• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Should the federal government get to decide how universities are run?

Should they?

  • Of course, if they're receiving taxpayer money, Congress should decide what happens

    Votes: 2 15.4%

  • Of course not, the fact that they receive taxpayer money doesn't give the goverment total control

    Votes: 7 53.8%

  • Maybe, I don't really understand the analogy. Could you beat me over the head with it a bit more?

    Votes: 3 23.1%

  • One time I was in the woods and a bear glared at me and I was scared but then I found 5 dollars

    Votes: 4 30.8%
  • Total voters
    13
RightinNYC

RightinNYC

Girthless
DP Veteran
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Messages
25,893
Reaction score
12,484
Location
New York, NY
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Slightly Conservative
Should the federal government get to decide how universities are run or how much the presidents/professors/administrators will be paid?
 
RightinNYC said:
Should the federal government get to decide how universities are run or how much the presidents/professors/administrators will be paid?
Click to expand...

Not at all.

This compromises any vestige of independence that Universities hold.

How will I know that the presidents/professors/administrators weren't hand picked to provide a positive spin on what the government does?
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
Not at all.

This compromises any vestige of independence that Universities hold.

How will I know that the presidents/professors/administrators weren't hand picked to provide a positive spin on what the government does?
Click to expand...

Unlike certain private "conservative religious" schools that are no better than a religious madras in Pakistan... guess you got no problem with those?
 
Something smells funny around here. ;)
 
PeteEU said:
Unlike certain private "conservative religious" schools that are no better than a religious madras in Pakistan... guess you got no problem with those?
Click to expand...

As long as they are privately funded they can teach the scriptures of the flying spaghetti monster for all I care.

It would be cooler if they taught Star Wars as fact though, way better than Scientology.

Why do you keep labeling me as a conservative?
 
If the government contributes a large amount of money to the university system, then I am in favour of the government determining how often tuition can be increased. A university that is profitting from taxpayer money should not be able to charge as much money as a purely private institution.
 
Harry Guerrilla said:
As long as they are privately funded they can teach the scriptures of the flying spaghetti monster for all I care.

It would be cooler if they taught Star Wars as fact though, way better than Scientology.

Why do you keep labeling me as a conservative?
Click to expand...

Because you are a conservative. Dont deny it by hiding behind that "libertarian" bs label :)

Considering that several high ranking people in the former Bush administration came from universities that did teach based on scriptures and other religious garble instead of actual facts and figures, then one has to ask if not having at least some control over the quality of the curriculum regardless if private or public is not better.

I mean we cant have universities go around teaching doctors that giving blood is bad, or that evolution is wrong, or that the earth is only 8000 years old...... What is next, universities promoting women as second class citizens, people of colour as "unclean" or saying that Jews are the devils minions?
 
PeteEU said:
Because you are a conservative. Dont deny it by hiding behind that "libertarian" bs label :)

Considering that several high ranking people in the former Bush administration came from universities that did teach based on scriptures and other religious garble instead of actual facts and figures, then one has to ask if not having at least some control over the quality of the curriculum regardless if private or public is not better.

I mean we cant have universities go around teaching doctors that giving blood is bad, or that evolution is wrong, or that the earth is only 8000 years old...... What is next, universities promoting women as second class citizens, people of colour as "unclean" or saying that Jews are the devils minions?
Click to expand...

And you are liberal...don't deny it by hiding behind the "centrist" label. :roll:

When Right springs his trap, I sense you will get caught in it, Pete.
 
PeteEU said:
Because you are a conservative. Dont deny it by hiding behind that "libertarian" bs label :)
Click to expand...

My friend I have made it pretty aparent that I don't hold any of my brothers of Europe any ill will as others that are labeled conservative do.

PeteEU said:
Considering that several high ranking people in the former Bush administration came from universities that did teach based on scriptures and other religious garble instead of actual facts and figures, then one has to ask if not having at least some control over the quality of the curriculum regardless if private or public is not better.
Click to expand...

It is their loss if they believe nonsense, when they encounter the real world I hope to see them reject all that science has brought us.

PeteEU said:
I mean we cant have universities go around teaching doctors that giving blood is bad, or that evolution is wrong, or that the earth is only 8000 years old...... What is next, universities promoting women as second class citizens, people of colour as "unclean" or saying that Jews are the devils minions?
Click to expand...

This has happened under government universities as well at least some of it.

There is no perfect solution, government in its current form has influence to promote itself in favorable light inside institutions of education when it hasn't necessarily been good.
 
I can see possible state involvement in education but, not the federal government.
 
PeteEU said:
Because you are a conservative. Dont deny it by hiding behind that "libertarian" bs label
Click to expand...

Because you are a liberal? Dont deny it by hiding behind that "centrist" bs label?
 
If the Government knows what is best for it, then it should probably stay out of University affairs. Someone once told me that all revolutions begin with higher education.
Is the Government's influence in a University ethical? Meh, probably not. Is it how "the cookie crumbles?" Probably.
 
PeteEU said:
Unlike certain private "conservative religious" schools that are no better than a religious madras in Pakistan... guess you got no problem with those?
Click to expand...

I'm struggling to see a way in which this relates to the topic and I can't find one. Please stay on point.
 
Depends on how much federal government money the university receives. If they receive even one dollar from the federal government like so many universities do. Then I do not see why the federal government should have a say in what they do. How many universities are completely funded by private donors? Those creepy ultra christian ones where everybody dresses in 1984 uniforms?
 
"Decide how universities are run" is a vague concept, and to a degree the answer must be yes. The Fed does and should ensure that the university doesn't reject all Jews or things along those lines. On the whole, though, college education isn't an area that needs a whole lot or regulation, and as such should be relatively unregulated.

Now to get at what you're really talking about, if the fed offers the uni money that comes with a clause that states "the dean will make $x" and they accept that money, then yes, the federal government should decide how much the dean makes
 
They receive taxpayer money in violation of the Constitution.

The government may as well insist the socialist professors demanding the government take over everything receive government pay scale, right? Those same perfessers want the goverment to violate the Constitution for everything else, so why not?

Let's put it this way...the government taking over won't be able to decrease the quality of education those students are getting.
 
I went with the bear option as it was closest for me. But I wasn't scared, and I found $20.
 
I can't take the tension any longer, so I'm going to go ahead and spring...the trap.

Ignoring the gray area of whether it should run universities it at least partly funds, it doesn't make sense if the universities are not able to hold the entire world economy hostage and start the largest global recession since the Great Depression. A lot of universities have been mismanaged into the ground. I don't recall any major recessions being caused, though.

Alright, do your worst.
 
Cardinal said:
I can't take the tension any longer, so I'm going to go ahead and spring...the trap.

Ignoring the gray area of whether it should run universities it at least partly funds, it doesn't make sense if the universities are not able to hold the entire world economy hostage and start the largest global recession since the Great Depression. A lot of universities have been mismanaged into the ground. I don't recall any major recessions being caused, though.

Alright, do your worst.
Click to expand...

I agree, AIG and the lot of other bailed out industry would have had their contracts nullified in bankruptcy court. This is not the same as funding....
 
Depends what you mean by deciding how they're run. Are you talking about requiring them to accept Pell Grants and Stafford Loans, or are you talking about requiring them to have Professor Smith, who was appointed by the Secretary of Education, teach subjects X, Y, and Z - using Textbook A - in Psychology 101?

For the most part, I'd prefer to keep the federal government out of the day-to-day operations of universities. American universities are the best in the world; there's no reason to get the federal government involved to mess things up. The only place for any intervention at all that I can see is in regards to the financial aspect of school.
 
I am over this whole hyper individualist belief that because you pay taxes you should be able to use the government to leverage your beliefs against any use of those tax dollars. The only decision the federal goverment should have in how a publically funded university is run is to enforce equal civil rights for all students of the university. The faculty and administration of the university should decide how the school is run. Period.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom