Threats: Cutting one's nose to spite one's face

 This ludicrous "Compact" that the folks in Washington issued will, if implemented against Universities, will destroy American excellence. Consider the opening paragraph:

American higher education is the envy of the world and represents a key strategic benefit for our
Nation. In turn, the U.S. university system benefits in a variety of ways from its extraordinary relationship
with the U.S. government. These include (i) access to student loans, grant programs, and federal contracts; (ii) funding for research directly or indirectly; (iii) approval of student and other visas in connection with university matriculation and instruction; and (iv) preferential treatment under the tax code. To advance the national interest arising out of this unique relationship, this Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education represents the priorities of the U.S. government in its engagements with universities that benefit from the relationship. Institutions of higher education are free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits

 This is a clear threat. Do what we tell you or we will bankrupt you! Who in their right mind would do this. Yes Universities have their childish problems. Yet this is more than throwing the baby out with the bath water, it a Hammas like act of execution.

There is a tool that works, namely via funding. If one wants to limit foreign nationals in Grad school, funded under Government contracts then put that in the contract. Namely only US citizens. 

Visa controls are already in place. Why burden the University. If the R&D funding delimits foreign nationals then clearly the system will act accordingly.

In my opinion the issue is getting more US students in Grad school. Is a PRC student really better than any US student? If they are blame US education. If not, then fix it via funding.

This clearly is one of the most egregious documents I have ever read. In my opinion it reads like it was written by some Community College drop out trying to get revenge.  

An Interesting Observation

 MIT published the statistics on international students. It is interesting in that:

1. 12% of the undergraduates and 40% of the graduate students are foreign.

2. Of the grad students 25% are from the PRC, and totals 1,000 from PRC in both grad and undergrad.

In my time I don't think we had a single USSR student. 

In addition, are the US students that poor that they cannot get admission? MIT funding is mosl;y from the US Government and perhaps one should be focusing on training ad educating US citizens first.  

MIT Demands: Sounds Familiar

 In The Tech there is a great discussion of the demands the Government is placing upon MIT for funding. Simply stated they ask

1. Admission etc predicated solely upon academic performance.

As we had discussed before this makes eminent sense.  No essays, no pictures, no "save the world" interns. Just grades. 

2. Eliminate Campus organizations that create a hostile environment

In my days, SDS was a player seeking to destroy the campus. Campus organizations frankly should be few and far between. The amateur radio club may make sense, the amateur railroad club, etc. 

3. Free tuition if endowment greater than $2 million per student, except for students from "wealthy" families

I never paid tuition, through my PhD.  Scholarships, fellowships, teaching fellowships. All performance based and for the most part Government financed.

4. Freeze tuition rates for five years

This is sticky. First the rates are obscene. But they are artifacts not real. 

 Now 1 above is fine and I have noted this. 2 above may be a bit sticky since I never belonged to such an organization and back in the day SDS for example was not a Campus supported on.

Number 3 is a bit of a push, schools have gotten themselves in this mess with their crazy tuition support rules and over priced tuition.

4 may make sense since it is bloated as is. 

What is Priority Mail?

 Priority Mail is in my opinion and my experience a scam. It is nothing more than a fancy envelope, a tracking number, a high price and a letter that gets no where or worse to the wrong place! Not once did they ever deliver as they promised, not one single time! Many were lost, mis-delivered, delayed etc.

If we are closing down the Government I suggest the USPS first. Let Amazon deliver mail. They seem to get 90%+ of my packages on time. Next day even. Try that at the USPS. 

1066 Redux

 

 England has gone through multiple "invasions". Initially the Celts and to some degree the Picts inhabited the island. Then came the Saxons. the Germanic invaders, and to some degree the Anglo tribes. Also from time to time Viking invaders. Then in 1066 William the Bastard and his clan crossed over from Normandy and battled in Hastings. Welcome to the Normans. Needless to say the Norman invasion has had lasting effects for almost 1,000 years, until now.

The Guardian notes;

 Keir Starmer has attacked Reform UK’s plan to deport thousands of people already legally living in the UK as “racist” and “immoral”, as he said that Labour had a generational struggle ahead with the populist right. The prime minister, in Liverpool for his party conference, said he did not think that Nigel Farage’s party was trying to appeal to racists, and that he understood people tempted to vote for Reform were frustrated and wanted change. But he said the rightwing party’s proposal to entirely abolish the main route for immigrants to gain British citizenship could “tear this country apart”.

 What then is it to be English? It was a religion for a while, a King or Queen, a history, etc. But these are going through massive changes.

One sees the same in Ireland, a massive change to a socialist Government with similar open borders. The Irish spent almost 800 years to be free from English domination only to possible see the influx dominate the new culture. 

But the habit of calling one's adversary violence inciting epithets  seems to be de regeur. 

The Normans had their own ways to do things. This small band of invaders in short order took over a nation, changed the laws,  overthrew the leadership and dominated for a thousand years. Perhaps the end is truly near.

The Incompetence of the USPS

 Again and again I have had to deal with the USPS incompetence. Welcome to the Government employee work ethic. To compound it I sent a Priority mail letter to Atlanta, the worst of the worst USPS sites. After a week it has arrived at Atlanta, NY, a small town near the Finger Lakes and no where near Georgia. Soon the letter will be lost!

Perhaps closing down the Government is a good idea, permanently! Amazon seems to get things done, they can do the mail! 

Fortunately General Sherman had a better sense of direction!