From our San Francisco Agent in the Field:
You would have loved this.
This morning when I got off the train, I went to get coffee. Instead of the usual poor to mediocre to decent musicians that inhabit the transit station, I heard two guys droning some monotone sales pitch. I thought they were some kind of activist trying to get people to sign a petition or support some cause du jour.
When I got close enough to hear them, they were saying:
"Art
Music
Languages
ESL
History
Horticulture
Women's Studies
Our courses are entertaining and relatively affordable. Classes start at City College on Monday."
City College of San Francisco is broke. Their payrolls are too high, their tuition is too low. Their classrooms are packed. Their facilities are run down. Their accreditation is at risk because of financial mismanagement. A state referendum just passed that authorized tax increases to support higher education. Students in Berkeley congregated on Sproul Plaza to cheer the election results that kept their tuition low.
So the vultures are circling the carcass of the taxpayers.
A woman walked up to the droning guy and suggested he improve his delivery. He said, "I can sing it...Aaart, Muuuusic, ....." From the sound of his singing voice, his age, and his appearance, I presumed he was a teacher of art or music or at least someone trained in voice. Interesting how his sales pitch was so droning.
I walked by them and said those degrees were worthless. They stood there in stunned disbelief.
Three articles for reference. They show you what happens to academians when forced to deal with the private sector/real world demands for performance.
1
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