Let's stop making excuses and start pointing fingers
Date 9/30/1999 12:00 AM | Topic: Opinion I've entered my fourth and final year here at Luther, and the past four years have been rewarding in numerous ways. I've made countless friendships, developed critical thinking skills, and had experiences that will forever change my life. However in order to survive one last year, I feel I must warn the Luther community of a fallacy which many commit with or without great notice. It has corrupted many students' mental well-beings, as well as having been the Jar Jar Binks of my college career. This daunting disgrace in our happy holiday lives here at Luther College is what I like to call the $20,000 excuse.
My first encounter with the dastardly excuse came early in my freshman year. An acquaintance mentioned that he was kicked out of the Preus Library at midnight the other night with still more studying to do. He commented, "Geez I pay $20,000 to go here, you think they could keep the library open a bit longer." I gave my best fake laugh and played out the conversation. Yet, back in the dark corners of my feeble mind I knew something I had just heard was fundamentally wrong.
Slowly a harsh realization began to set in. The $20,000 excuse had perpetrated the daily lives of almost every Luther student and continues to do so. Are we as students paying to be brainwashed by an institution that is supposed to teach independent critical thinking skills?
I should also forewarn you that many students try and use the $20,000 excuse as justification for their actions. Example 1: John Doe, Luther student, throws trash on the campus. His rationale: "I pay $20,000 to go here. I can do whatever I want." Example 2: Jane Doe, Luther student, parks her car in 10 minute parking for the whole day. Her rational, "Land sakes alive, I pay $20,000 to go here. I can park wherever I want." This is bad rationale plain and simple. If I were to live by this rationale you would probably find me digging a gigantic hole to China in the middle of the library lawn some night. Why? Because I pay $20,000 to go here and I can do what I want.
O.K., O.K., maybe a few of my ideas have been a little forceful or brash. But let's review some facts about Luther. $14,445 is the average financial aid package at Luther. 96% of all students receive some form of Financial Aid. 89% of first year students return for their sophomore year. 69% of first year students typically graduate in four years. After analyzing these statistics, I've arrived at several conclusions. Most students enjoy Luther for whatever reason and return for more schooling. A LARGE majority of the students receive some sort of aid and on average don't pay anything close to $20,000. Finally, in many situations students even save money by attending Luther for four years instead of being conned into spending five at a state university.
In any event I know the $20,000 excuse will not go away and students will always need to complain about something rather than accept their current situation. Many students don't realize how much money it takes for a small school to operate and compete with bigger schools. Many students don't realize what great support we have from alumni and other organizations to keep giving us the many advantages we have here at Luther. Furthermore, a couple of friends of mine are paying $20,000 to attend Luther out of their own pocket. Funny thing is I never hear them complain. Maybe it's because they realize all the opportunities they have at Luther. And maybe other students that don't use the excuse realize that they are receiving an excellent education from a Phi Beta Kappa endorsed college. Maybe $20,000 is a small price to pay for an education
--
Neal Sawyer
Chips Columnist
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
