Does NMU Really Care About Education?
(No, Seriously?)

By the Editor of The...TRUTH

    Okay, I've been attending this school longer than my fair share of years. Granted, leaving twice and changing majors three times did contribute to the extra time-span. But, the longer I've been here, the more I've grown up and realized why I was trying to complete a degree and graduate. Most of us don't really know that when we start college. Now, with only one more semester to go before I ignore the ceremony, I'm frankly getting nervous. I haven't gotten much from NMU that I couldn't have just read surfing the internet.

   "Oh," you say, "what about the teachers, with hands on education and their being there to answer questions?"  Well, I say two things back to you. One, I don't need their hands on me to get an education; and Two, have you asked a professor anything lately?  Don't get me wrong, there are a few very fine examples of teachers at this school. But, they are unfortunately the statistical abnormality rather than the norm. The few that I have seen over the years are the only thing that sparks any little bit of faith in my soon to be completed degree.

   There have also been a couple of people in administration that have been very good to me and my college career. Of course, out of all of the full time employees on this campus, they can be counted on one hand - while it's also holding a bottle of MGD.

   In my particular department, we've been learning more about the soap opera opinions and blood feuds between professors and how subject matter should be presented, than about the actual material we're supposed to know when we leave this place. In the last couple of years, I've watched the confusion in students (including myself) grow exponentially as they keep changing semester after semester what the "right way to do it" is going to be.

   And on top of this, especially since we got our beloved Judy, this place has the atmosphere of a company. I've worked at a few, I know how they smell. This place is starting to stink like that. More administrators and professors need to start caring about what's getting passed on to students. More of NMU needs to remember it's a school, not a money-making startup.

   So, to those here who really do care and have proved it in the line of fire, I tip my hat and say "thank you." To the rest of you, I beg you to look at what you do here day to day. If you want to run a "business," go work somewhere else. Education is not a product, though sometimes it doesn't seem much different than the cheap toilet paper I get at Econo. Well, except that I won't be paying off my toilet paper 20 years from now while working at McDonalds.

   You want fries with that?