A CSULB Student Hopes to Double Major

By Michael Bonsynat

LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 10, 2008) -- A future fashion reporter is currently working on receiving her degrees at Cal State of Long Beach.

Mieasha Jones, 21, is a double major of fashion merchandise and broadcast journalism at CSULB.

“I like to read magazines and interesting books,” Jones said about her interests.

She said she wants to be published in Elle, Cosmo or People magazines in the future.

She loves to be current on news and loves to read about US news, policies and elections.

Some facts about her that few people know are that she used to dance for 10 years. She used to dance for her church, and have danced in modern and African styles.

The best thing that has ever happened to her would be being surprised with a new Jetta as a junior in high school and moving out of her parents’ home at 20 years old.

Having success at being independent and proving her parents wrong are currently her most admirable accomplishments.

She plans to graduate in 2009 with a degree in fashion merchandise and broadcast journalism and hopes to begin her career as a fashion reporter shortly after graduation.

Online AP Courses offered at UC Irvine

The University of California Irvine are now offering Advanced Placement and Honors courses available to high school students through its online extension.

The UCI extension will offer college-level high school courses to in mathematics, social sciences and US History.

Each course has been approved by the College Board and will satisfy the University of California a-g subject requirements.

The AP courses will be beneficial to students whose high schools that do not offer these courses that they attend. The program will also give students an opportunity to be exposed to college-level courses offered online.

The big and obvious change will be the transition from traditional courses to online. Students will need to adapt to the change and keep up with the class requirements.

Refer to: http://proquest.umi.com.mcc1.library.csulb.edu/pqdweb?did=1434798941&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=14436&RQT=309&VName=PQD for full article.

Texas Southern To End Open Admissions?

According to a staff writer of the Houston Chronicle, Texas Southern University should discontinue its open admission policy.

In Raise the bar / It's time for Texas Southern University to end open admissions, it states that having an open admission policy have lowered standards for TSU. More than half of freshmen are entering TSU with little preparation, which many students to drop out.

Because students are unprepared, professors are forced to lower standards or fail in large numbers.

Along with large fail rate and lowered standards, students are enrolling only to collect grant money. They enroll in courses and never intend in attend class.

At TSU, only 16 percent of students graduate in six years.

Although these facts may be true, not having an open admission policy may not raise TSU's credibility.

Another option may be to have a more strict standard for admissions. Maybe, the current policy is just in need for a tweak, rather than a complete change.

Having a more strict standard for admissions will allow only students with a sense of desire to receive a degree at TSU.

Bill to Introduce Tuition Plan

A bill was introduced on today by a Maryland delegate, that will help students and their families plan better for college tuition long term.

Heather R. Mizeur introduced the bill that will give fixed rates for student tuition. The proposed bill will allow a long-term plan for students in public universities in Maryland, which will be one of the first states to institute the bill.

The Maryland Truth in Tuition Act is a model of an act proposed a few years ago in Illinois.

House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Del. John L. Bohanan Jr., are among the few that support the bill.

If this bill passes, students will no longer need to worry about tuition changes. This bill will cause less stress, less confusion and less adjustment for families.

While on the plan, participants only need to raise enough money to pay for the fixed income. The rates will be consistent, which families need regarding tuition.

Refer to: http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1439780821&SrchMode=1&sid=9&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1204737407&clientId=14436 for full article.

Major Concerns

There are certain concerns at the university level, when education is considered. Many of the concerns are directly effecting students. These concerns are not listed in any order of importance.
The first concern is an important one; teacher shortages. Much of the shortage is due to teachers reaching retirement.
Some states are providing fast-track teaching programs to provide more teachers to the growing enrollment in schools. However, this solution has a big problem; teachers are put into situations where they have little to no experience before teaching.
Another concern is providing more classes for students in the traditional and online category. Institutions have begun to transition to providing online classes along with traditional classes. This is a major advantage for students who have a compact schedule and wish to learn at a more flexible schedule.
There are certain issues when teachers teach with liberal views. Students have complained that the professors are imputing more of their own views than they should. However, to try to prevent this from happening, Congress is trying to protect the students by ensure a diverse opinion at universities.
In order to reach the university level, students must first be admitted into a university. According to an article released by CQ Researcher, the competition to be admitted into a university is becoming tougher.
A college degree is becoming more of a requirement for entry-level positions. However, that isn't the tough part; it's getting into a college before receiving a degree.
With needing a college degree as a requirement for an entry-level position, more of the public are working toward a degree.
A working problem at all levels of education have been cheating in school.
According to an CQ Reseacher, cheating is near an all-time high at high school and college levels. Some educators say that students are cheating because of the presures of big tests.

The Start

This is the beginning of many blogs regarding education. At this point, I have a few ideas on the types of topics I will blog about. Topics I have in mind are education for internationals, tuition issues and some other issues I have yet to think of at the moment. All of the issues I will cover will be at the university level. I will begin with issues nationally and eventually end up with local issues.