My PJC tuition has gone up again! Why?

 

An interview with Larry Bracken, PJC’s executive director of government relations.

What is the percentage increase in tuition at PJC?

The increase, as set by the Florida Legislature in the state budget for all 28 community colleges, is 8 percent. The increase for all 11 universities is 15 percent. The old rule of thumb in the Florida Legislature was 25 percent of the cost of education from student tuition and 75 percent from state revenue. Over the past several years that policy has changed, and it is now about 32 percent from student tuition and 68 percent from the state. And going up! In most states it is closer to 50 or 60 percent.

When did the Board of Trustees approve the tuition increase?

This was approved at the June Board of Trustees meeting, as part of the approval of the annual budget for the college, which included the legislatively mandated 8 percent increase.

Did the Trustees really have a choice? If they had not raised tuition, how much money would PJC have lost?

The Board had a choice, but failure to stay at the maximum would actually cost PJC (including students) whatever percentage that tuition does not increase, in funds for everything from faculty salaries, to the electric bill for lights in classrooms to student activities. And the reduction would be included in next year’s budget as well. The Florida Legislature expects colleges and universities to collect all funds for which they are authorized.

What is the reason for PJC’s funding crisis?

The same as it is for all 28 colleges, all 11 universities and all 67 school districts: the lack of funds available at the state level, due to the decline in the national and state economy. All states are facing the same problem. Florida has a thin state tax base, basically sales tax and documentary stamp taxes on real estate transactions. Sales are down, real estate sales have been falling, so there is less state revenue to be appropriated.

Is PJC’s tuition really the lowest in the state among public colleges?

 I have never heard that. All 28 community and state colleges have basically the same tuition (within pennies).

How much is tuition per credit hour at Northwest Florida State College (Niceville), Troy State University, and UWF?

Northwest Florida and PJC are exactly the same in tuition, except that NFSC can charge more for its baccalaureate programs. Troy State is NOT a Florida college; it is an Alabama College that operates as a private college in Florida. You should look at private for-profit colleges in our area…about four times PJC tuition! I do not know UWF’s exact tuition, but the universities received latitude from the Florida Legislature to go up 15 percent.

Is tuition likely to go up again next year?

Yes! And the year after that! And the year after that! Florida has the lowest community college and university tuition in the Southeast and almost in the nation. The Legislature wants the state to move to the mid-level of national college and university tuition levels. Florida is a cheap tuition state!

This answer does not help PJC students who are paying tuition, but it is the truth, and the Florida Legislature has embarked upon a policy to raise tuition to the mid-range of national tuition levels.

Do Florida college students pay more or less tuition on average than students in other states?

They pay far, far less than [students pay] public institutions in other states. In some cases, out-of-state students can come to Florida, pay out-of-state tuition and still go cheaper than staying home.

What can students do to lessen the blow of increased tuition?

Make sure that you apply for all financial aid available. Students should always apply for PELL, for various state financial assistance programs and for scholarships, available at PJC and from many other private sources. And they should do it at least three months prior to the beginning of the semester.

And students should take all the courses they can, as soon as they can, and get an associate degree or certificate and graduate! The longer you stay in college, the more it is going to cost you! Tuition will continue to go up!

What about other costs?

Fees also continue to go up. The Legislature put into place a new 5 percent technology fee this year for all colleges and universities. [The fee will help to pay for new technology, upgrades, and more computers.]

The cost of textbooks continue to increase, despite the passage two years ago of the Textbook Affordability Bill that seeks to control the cost of books. But, in reality, costs are controlled by big textbook publishers, and they are corporate entities. Textbooks always go up!

The best thing any student (at PJC, at the University of Florida, at the University of Hawaii!) can do is to take higher education seriously: Get in, get out, get a degree, move on into real life. Then you can worry about the cost of your children’s higher education.

 

Meadows cancels inauguration due to ‘unusual times’

Kay Forrest

The Corsair

President Ed Meadows has canceled his own inauguration ceremony, which was slated for Sept. 24. Meadows plans to take the money that was to be spent on the ceremony and use it for student scholarships instead.

He made the decision to cancel the expensive event in light of the current economic struggles PJC is facing, including the recent lay-offs. 

“These are unusual times with an uncertain economy, and even though no institutional funds would be used, private donations for this event could take away from funds that could be raised toward scholarships,” Meadows wrote in an e-mail to his staff.

Granted, the ceremony was planned from the start to be an austere event, according to Patrice Whitten, executive director of college development and alumni affairs at the PJC Foundation. 

The budget for Meadows’ ceremony was under $30,000, as opposed to the $57,000 spent on the inauguration of PJC’s last president, Dr. Tom Delaino.

“From the beginning, Dr. Meadows said that no college or institutional funds would be spent on the inauguration. That meant that private funds would need to be raised, which happens through the PJC foundation board of governors,” Whitten said.

Companies, corporations, and individuals made numerous in-kind (non-monetary) donations, while others pledged a total of $10,000.

The ceremony, which is a “time-honored” tradition, would have been held on the Pensacola campus in the Lou Ross auditorium.  Local political figures were invited to attend, as well as everyone involved with PJC, from board of trustees members to parents of students.

But, Whitten believes that any disappointment guests might be experiencing is well out-weighed by their respect for Meadows’ decision.

“Everyone understands that these are different times we are living in. And, it was a courageous and honorable decision on [Dr. Meadows] part to forgo [the inauguration ceremony] and make sure that funds were used for student scholarships,” she said.

Edward M. Chadbourne Library opens doors

Katy Ferguson

The Corsair

Rows of shelves are lined with books: some new, with stiff spines, crisp pages and ink so fresh it’s almost wet to the touch. Others are older, their covers softened by time and by the thousands of hands that have held them.

These books and the library they belong to have been missing from PJC’s campus since June 2008 and the old saying ‘you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ rings true. Moving into the student services building last spring, the library has been displaced for some time.

But the wait is over and librarian, Winifred Bradley, says that the transformation has been amazing.  Estimated at $9 million, the state-funded renovation includes a new wing with several classrooms, as well as a new layout in the original library building. 

Named after Mr. Edward M. Chadbourne, the new library is due to open its doors August 17.

Mr. Chadbourne owns a local construction company in Pensacola.  Taking a portion of his profits every year, he helps provide money for college to those who need it. His generosity has already helped over 500 PJC students continue their education.

Bradley insists that the new library, located in Bldg. 20, is worthy of the name it holds. With over 80,000 books to choose from, it is nothing short of amazing.  Its turquoise, blue, and grey theme gives the building a relaxed atmosphere.  With chairs and couches around every corner, Bradley hopes the students will feel welcome.

For access to the library, students will need to make sure they have a PJC identification card with them.  Current students need to get the new ID card made, because the library’s system won’t recognize the old one.

New ID cards can be made in Bldg. 6, room 651.  Any questions can be answered by calling 484-2033.

As before, the library has 44 computers available for student use.  There is also Wi-Fi in the building and students are welcome to bring their own laptops. 

New additions include six study rooms that students can sign up for, and a copy room.  But again, students will need their ID cards for access to all features. Two large conference rooms will also be available to both PJC and the community for use.

The law library has been relocated from its former home downtown, to the main campus. PJC’s law classes will now be largely located in classrooms in Bldg. 20.

The law library will be upstairs along with general books available for check-out. The periodicals, the computers, and the reference section will be downstairs.

A new coffee shop has also been added during the renovations, although it’s not due to open until September.  The vending company’s name has yet to be released, but Bradley is sure it will be a great treat for students and faculty at the college.

PJC starts year down-staffed

 

Katy Ferguson

The Corsair

PJC implemented a reduction in force as well as retirement incentives, resulting in a net reduction of 46 positions at the end of the fiscal year in June.  The reductions were due to losses in state funding as well as program closures and grant funding.  More than half of these employees were custodial workers, and a few instructors were let go.

Cutbacks were made because funds, such as the recent federal stimulus package, are only short-term remedies, according to PJC administrators. To meet the budget, PJC must find ways to save money. PJC has avoided lay-offs in previous years, preferring to leave positions unfilled as employees leave. Since employees are one of PJC’s biggest expenses, these cuts had to be made.

Job performance was not a factor in the displacement of workers, Tammy Henderson, director of Human Resources, said. The cuts were mostly due to losses in funding, as well as two program closures, and the ending of one grant.

Decreased enrollment caused the closure of both the Fire Science program and the Dental Assisting program. Three faculty members were affected by this change.

Of the 46 positions, 25 were custodial staff. Still, eight of those were recalled through Keegan Staffing, a temporary employment agency. However, one custodial supervisor opted for retirement which opened up a slot for someone to remain employed.

The Early Learning Coalition, a one-year grant, ended in June and resulted in seven “non contract renewals.” Four of those six were re-employed outside of PJC by the agency funding the grant and another employee retired.

PJC’s displaced workers opting for the retirement incentive received up to three years of paid healthcare, as it had been during PJC employment, to age 65. They will also receive 100 percent of the sick-leave pay they had built up. A total of 22 employees participated in the incentive plan.

Some employees and their dependents were enrolled in classes at PJC at the time of their job loss. They will still receive tuition waivers for the continuation of their programs. If displaced workers wish to return to PJC, they are eligible for tuition deferment.

PJC President Dr. Ed Meadows agreed to defer any costs over what financial aid would pay for, saying it was “a good faith effort” on PJC’s part to help these people get back into the workforce.

With national unemployment rates at 9.1 percent, the words “job loss” can be overwhelming. Still, PJC is doing more than just letting employees go. The college is reassessing its needs as a whole.

“This is going to be an ongoing process to critique our needs and watch things like where student numbers are for enrollment in programs,” Henderson said.

“Each department with a vacant  position has to justify why it needs to be refilled as-is to make sure we are staffed as needed and have critical positions filled, and to see if things can be restructured or reassigned to save money” Henderson said.

 

Legend of Woodstock Festival lives on today

Kay Forrest - The Corsair
“People were walking, like, to Mecca,” Iris Shapiro recollects of her long tramp to Woodstock—the music festival of ’69, not Snoopy’s yellow companion.

Depending on one’s point of view, the name “Woodstock” conjures up several different images: an open stage, Jimi Hendrix, intoxicated hippies, free love, the idea of “getting back to nature.”  But all those things aside, one thing is certain: Woodstock was an iconic concert, larger than any before it.

Over the years, rumors have described Woodstock as being one big, violent, drug-infested orgy, but many of the original attendants hold fast to their opinion of Woodstock being a peaceful gathering and one of the most memorable of their lives.

Shapiro, who now owns a pottery shop near Philadelphia, was 19 years old and working at a bombshell casing factory with her friends on Long Island, N.Y., when they attended Woodstock.

She remembers being on lunch break when her friend and co-worker told her about the upcoming event.  They knew it was something not to be missed and promptly sent away for tickets.

Ken Bielen, author of “The Words and Music of Neil Young” and current director of grants management at Indiana Wesleyan University, was 19 and living in New Jersey when he and his friends purchased tickets.

“We had purchased tickets before the festival….I believe it was $18 for the three days. Oddly enough, I never saw the tickets after that.  I think the guy that drove the car gave them to this gal that he was trying to impress at the time,” Beilen said, laughing.  “Too bad, that would’ve been a nice souvenir to have.”

Held in the small, upstate town of Bethel, N.Y., from Aug. 15-17, 1969, Woodstock was originally planned as a moderately sized outdoor concert featuring some of the most prominent musicians and bands of the time: Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young being just a few.

The four friends behind the project (Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman and Artie Kornfeld) originally expected no more than 50,000 people to attend the event held on Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm.

But Woodstock (named for the New York town Bob Dylan resided in) quickly and accidentally became a three-day concert of epic proportions, amassing an audience of approximately 700,000 people.

The unexpected influx of a crowd that size into a small town like Bethel caused traffic jams of up to 20 miles long. The jams prevented Woodstock goers from driving all the way up to the concert site on the hillside.  So, people began parking their cars on the side of the road and walking the rest of the way.

Shapiro explains her group’s decision to follow suit: “Nobody really parked.  When we were driving up there, miles before we got to Woodstock, we were on a one-lane road and it was stopped; nobody was moving.  And we sat there and sat there and sat there. And we started noticing people were pulling their cars onto the shoulder and locking them and just starting to walk.”

Bielen and his friends also encountered the traffic.  “It was probably a 2.5 hour drive on a regular day.  And, we had probably driven seven, eight hours or so before we finally were able to pull over to the side of the road,” he remembers.

Most Bethel residents were none too pleased about having 700,000 “radical” hippies tramping through their streets.  Many of the town’s people posted signs that read “Boycott Max’s [Yasgur’s] hippy festival!”

Some friendlier folk decided to make a little money instead.  Shapiro recalls that residents began selling water from their faucets for 25 cents a glass to thirsty people walking towards Woodstock.

Bielen and his friends arrived at the festival on Thursday, a day before it was slated to begin.  When they got to the hillside where everyone was setting up camp, they saw chain-link fences being built around the site.

Shapiro saw the destruction of one of these fences upon her arrival.

“We came to this place where there were 6-foot-high chain-link fences.  I got there just at the time that there were enough people trying to climb the fences that the whole fence fell down.  So, I felt ripped off because I had my ticket and all these people were getting in [for free],” she said, laughing.

Concert goers laid out blankets and set up tents over the entire hillside and field; at the foot of the hill stood the small stage.

Shapiro can still envision seeing the stage for the first time: “I remember getting to the point—and it was a long walk to get to the point—where the stage area was. There was a lot of camping area where people had pitched tents and so forth.  And when we got to the top of a hill, looking down, it was such a long distance. And all you could see was wall-to-wall-to-wall-to-wall people. And at the very bottom, very tiny, was the stage.”

Getting near that stage posed a problem, as the hillside was already covered with tents, blankets and a waiting crowd.  Shapiro and her friends found it virtually impossible to even move.

“You couldn’t get past anyone; everyone was already sitting on the ground, on their blankets. There were people dancing.  We sat next to some Hare Krishna guys who were actually sharing their oranges and dancing with feathers.  We just plopped ourselves wherever we could,” she explained.

Once evening drew near, a major problem presented itself: lack of food.  Though food stalls were present, no one had prepared to feed a crowd of that size.  Food ran out very quickly.

Though Bielen and his friends were experienced campers and came prepared with plenty of food, Shapiro’s group was not so lucky and had expected to purchase food at the concert.  She fondly remembers “the Hare Krishna guys” for sharing their oranges with them.

Bielen says this sense of sharing and caring was common throughout the festival: “People were always really helpful.  I remember Saturday afternoon when it was really hot and sunny….I was getting sunburned and some gal next to me gave me a shirt to cover my head and help protect myself from the sun.”

Despite the blazing Saturday sun, Friday’s and Sunday’s evenings were drenched with rain.  Since Shapiro was there more for the fun than for the music, the rain was enough to ruin her spirits for the night.

“We thought it [the rain] would stop, but it didn’t.  It continued to get worse and worse. They stopped the performing, and everyone was kind of lying there in their sleeping bags on the ground, but then everyone started to slide down! It was so muddy,” she recalls.

For her, the rain proved not only a wet blanket, but life threatening as well: “I had heard by this time that we were making a big splash [on the news].  So I wanted to make sure that [my parents] knew I was okay. So I went to the pay phone to call them, and I got this enormous [electrical] shock because I was standing in a puddle.”

Unfortunately, though they awoke to a sunny Saturday morning, Shapiro’s friends were fed up with the wet conditions and the lack of food and water.  The girl who had driven them all there made the decision to leave.

“We weren’t the only ones; it was the Mecca in reverse. There was an enormous amount of traffic leaving in the morning,” Shapiro remembers.

However, most people, like Bielen and his friends, were there as dedicated music fans and wouldn’t let a little rain dampen their spirits.

Bielen was excited to see certain performances, and even brought along a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder that still helps him remember what order bands performed in.

He can still list his favorite performances: “We saw all of Saturday, which ended late with Jefferson Airplane at about 7 or 8:00 [the next] morning.  The music started at around noon or 1:00.  The last three acts were Sly and the Family Stone, The Who, and Jefferson Airplane, which was just amazing.”

Sunday brought bad news, however. One of Bielen’s friends became sick and they all had to leave.  This meant he didn’t get to see one of the musicians he’d looked forward to the most: Jimi Hendrix, who was the very last performance on Monday morning.

“I never got to see him [Hendrix] before he died; he died about a year later.…I did get to see Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young five years later.  It wasn’t the same, because Woodstock was only the second time they had played together,” he explained.  “Sometimes I regret not staying there and just taking the bus.”

Though Woodstock was innocent enough for most people like Bielen and Shapiro, some crime was reported over the course of the three-day concert. However, not one crime was classified as violent.

Some nudity was reported, but most instances occurred by the lake behind the stage where young people decided to seek refuge from the heat.  Police reports also reveal two unfortunate deaths, both accidental.

The first was that of a 17-year-old boy who was accidentally and tragically run over by a Jeep in the darkness.  He was asleep in his sleeping bag, and unseen by the Jeep’s driver.

The other death was reported as a heroin overdose.  Though Bielen and Shapiro agree that drugs were used at the concert, they combat the rumor of drug-use and violence being rampant.

“There’s what I call the ‘myths of Woodstock,’ where everybody hears about the nudity and they hear about the drug use. Where we were, there was no nudity…. There were some people who were smoking marijuana, but it’s not like there was rampant drug use,” Bielen says.  “It was 1969….It was more when things were still emerging.”

Shapiro also remembers that drugs were not very widespread until a few years after Woodstock took place.

“I was right on the cusp of the whole drug revolution. When I was in high school, drugs were something you’d see in a movie in science class….But a couple of years later, everything went completely different with all the flower power people,” she recalls.

Shapiro never felt endangered in any way at Woodstock: “Honestly, nothing happened to me there. It was very safe for me.”

Years later, the memory and legend of Woodstock still live on.

A plethora of books and websites have been dedicated to its memory, along with the production of several documentaries.

In fact, on Aug.14, just in time for the 40th anniversary, Focus Films will release “Taking Woodstock,” a film directed by Ang Lee.

In addition to documentaries, festivals have been held on Woodstock’s 10th, 20th, 25th, and 30th anniversaries.  But these have become widely infamous as failed attempts at re-capturing the essence of the original Woodstock.

“With anything that suddenly becomes something unplanned like that, you always want to be able to repeat [it], because it was such a neat, cool thing to have happened. But once it’s planned to be like the other one, it’s no longer spontaneous. You’re never going to really have that first time again,” Shapiro says.

She also thinks a change in culture and people’s attitude is to blame: “You gotta get the right people….I don’t care what you do; you can’t have the same thing, because where young people are now is different from where they were [at that time].”

No matter one’s view or memories of Woodstock, Bielen thinks the three-day event said a lot about his generation:

“It showed that a bunch of young people could hang together for three days and not all hurt each other, but care for each other….It showed that people were growing up, coming of age. It showed that they could live together if they had to, peacefully.”

Add-ons bring best to Fallout 3

Wade Manns

The Corsair

Release: Five, from January to August 2009

Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3

By:  Bethesda Softworks

As a companion piece to my first review here in the Corsair, I’ll speak on the five Downloadable Content (DLC) packages that have since been released for the wonderful first-person role playing game, “Fallout 3.”

Again, Bethesda brings to us their best work, with varied scenarios and wondrous landscapes to fire our imaginations. The stories are interesting, the new graphics impressive, and the new weapons fun to play around with. Some may balk at the DLCs’ price point (800 Microsoft points, or $10 each), but in my opinion they are very much worth it, and for some I’d pay even more.

Operation: Anchorage – Details of the battle to retake Anchorage, Alaska from the invading Chinese beginning in the year 2076, just before the nuclear bombs dropped in 2077 (Fallout 3 takes place two hundred years later), were scarce, before a band of Brotherhood of Steel Outcasts discovered a cache of antique, functional weaponry and armor behind a locked door. They need you to enter a simulation of that storied battle and complete it, to open that door and gain access to what they feel is rightfully theirs.

The Pitt - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, though not directly struck by any bombs, soon became host to an infection that mutated many of the inhabitants into ravenous, bloodthirsty Trogs. A semblance of society, though highly dystopian in nature, has sprung up, with opposing camps having opposing ideals of how to stop the infection. You help a leader of the slaves get back to his people in the Pitt, and give them hope for a better tomorrow… or not.

Broken Steel - Initially, the ending to Fallout 3 was very limited. Without spoiling things, I will say that the game didn’t continue after you finished it. Broken Steel fixes that, with your new mission being to wipe remnants of the oppressive Enclave from the Capital Wasteland. Through several exciting events, you’ll put an end to the greater portion of the Enclave’s activities in the Wasteland.

Point Lookout - Another place that wasn’t hit directly by bombs, Point Lookout, far to the South of the Wasteland, still has been affected by the fallout. Deranged, redneck-like Swampfolk are the least of your concerns on this rather large patch of God-forsaken swampland, as you unlock the mysteries of an old, semi-abandoned mansion, infiltrate a pack of naturalistic Tribals, and match wits with a powerful, megalomaniacal mind.

Mothership Zeta - An undetermined amount of time ago, aliens crash landed somewhere in the Capital Wasteland bearing a strange and powerful weapon. Before you can recover this awesome implement, the aliens return. With the aid of a little girl and alien captives from throughout Earth’s history, you’ll fight to unlock the secrets of the massive mothership, with an aim to claim it as your own… but that may be easier said than done.

Rating: Ten stars across the board!

Students with a “C” may not graduate

MADELAIN TIGANO

Students with a “C” in English and/or Math courses will have to take additional tests to earn a degree at Pensacola Junior College.

In Florida, college students are required by the state to maintain an average of 2.5 (C+) in two of these courses: ENC1101, ENC1102, or any general education literature course.  Students are also obligated to uphold that same 2.5 average in any two general education math courses.

Martha Caughey, PJC’s registrar, said students “are not eligible” for same course retakes for improving grades in which a “C” or better have been earned.

As of July 1 the Florida Legislature repealed the College Level Academic Skills Test, also known as CLAST, due to budget cuts. CLAST was an exit exam taken by a student who did not earn the minimum combined GPA in required state courses. If passed, students were rewarded with an AA degree. 

Due to the CLAST cut, the state is providing institutions options for students to get AA degrees.

 “In order for PJC to award an AA degree, a student has to demonstrate college level academic skills,” said Caughey. “We measure those academic skills by ACT scores, SAT scores, CPT scores, or the combined GPA in those courses.”

If a student passes the general education courses with a 2.0 average but doesn’t achieve the state’s required 2.5 average, he or she can take the CPT, ACT, SAT, or additional courses relating to those required.

 “The College Placement Test (CPT) is not only used as an entrance exam but now as an exit,” said Kathy Dutremble, director of enrollment services.

The CPT is given every day at PJC’s testing center, building six on the Pensacola campus. It’s free the first time taken, and retakes are $10. Once a student takes the CPT, he or she cannot retake it until 90 days after the first attempt.

ACT and SAT tests are given, on estimate, six times a year at PJC. For further information on dates and times, students are asked to look at the PJC website or contact the testing center.

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is designed for students to bypass taking courses, but earn credit for the course. A student can pay a one-time fee of $72, pass the test, and avoid the homework of a course. The test ranges in composition, science, mathematics, foreign languages, history, social sciences, and business areas.

PJC also offers the Departmental Exemption Examination in several courses including English, literature, and mathematics. The fee for the Departmental exam is $40 and can be scheduled through the appropriate department. Students interested in a course through the Departmental Exemption Exam should begin the process with the department head.

 Passing a CLEP test or the Departmental Exemption Examination will allow a student to earn credit in a course, which will count toward the GPA requirement for AA degrees.

“(Our staff) wants to set students up for success, not failure,” said Dr. Joan Ziel, dean of student affairs. “We really try to help prepare our students when they come in to take a test.”

The testing center has a practice room filled with five computers where students can take practice CPT tests and ask for help before having to take the real deal.

“We take a personal step with students, even those who have test anxieties or disabilities, to help them feel comfortable before they have to take a test,” said Dr. Ziel. “We are considered to be a very nurturing department.”

This Healthcare Reform Makes Me Sick

by Paul Smith

Everyone knows healthcare in America is a bloated, chaotic, diseased nightmare in dire need of massive overhaul and reform.  We have almost 50 million without insurance, and millions of those with insurance are constantly dropped or denied coverage for absurd reasons like “preexisting conditions” (as though life itself was not a preexisting condition worthy enough for proper healthcare).

America spends about $2.5 trillion on healthcare every year (two and half times as much per person as most developed nations), and ranks near the bottom of all industrialized countries when looking at infant mortality, life expectancy and immunization rates.

The state of healthcare in this country is sickening. And now President Obama and Congress have their stethoscopes set to find a proper cure for our ailing system.

Unfortunately, this is America, and we don’t cure anything here; rather, we prefer to find treatments that make the present conditions tenable – and profitable. And so it is with healthcare reform.

Obama laid the groundwork for what his administration would like to see in a healthcare bill and then Congress quickly got to work botching the job as usual.

My tentative prediction is that, after the congressional recess, some kind of healthcare reform bill will eventually pass – that is, if the bills in the House and Senate ever make it out of the committees holding them up.

And I think if it does pass, some good things will no doubt be accomplished: ten of millions currently without coverage will get access to basic health insurance, and insurance companies will see some regulation making it more difficult for them to deny or drop coverage for those who need it.

Yet these reforms do far too little to overhaul this failing system, like trying to save the Titanic with a roll of duct-tape.

There has been much talk of a so-called “public option,” a government-run insurance plan, like Medicare, that millions of Americans could access which would also compete with the private insurance companies and negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies to bring overall prices down.

But mark my words: there will be no public option such as this if this bill ever passes. It’s a pipedream; it’s not going to happen.

Why won’t it happen? It’s for the same reason this healthcare bill stinks: America is the only country in the world that treats people’s lives as a market commodity.

No other nation lets the marketplace dictate their healthcare system, but that is exactly what we do in America. We treat healthcare not as a social service, but as a money-making endeavor.

We distribute care not according to those who need it most (those coughing up a lung), but to those with the most ability to pay (those coughing up the money).

The healthcare industry is a business, and their main goal, like every other business, is profit maximization.

And that’s exactly why many in the healthcare industry are actually supporting this potential bill by Congress, because contained in this reform are government mandates that will require people to purchase health insurance or face being fined.

That means people will be legally obligated to obtain health insurance, which, in turn, means millions of new customers for the private health insurance companies. And that would be acceptable – if there was also a public option.

The healthcare industry has more lobbyists by far in Washington than any other group, and the industry is bitterly opposed to a public option. They do not want to compete with a cheaper, more efficient, government-run health insurance program because that would force them to have to lower their premiums and reduce their overhead costs.

And guess which congressmen are the ones most opposed to a public option? If you guessed the ones who have received the most money from the healthcare industry then you get a lollipop.

The only real solution to the healthcare problem in this country is to start slowly dismantling the current system from the outside in.

I’m not suggesting we outlaw private insurance companies altogether and nationalize the entire industry, but I am suggesting we begin to make the ubiquitous presence of private health insurance unnecessary.

And the only way to do that would be a public option – a massive non-profit Medicare-like government-run health insurance program that would not just compete with the private insurance companies, but would dramatically undercut the competition.

If we can trust the government to run the post office and the military, then we can trust them to run part of the health insurance industry.

They already do a completely acceptable job with Medicare. If you don’t believe me, ask someone on Medicare if they would like to have their service replaced with a private insurance plan (by the way, the overhead costs for Medicare are around 3 percent while the average overhead costs for private insurance companies is about 30 percent).

And I would like to remind everyone that it is being called a public “option” for a reason, because it would be just that – an option. While there will be mandates for people to have health insurance, you would have the option of choosing the government plan or a private plan.

This idea that the government will take over the healthcare industry altogether and begin making important medical decisions for American families is an absolute paranoid absurdity. Even if a massive public plan goes into place, you will always have the option in this country to choose private doctors and private insurance.

So, I hope I’m wrong and that Congress will actually include some sort of reasonable public option in this healthcare reform package, but I have my serious doubts. It looks like all we’re willing to do with our appalling healthcare system is trim off a little of the fat, while also pumping more money and more people into the status quo.

And until we stop viewing people’s lives as just another product in the market place, we will be fated with a diseased healthcare system befitting of such a sickening concept.

The Sims 3: An Existential Survival-Horror

by Paul Smith

Platform: PC

“The Sims 3” is the latest installment of one of the bestselling video game franchises of all time.

“The Sims” was a game originally conceived by Will Wright (who also made the original “Sim City” and the more recent “Spore”) and was a game designed to let players use their vivid imaginations to create and micro-manage computer-simulated people in a computer-simulated environment.

After an even better-selling sequel and a seemingly endless stream of add-on packs, the newest version of the Sims has finally arrived in all its people-simulating splendor.

Since I missed the first two outings of the Sims games, I decided it was time to see what all the fuss was about. So, I loaded up a fresh copy of “the Sims 3” on my computer and prepared to embark on what was sure to be a momentous journey.

As I sat out to launch my new Sims existence, I did what I imagine most do when starting this game: I created a micro-version of myself.

With the comprehensive character creation mode, you can seemingly build an endless array of Sims with different physical and metal traits. So, I created a Sim that looked remarkably like me and with a similar temperament.

“The Sims 3″ also has extensive build and design modes where you can construct a house with nearly any floor plan you desire and decorate the interior to your heart’s content. I ended up with a small house that had a similar layout to the townhouse where I currently reside in the real world.

Then it’s time to send your little Sim to work, because, just as in real life, there are bills to pay. I joined a journalism career track, and before long I was writing articles for the local newspaper (you never actually get to see your Sim at their workplace).

And quickly, a rather monotonous routine developed: my Sim, who looked very similar to me and lived in very similar surroundings, would wake up, shower, go to work at a job very similar to my own, come home, eat, watch TV, occasionally hang out with friends and coworkers, then go to sleep and do it all over again.

One of the problems I immediately noticed about this game was that the AI (artificial intelligence controlling your Sims behaviors) just wasn’t very interesting.

Your Sims, and the Sims they would meet, just never did anything all that noteworthy. They would basically just repeat their totally boring and predictable routines ad infinitum. It was bit like staring at a lackluster fish tank.

It soon began to occur to me that something was very wrong here indeed. Was this really a game at all? What was the point to all of this?

My Sim’s sleep-work-eat routine repeated for several mind-numbing simulated days, and I began to truly question just what it was that I was doing. And then something happened which brought me to the breaking point.

After work one evening, my Sim was writing an article for the local newspaper on his home computer. Of course, there would never be any actual article, just your Sim going through the motions, basically pretending to write an article.

I realized that I was sitting at my computer in my home in real life watching a pretend version of myself, living a pretend similar life, pretend to write a fake article that would never see the light of day.

It was at this moment that I not only questioned what I was doing in the game, but I questioned what I was doing with my actual life.

I felt ill and nauseas, and I realized that this game… was pure evil.

In fact, I wasn’t really playing this game; this game was playing me. This “game” was not a game at all, but, more accurately, a sociological experiment in existential despair.

The only real goal I could find was the macabre reminder of the utter pointlessness of one’s own life, those trivial and endless routines that we tend to let define our entire existence.

Everything that is wrong with our meager lives comes flickering through the soft glow of the computer monitor, only trimmed down to a kind of horrific, perverse, unholy virtual voyeurism: the solipsistic self-absorption of meaningless banality that is “the Sims 3.”

So, it was then that I decided to begin playing the game with a dark sense of irony. Since this game was evil, I figured I would play it in an evil way.

No longer would I play a micro-version of myself. No, now it was time to create something hideous and horrible.

Since this was the most evil game I had ever played, I wanted to create the most evil person I could think of: Adolf Hitler.

I meticulously created Hitler to the point where it looked almost just like him, right down to the little mustache, and then I gave him the character traits of “evil genius.”

I found a flaw in the game where you could keep moving families into the same household and then kick half of them out while leaving their net-worth behind. Do this enough times and your Sims will become millionaires.

With my new found fortune, I built a massive Waco-like compound for Hitler to call home.

I built Hitler a palatial Victorian-style upstairs bedroom with wooden floors, antique furniture and numerous bookcases.

And since my intention was to turn this into a house of horrors, I constructed a dungeon on the first floor.

The dungeon had rock covered walls, a couple of torches for light, and an unsettling altar with a garden gnome on top of it.

It was time to take some prisoners.

I sent Hitler out into the world to meet unsuspecting Sims and entice them back to the compound.

I found it very easy to trap innocent Sims in my dungeon. After inviting someone over, I would simply walk Hitler into the dungeon and call the guest over to chat.

Once they were in the dungeon, I would quickly pause the game and build four short walls around the unsuspecting Sim. Then I would un-pause the game and make Hitler leave the room, pause the game once again, remove the door to the dungeon and the short walls surrounding the Sim and —voilà!— I successfully had a prisoner.

I believe the lesson here, is that if Adolf Hitler ever invites you into his dungeon, just say, “No, thank you.”

It wasn’t long before I had captured five prisoners. They all basically stood around screaming for help, urinating on themselves and eventually passed out from exhaustion where they stood. Then they would wake up and do it all over again.

Mind you, all of this being evil and capturing prisoners was mildly amusing for about an hour or two, and then the mind-numbing banality resurfaced and, once again, I questioned what I was doing with my life.

And while seriously contemplating my life choices, the Sims I had taken prisoner began to die – after all, they had no food to eat.

After a few short frolics with this horrendous game, I went from creating a micro-version of myself that filled my real self with existential misery to creating a micro-version of Hitler that captured, tortured, and eventually murdered people by starving them in his dungeon.

I had run the gamut of emotions, from narcissistic despair to homicidal rage. The game had turned me into a simulated-serial killer.

“The Sims 3” is not only perhaps the worst game I have ever played, but my experience playing it will rank as one the most disturbing and nightmarish events of my life.

So, if you’re looking to play a game that isn’t really a game at all, but more a psychological exercise in grave self-loathing and doubt that just may drive you to the edge of sanity and morality – well, then, by all means, play this wretched excuse for a video game at your own risk.

Should I buy my books online or in a store?

ANSLEY ZECCKINE
The Corsair

Forty percent—that’s about how much a student can save by buying “The Bedford Handbook” (a text required for English composition classes) online instead of buying it in a bookstore.

Students planning to take Elements of Nutrition to fulfill their science requirement can save about $60 on their required text, just by purchasing it online instead.

The cost of textbooks has been rising about 19 percent nationally from 2003-2007, according to the Florida Board of Governors, the governing body over the Florida public universities.

Students want a way to drive down textbook costs, and online shopping offers the benefit of lower prices; however, there are other advantages and some disadvantages that come with buying new and used textbooks off the Web.

How bad are shipping costs, and what about tax?

The cost to ship a textbook purchased on the Internet under the cheapest shipping method is usually under $5.  Free shipping deals aren’t that hard to come by either, especially when using sites that host a number of sellers, like amazon.com.

What’s more, most online sellers don’t charge tax, resulting in more gross savings.

Sites such as bigwords.com specialize in compiling search results from online textbook stores and show pricing and shipping costs right on the screen.

Finding a great deal is as easy as scrolling down the list, as long as the students know what they’re looking for.

Representatives from local bookstores suggest that students obtain enough information about the textbooks and any additional materials required for classes so that they can be sure they’re making the right purchases. The title, author, and edition number of a text are one of the ways to identify a book.

The International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, can also be used to identify a title, down to its specific edition or revision, according to isbn.org. This number is located on the back of the book, just above the barcode, and also on the copyright page.

Custom edition textbooks, such as “College Algebra Pensacola Junior College Edition,” can be nearly impossible to find when searching online stores.

Incidentally, this particular text is among the top three most-wanted books that Follett’s PJC Bookstore is buying back from students.

What if I accidentally order the wrong book, or the seller sends me the wrong one?

It’s not likely that an associate from Lemox Book Co. or Follett’s PJC Bookstore will sell the wrong book to a student, but they do offer quick and easy returns or exchanges as a bonus.

On the other hand, returns to online sellers will be a matter of inconvenience and waiting. The student will likely have to pay the shipping costs involved with the returned book.

Amazon.com provides information for obtaining refunds on merchandise bought through its store. The returns policy says, “You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. We’ll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error.”

Will I get my books in time?

A new state regulation deals with making textbooks more affordable to students, and it requires that information on all required textbooks for classes be posted on university Web sites 30 days before classes begin.  As a result, students have time to comparison-shop online and have their books shipped before the start of their classes.

In addition, the regulation makes it possible for students to obtain textbooks before they actually receive their financial aid, and provides a way to make textbooks available to students who cannot afford them.

If I buy used books online, how can I know what I’m getting?

Ed Lemox, owner of Lemox Book Co., said with regards to buying used textbooks online, “It’s just like anything else you buy online; you can’t touch it or feel it. You just have to be aware when you’re shopping online to make sure you’re getting the right thing.”

However, buying used textbooks online isn’t necessarily a total shot in the dark.

Students can look at seller ratings and see how long they’ve been in business; with this information it’s easy to tell if a true retailer is selling the text or if an individual is trying to get rid of theirs. If seller ratings are high and there are a lot of ratings, then they can probably be trusted.

With the costs of textbooks rising students are paying about $900 per year for their books, according the Florida Board of Governors.

Fortunately, many students have realized how much they can save by taking time to comparison-shop online instead of heading to the same bookstores every semester.

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