Many, many, years ago I worked at Palomar Community College, in the Art Department, during a time when the state of California was having a severe financial crisis. Things were being eliminated or cut back on all over the place due to budget cuts. I was told during the semester that there was a strong possibility I simply wouldn't get paid (I was on a monthly schedule.) It was infuriating, because around that time or soon after the college started work on a new sports complex.
Now, I don't know if the rush to eliminate or cut back on the arts and sciences before the sports program is due to greedy administrators, seeing as how sports alumni tend to contribute financially more than other folks, or because really, why would the state care if students actually get an education as long as the sports team does well? Ignorant masses are easier to control and manipulate, after all, and we wouldn't want to turn out thinking scientific types when we can spew out a bunch of graduates with no critical thinking skills whatsoever, would we?
The administration at the University of Wyoming is including the Geological Museum in it's budget cuts due to reduced funding by the state. Please go sign this petition to save the museum. More from Dinochick, and HT to Pharyngula.
Plus, you know, kids love dinosaurs. Won't somebody please think of the children?
I think that's incredibly stupid, and true. That's how the college I go to is. The entire sports building is being renovated and almost doubled in size and it's taking less time to do all that than it is to make a few minor changes in the science building, like new windows. For over a week the east side of the science building had no windows at all. It's so obvious what's most important to the college, money and getting noticed. They get the money from other departments and put it into the sports to get attention. Ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteI know! Brent (who runs it) is a buddy of my museum, and does lectures for us all the time.
ReplyDeleteI signed it! SAVE THE DINOSAURS! SAVE THEM...ALL! (best said with a Chris Walken accent).
-Erin
A petition is great, but why not set up a foundation if you truly want to save it?
ReplyDelete