Recession Creates Concern For ‘09ers Elizabeth C. Kirk, Joelle E. Atkinson - Etownian Campus Life Editor, Assistant Campus Life Editor Thursday January 22 2009 
Headlines across the nation have been grim lately. With increasing use
of the words recession and job loss, the class of 2009 may have a
tougher time than anticipated in finding jobs. Moreover, that dream job
that many have been looking for may be just out of reach. Looking at the newest batch of Etown students to graduate, they are facing a recessed job market — not a pleasent idea for those who will neeed an income in just a few months. Many soon-to-be graduates from departments like anthropology are looking to graduate school, to not only prepare them for a specialized career, but also to allow them to bide some time. Others are hoping to simply take the plunge, while one group of graduates still has time before the economic downturn hits them. Statistically, the largest and most popular department on campus is education. CollegeBoard.com cites this major as the most popular among college students across the country. School board member Howie Atkinson of Franklin Township, N.J. said “Everybody wants to be a teacher — only five days a week and summers off.” That’s how many college students feel as well. But will this growing trend in job losses affect the education system as well? Senior education major Kristen Paporello is going to graduate in May 2009 with degrees in both elementary and special education. She’s crossing her fingers that someone will want to hire her in the Wilmington, N.C. area. “It’s such a rapidly growing area, so there are a number of schools that are looking for fresh new teachers,” she said. Although she isn’t looking into working in a special education environment and classroom in the near future, her special ed concentration “opens up other options for me and also makes me more marketable as a potential inclusive regular education teacher.” Paporello also said that although the current job market and recession will affect some of her peers, the world is always in need of teachers. “Teaching does have more availability and job security since this world is full of children and schools in need of teachers to educate them all,” she said. But Atkinson warned against this. “Although there are always positions, you have to be at the top of the applicant pool,” he said. “Make sure you get in there and substitute teach if you can. The more experience you have in a particular district, the better.” He also speaks of experience. “We had one position open up and there were over 300 applicants for this one position. You really have to be the best, and everything you do matters.” Although the recession may have an effect on many jobs, problems in the education system may not surface for another year or two — or maybe even longer. Sophomore Jessica Waetke, an elementary and early childhood education major, is confident in finding a job after graduation as well. “There is always a need for teachers, especially as some retire,” she said. She thinks the biggest change could be in the salary area, but not in job placement. Jobs in education and in other departments will change with the economy. The growing trend of education majors may supersede the amount of students in schools, and soon positions in good districts could be difficult to find. Students will have to work hard and do research to find open positions. But it is worth it, Atkinson says: “These jobs are hard to come by, but once you find one, it is hard to get away.” Overall, the class of 2009 has its work cut out for it. Those who are not education majors are facing difficulties in the recent economic downturn. Some individuals must go to graduate school before they’re able to find a job; others started looking in the fall for a part-time job that will hopefully become full-time eventually. Facebook: Spurning Collegiate Mischief, Adds Parents Allison M. O’Boyle Staff Writer - Etownian Thursday January 29 2009 
With a new wave of parents more readily joining the Facebook network,
protests rise from some young adults who may feel they have something
to hide. To them, drunken and promiscuous pictures, revealing
conversations, and offensive bumper stickers should arguably not be
seen by many adults.However, legal officials would remind members that universities, employers and, unfortunately, predators, can see Facebook information and jeopardize teenagers’ futures, regardless of whether or not parents see the information. That being said, parents should trust that their children have been taught well enough not to exploit themselves over the Internet, and, in return, respect their children’s Internet privacy. If parents decide to join Facebook, the agreement to “friend” their child, or even their child’s friends, should mainly benefit a mutual trust and a better understanding of Internet safety. Retired police officer James Cox of Brunswick, M.D. admits to having a Facebook and being friends online with his children for the right reasons, saying, “I did want to check up on my kids, but in a less intrusive way than forcing them to give me access to their login names. I think that ... being accepted as ‘friends’ on Facebook allows us both to share a higher level of trust.” His 20-year old son, Tyler, feels that their relationship on Facebook reflects their relationship at home. “I’m friends with both my parents on Facebook. I feel like as I’m growing up, while they’re still my parents, they are also becoming my friends. So why not add them? They know what I do with my life and how I live it. I personally don’t put anything on Facebook I would want to hide from them. I’m not always proud of the pictures I get tagged in, but they know that I do all those things.” When asked if he had ever been confronted with a dilemma concerning his children’s friends posting inappropriate things on Facebook, Cox said that “it’s the same as walking down the street and seeing one of your friend’s kids smoking a cigarette; it’s never an easy choice to make. I think one of the most important parts of this decision requires you to ask yourself what you would want your friends to tell you. I think that taking that into consideration and always thinking of safety you can make a good decision on what to do. I once saw a string of uncharacteristic posts on one friend’s kid’s site and decided I would ask him how he was doing. We had a good conversation and didn’t have to involve anyone else which helped to keep the relationship as friends solid.” Having gone through a similar situation with his dad on Facebook, Tyler’s secret was shared thanks to a wall post. “I got picked up by NYPD for possession of alcohol under 21 last year. One of my friends wrote on my wall, ‘So how did court go?’ Dad read it and wrote on my wall ‘OH, How did that court date go, Tyler? I’d like to hear all about it.’ That was not a pleasant phone call.” Nevertheless, Tyler claims that knowing his parents have Facebook does not change how he uses the web site. “Sometimes I’ll look at a picture I’m tagged in or a comment on a picture of me or a wall post and go, ‘Hope mom and dad don’t see that!’ But my mom once said something about Facebook that was pretty enlightening: ‘People can act like a completely different person on Facebook. I treat everything I see like that person has gone to Vegas for the weekend. What happens on Facebook, stays on Facebook’.” While some parents may not be as suave as the Coxes on Facebook their kids — and all kids for that matter — should learn to not post anything on the Internet for everyone to see unless they want everyone to see it. Internet safety is a growing issue in America today, and while Facebook is a relatively safe Web site with flexible privacy settings, precautions should automatically be taken by the users themselves. When it comes down to it, Facebook serves as a social network, not espionage headquarters. If used for the right reasons, anyone should be allowed to catch up with friends through the Web site. “I find that more and more of my friends are signing up for Facebook,” Cox said. “I use Facebook to connect to friends from high school, church camp, college and former places of work. My family and I all have Facebook and we hope to get our parents engaged soon. I chat and make plans using Facebook on a weekly basis.” Tyler admits to encouraging his parents’ familiarity with modern technology and involvement in social functions. “They are old,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they don’t have friends.” Controversial Web site JuicyCampus gains mixed reviews Kevin J. Smith - Etownian Staff Writer Thursday December 04 2008 
College students have a lot of time outside of the classroom. We
usually like to use it to surf the World Wide Web. First, there was
MySpace. Then, Facebook. Now, JuicyCampus.com. All of these Web sites
have one thing in common: the ability to distract users for countless
hours of time.MySpace and Facebook allow users to customize personal profiles reflecting the users’ likes, preferences and people he or she would like to meet. Each user has a definite identity on these Web sites. JuicyCampus challenges this concept of “owning” part of a social website by keeping all users anonymous. JuicyCampus was created in August of 2007 as a virtual bathroom wall for college students to discuss campus events, people or policies. The Web site is seen as a place for students to discuss particular topics anonymously. The concept of the site’s anonymity policy is a touchy subject and certainly has students and college officials across the United States up in arms. Any Internet user can log onto the website and check out the “hot topics” at 500 college and university campuses across the nation. Topics range from who posters think the hottest frat guy is to a discussion about what was being served for lunch that day. Postings started out being harmless, but have recently gotten personal. One of the first comments on the Elizabethtown College thread of JuicyCampus.com was about Sam S. and Kyle A. At the time that this story was written, the thread received 285 views with six replies since it was posted Oct. 19. The thread simply reads “Sam S. and Kyle A. are adorable together. Much Love.” With a campus of less than 2,000 students, Etown can certainly put together who the two students mentioned in the post are, junior Samantha Schneider and sophomore Kyle Ashe. Schneider and Ashe said they are amused that computer users want to discuss their relationship. “I found out about JuicyCampus after my name was mentioned on it. I think that the anonymity is simply a way to hide yet be vindictive at the same time,” Ashe said. Since we spend our lives living, working, and learning together, we like to know what is going on in each other’s lives. Facebook gave us the opportunity to view what others want us to see, but JuicyCampus airs out the dirty laundry and current rumors. Here at Etown, JuicyCampus hasn’t taken off like it has at other campuses. Etown only has two pages of posts while other institutions have up to 80. Some colleges have tried to ban the Web site while only two have been successful: Hampton University and Tennesse State University. The latter did so just last week. Michael A. Freeman, vice president for student affairs at Tennessee State University, cited student safety as the main reason for blocking the website from the university computer network. The creator of JuicyCampus, Duke graduate Matt Ivestor, released a statement a day after the TSU ban was announced relating it to the Chinese government’s censorship of Internet use. Regarding a band here at Etown, Ashe added, “I don’t like the Web site and I don’t condone gossip, especially when it is open for anyone to see. I think [Etown] would be better off if [Information and Technology Services (ITS)] did ban the site, but I think that may be seen as irrational. The world would be a lot better without sites like this.” First-year Alexandra Reardon said, “I don’t think the site has any actual impact on the campus because I believe more than half [of the campus community] doesn’t know about it, doesn’t use it or doesn’t bother to waste their time with it.” The Elizabethtown College campus community hasn’t joined the ranks of other colleges by posting extreme amounts of gossip or rumors. Only time will tell if this Gossip Girl-esque website will take off. Cost of Education Must Be A PriorityJanuary 21, 2009 By: Jessica TurnbullCollegian - Penn State Univerity
The headlines are full of Super Bowl talk and the inauguration of a new president. So it's not surprising that flying under the radar is the story of increasing college costs. A recent study by The Delta Project, a nonprofit group that aims to lower college tuition by controlling costs, found something Penn State students already know: We are paying more to a college that is putting less back into its students. The study found that in 2006, the last year for which data is available, public university students paid half the cost of their education. That was a 10-percentage point increase since 2002. Students are paying more for their education while the administration says tuition needs to increase to cover rising costs. There are no epiphanies while reading the Delta Project study. Penn State students and their parents have known for years that tuition is skyrocketing. But the study does give an opportunity for research to be used as ammunition to keep governments and college administrations accountable for the amount of money they invest in each student. While the economy is in an official recession, college students are scrambling to find the funding necessary to cover an expensive college education. The Pennsylvania government has rescinded $21.2 million back from the state appropriations it approved to Penn State for this year. Tuition continues to increase each year. Salaries for Penn State faculty have been frozen for the fiscal year. According to the study, tuition at public universities has increased faster than spending on education. State governments, and university administrations in conjunction, are spending less and less per student as difficult economic times expose priorities. Students are graduating with more debt than ever before and entering a job market with few opportunities. These are not encouraging times. It should fall on the shoulders of the government and university administrations to take care of the students and parents who pay the cost of an education. A short-term solution for Penn State to stop rising costs is to discontinue facilities construction. Though students enjoy new buildings, such as an improved natatorium, is a connector between the White Building and the HUB necessary? Most students would be willing to walk the 10 feet from building to building in order to save a little on the semester bill. Improved facilities may seem like an investment into students, but most projects could be postponed to alleviate the strain on students' wallets. Now is the time for the Pennsylvania government to show it believes education is important. Lawmakers need to find an escape from the financial hole the state has fallen into, and college graduates offer such an opportunity. The state must find a way to keep college students in the state following graduation. Investing in education is one way to do that. Other schools have found alternative solutions to encourage residents to stay in the state. Several community colleges, including the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) in Pittsburgh, are offering free tuition to laid-off workers. Community colleges have implemented similar programs in the past, including after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. CCAC also offered free tuition to 10,000 unemployed workers during the collapse of the steel industry in the 1970s and '80s. The free credits are offered in five high-demand areas: emergency medical technicians, information technology support, certified nurse-aide training, welding and phlebotomy. If community colleges are able to recognize the difficulties facing students, why can't public universities like Penn State? Students work hard during their college years to stay on top of college expenses but still graduate with debt. The recent Delta Project study stated that, even with scholarship aid, students are paying more just as the economy is decreasing stocks. There is no easy solution for continued rising tuition. We can only hope the administration and government realize the potential of Pennsylvania college students before it's too late. Jessica Turnbull is a senior majoring in journalism and is the Daily Collegian's Wednesday columnist. Her email is jlt5044@psu.edu. Ripples of roiling economy lapping at colleges
Lower-priced public campuses become more attractive
Sunday, January 11, 2009
By Bill Schackner, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Natalie Wilson, financial aid director at Carlow University, knows from 20 years in the job that worries about paying for college are to be expected. Just the same, she said, something is noticeably different in the voices of parents she is hearing from this year. In recent weeks, she's fielded half a dozen calls from jittery parents trying to figure out a backup plan to keep a returning student enrolled this fall should the worst economy in a generation leave them out of work. She offers reassurance, reminding them about deadlines and telling them to check back once they receive an offer of financial aid. "I'm telling them not to panic," she said. That angst is one more reason the mood in the recruiting office is far from relaxed, even though Carlow says its spring enrollment appears not to have suffered and its fall applications are running 28 percent ahead of last year. Similar sentiments are coming from other Western Pennsylvania colleges as officials nervously await the final tally of applications for the fall. A recent nationwide survey of 214 campuses conducted jointly by Moody's Investors Service and The Chronicle of Higher Education finds that nearly one in four private colleges expects a slight or significant decline in enrollment for the spring semester, which at many schools begins this week. Colleges contacted across Western Pennsylvania, though many declined to provide numbers, generally said they have no evidence that students are being forced from campus midyear because of a sudden change in family finances. What will happen in the fall is harder to predict. "It's kind of an eerie feeling right now. Our numbers are good and everything seems to be fine," said Bradley Tokar, dean of admissions at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Lawrence County. "At the same time, I'm worried with everything that's going on." Deadlines to apply for regular decision enrollment vary by campus, but Jan. 15 and Feb. 1 are common cutoff dates. Other schools, including Carlow, consider applicants through the summer under rolling admission policies. So far, economic woes have not led to as many employee layoffs on college campuses as in other sectors of the economy, the Moody's/Chronicle survey found. Still, a Moody's analyst told the Chronicle that many of those campuses may not feel the full effect of the downturn until the fall. What that means will depend in part on how college consumers behave. For instance, many admissions officers say greater concern over family finances means lower-priced public campuses become more attractive. That could mean an advantage for the likes of Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh and the 14 state-owned universities including California, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana and Slippery Rock in Western Pennsylvania. But some of those schools, already facing cuts in their state appropriations, might have a harder time wooing out-of-state students less inclined to pay higher nonresident rates. So far, there is no indication of that at Penn State, which says applications from outside Pennsylvania are 7 percent to 8 percent ahead of last year and that total fall applications systemwide last week stood at 45,140 for approximately 14,000 freshman slots, or about 3 percent ahead of last year's pace. Pitt would not release application numbers but said the university was on pace with last year. Private colleges, which are more dependent on income from tuition, face a different set of challenges. Those schools commonly offer significant discounts off their "sticker price" through financial aid awards, and there may be pressure to increase the amount of those awards this fall. Carnegie Mellon University said it's too soon to release application totals, but spokesman Ken Walters said, "We've been trending slightly ahead of last year and early decision numbers are up." Seton Hill University in Greensburg says it's not alarmed by an 11 percent lag thus far in fall applications because rates often fluctuate. "Our registrar informed me that, based on informal polls among admissions counselors, other colleges in our area are also seeing modest decreases," said Seton Hill spokeswoman Molly Robb Shimko. Even though Chatham University is 420 applications ahead of last year's pace, nobody there is uncorking champagne. "A 10 or 12 percent increase is not making me feel real comfortable right now," said Michael Poll, vice president for admissions. "I don't know if those applicants have the ability to make it work financially." Paul-James Cukanna, executive director for admissions at Duquesne University, said some programs on his campus may weather the bad economy better than others. "We always have a good [recruiting] class in pharmacy because demand is good and there are not a lot of providers," he said. "Nursing is another one." By contrast, he said, liberal arts programs like history and English might lose some students to lower-cost schools. A year's tuition, room, board and fees are $34,363 at the Catholic university, but 85 percent of Duquesne undergraduates receive institutional aid that on average reduces the cost by about $15,000. Last fall, Duquesne had its second-largest freshman class ever but still saw an overall enrollment decline of about 208 students, or 2 percent less than in 2007. As of last week, applications for this fall numbered 6,500 for about 1,350 freshmen slots, about 1,100 more than last year's pace. Mr. Cukanna said it's hard to predict, especially this year, whether those numbers will give Duquesne its hoped-for "yield," or share of accepted students who choose to enroll. "At least it's a good signal," he said. Some schools are moving up offers of admission for certain students, using that as a hedge against a particularly unpredictable recruiting season. One such school is Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., which as of last week had 5,776 fall applications for about 425 freshman slots, about 2 percent ahead of last year's pace. Alton Newell, the school's vice president for enrollment, said a greater share of students than a year ago has already completed all application requirements, so "clearly I'm trying to get out there with more offers." "My gut tells me we are going to be fine because we have worked very hard to get out in front of this issue," he said. "Clearly we are going to have more conversations about money than in previous years." At Allegheny College in Meadville, Crawford County, staff members aren't sure what to make of the numbers. The school began the fall well ahead in applications for regular admission and early decision. Later, it fell behind the previous year by about 8 percent. "Now we've just about caught up," said Scott Friedhoff, vice president of enrollment. Thiel College in Greenville, Mercer County, which saw an 82-student or roughly 7 percent decline in full-time students last fall, hasn't detected additional losses this spring. But along with more requests for more financial aid, the school in recent months has noticed more applications for income-modification review, which often means a job loss. "When I talk to my counterparts across the Northeast, we're all just sort of doing what we can to recruit more out of state, out of the country, but right now we just don't know," said Mr. Poll of Chatham. "We're all just kind of scratching our heads." Bill Schackner can be reached at bschackner@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1977.
First published on January 11, 2009 at 12:00 am
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