Letters
11/15/2002Don’t Go Down That Road
The letter from Dr. Lloyd Halvorson, "We’re All Free to Choose," [May–June; in response to "On Race and Space," March–April] continues to propagate the quaint notion, held by many, that highways and roads are fully paid by user fees. To the contrary, in order for highways to be fully self-supporting would require raising gasoline taxes by about 30 cents a gallon. And this does not include the environmental damage done by cars, nor the politically destabilizing effect of transfer payments of $150 billion annually to our foreign oil suppliers. A balanced transportation infrastructure is important, be it highways, railways, public transit, or airlines (another highly subsidized transport).
Clark Johnson (B.S. ’50, M.S. ’61)
Minneapolis
A Good Scolding
"Shame on Minneapolis" [September– October letter to the editor from Chris Jones (B.A. ’99) about the possible demolition of the Guthrie Theater] was so well done that I carefully cut it out and sent it on to the Minneapolis City Council. Please do pass on my thanks for writing it and thanks to you for publishing it!
Sheila Van Houten (M.A. ’89)
Minneapolis
Another "Slow Learner"
I enjoyed the First Person essay [September–October] by Burl Gilyard (B.A. ’92) concerning his seven-year stint as an undergraduate, in light of a recent plan to require students to move more quickly to graduation. I myself took eight undistinguished years—punctuated by work sabbaticals, rugby hospitalizations, and trips to Europe—to earn my degree. At one point, I considered going for the record either for credits or for amount of time as an undergraduate, but I quickly learned that I wasn’t even close to either mark.
I had no good reason for the extended time other than immaturity and lack of focus, and I might have benefited from an administrative push. On the other hand, I was able to sample a lot of classes that I might otherwise not have taken, including many outside my ultimate major, and I did eventually get my act together, graduate, and go on to earn a law degree in the three allotted years. Like Mr. Gilyard, I hope that the U does not completely forsake its perma-students.
Philip R. Schatz (B.A. ’83)
New York
A Well-Rounded Reader
Reading Burl Gilyard’s commentary, "Slow Learner," I was overcome by a sense of nostalgia. I, too, followed the nontraditional path to degree-dom, encompassing an 11-year journey of seemingly unending opportunity. Along the trek I improvised in the arts, dabbled in dance, tinkered with music, and even broke a few legs in the theater. Basically this was a well-learned lesson in things I enjoy but lack anything even remotely describable as having a talent for.
Toward the end of my student-hood after many years of confusion and some persuasion by an overriding desire to eat and have a roof over my head, I became an accountant. What does art, music, dance, and theater have to do with bean counting? Really nothing. But the way I see it, I am an accountant with an appreciation for a whole lot more in life than the numbers.
Thank you, Burl. I can hardly wait for my graduate adventure.
Mark Guzik (B.A. ’95)
Roseville, Minnesota
The Quickest Learner
I have just finished reading Burl Gilyard’s article celebrating the leisurely approach to graduating from the University of Minnesota. I thought perhaps he and your readers might be interested in the other side of this coin.
I graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in January 1941, and because I could not afford the college tuition at that time ($75 per semester) I went to work for the University branch of Marquette National Bank. My pay was $65 per month. In January 1942, with the draft fast approaching, I decided to go to college. I enrolled at Hamline University in St. Paul and attended the winter semester, summer school, and the full school year through May 1943. In the spring of 1943 I joined the U.S. Navy and on July 1 reported to the Navy V-12 college training program at the University of Minnesota.
Because I had had some college, the Navy classified me as a junior, which entitled me to four semesters (16 months) at Minnesota. Good duty even at $32 per month. In October 1944 my time in school was finished, according to the Navy, and the University allowed me to graduate. If you add all this up, I was in college 34 months and graduated with a B.S. in electrical engineering. I went on to become an officer in the Navy Civil Engineering Corps and was in the Seabees on Tinian preparing for the invasion of Kyushu, Japan, when the war ended.
I came home to a career as a sales engineer with General Electric and Alcan Cable and am now retired in Texas. I have never regretted my short college life, and it seems to me that seven years in college is almost a career in itself. With all due respect to Mr. Gilyard, it is a waste of time better spent otherwise.
Robert Comport (B.S. ’44)
Arlington, Texas
The Goal Is to Graduate
I greatly enjoyed reading Burl Gilyard’s "Slow Learner," documenting his seven-year journey through the University. I commend Mr. Gilyard on his persistence, and like him, I believe we should celebrate those who graduate, at whatever pace.
But I do want to point out one fact that often gets omitted when people lament the University’s "push" to graduate students in four or five years. The real point is not that students have to hurry through their education. Our biggest concern is that, unlike Mr. Gilyard, most students who think they are taking the leisurely path never graduate. Yes, we can all point to exceptions—friends or relatives who took six, seven, or eight years to finish their degrees—but the data show that students who succeed after many years are in fact few in number compared with those who just fade away, those who always planned to finish but who get busy with other things in their lives. This is a loss for them and for the state of Minnesota.
Our efforts are focused on helping students stay in school through graduation, and what we know is that it’s more likely students will graduate if they complete their education in four or even five years, rather than six or more.
My only regret is that if Mr. Gilyard had graduated a year or two earlier, when I was acting dean of the College of Liberal Arts, I could have shaken his hand when he walked across the Northrop stage at commencement!
Craig Swan
Professor of Economics and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
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