don't see why there is a problem with admitting students with the same lack of academic acheivement on an athletic scholarship as well.

Now, you may not like open admissions, and that's a different issue.  But that argument was lost about 40 years ago.

I'm not sure how an open admission university is possible or desirable, but I'd agree with you in those cases and concede the point. Are there any top tier athletic programs at open admission universities?

According to wikipedia (for what that's worth) it's only been implemented at CUNY and has been a massive failure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_admissions

[Neil]

Freaky.  Rush Limbaugh predicted back in 1997 that Sotomayor would make it to the Supreme Court, though apparently he had forgotten about it afterward.

http://briefingroom.thehill.com/2009/05/26/flashback-limbaugh-foresaw-sotomayor-nomination-in-97/

However, he failed to predict Donovan McNabb would win the NFC championship.

It's a good thing he chose political blowhard as his career, rather than sports betting.

[AnchorClanker]

Also, how does an exceptional actor or artist contribute more to academic life on Campus than an exceptional running back? The running back's performance will be witnessed and enjoyed by a much greater percentage of the student body than the artist and the actor.

I believe the key word is 'academic', Timmy.  Whether or not the running-back contributes to quality of life is nether here
nor there if you are talking about the academic climate. 

[derspiess]

I believe the key word is 'academic', Timmy.  Whether or not the running-back contributes to quality of life is nether here
nor there if you are talking about the academic climate. 

Depends on your definition of 'academic', though, doesn't it?  'Academic' doesn't always strictly refer to classes.  'Academic life' could mean the entire university experience.

Gotta side with Tim on this one.

[Sheilbh]

Most kids don't contribute much to classroom discussions. At the undergraduate level, in almost every class I attended me and one or two other kids dominated the discussion and the rest seldom opened their mouth.

It was the same at my uni.  Though the tutors always more or less forced everyone to contribute a bit every session.  One would also ask people who were dominating to shut up, he said that he viewed part of his job was to control the discussion in such a way that a few people don't take-over and everyone else be silent.

[Jaron]

If you were dominating the discussions, I can't imagine how fucked up your classes must have been.

[DGuller]

I've been to both a state University and an elite liberal arts college and there wasn't any difference in the classroom dynamic. A vocal minority controlled the discussion and must people didn't offer their opinion unprompted.

Doesn't it depend on class size?  In a huge class, you'd really have to be a know-it-all to participate.  However, in my experience, when the class size gets very small, with like 10 people, then everyone participates.

[DGuller]

According to wikipedia (for what that's worth) it's only been implemented at CUNY and has been a massive failure.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_admissions

That was a massive shame, BTW.  In my university several distinguished professors got their undergraduate education in CUNY, and by their accounts it was a very solid system.  When I was getting into colleges, CUNY was for those too dumb to get a job at McDonalds.

[Ed Anger]

I like hiding in the corner and playing with my blackberry.

[dps]

I've been to both a state University and an elite liberal arts college and there wasn't any difference in the classroom dynamic. A vocal minority controlled the discussion and must people didn't offer their opinion unprompted.

Doesn't it depend on class size?  In a huge class, you'd really have to be a know-it-all to participate.  However, in my experience, when the class size gets very small, with like 10 people, then everyone participates.

Very large classes tended to be straight lectures in my experience.

[Caliga]

That was a massive shame, BTW.  In my university several distinguished professors got their undergraduate education in CUNY, and by their accounts it was a very solid system.  When I was getting into colleges, CUNY was for those too dumb to get a job at McDonalds.

Higher ed in this country is a total sham, dude.

[DGuller]

That was a massive shame, BTW.  In my university several distinguished professors got their undergraduate education in CUNY, and by their accounts it was a very solid system.  When I was getting into colleges, CUNY was for those too dumb to get a job at McDonalds.

Higher ed in this country is a total sham, dude.

Oh, please, let's not go overboard.  US is an undisputed leader in higher education, and it's not even close.  That doesn't that there aren't some truly tragic stories, like the rape and pillage of CUNY.