Caveat borrower

We have three rules for our children, should they decide to take a year or two off from their studies:

1. Don't get arrested.
2. Don't procreate.
3. Don't get into debt.

I.E. don't let yourself go too far down a path from which there is no retreat, and for which you will be responsible for the rest of your lives.

All well and good, and the rules could just as well apply to students in college as well, we think. Which explains why we are not particularly happy about the news that the College Board is in the business of private loans for college students. Crippling debt is one of the most intractable problems that bedevils those of us who really care about students; private loans typically have higher interest rates and less forgiving payoff schedules than Federal loans. The College Board does not belong in this business.

It's one heckuva town

Bloomington, that is. And now we've got our own magazine to celebrate it.

Worth a gamble?

Props to Governor Daniels for trying to come up with ways to support higher education in the state of Indiana. However, we are reminded that our sister calls state lotteries "a tax on the stupid." Ironic then, we suppose, that the monies generated would be used to support the smart. What do you think? Has the governor gone too far with privatization? Wasn't the money supposed to go to education anyway? Shoudl the state be in the business of promoting a potentially devastating, addictive activity like gambling? If not, have you got a better idea for funding higher education?

Silent nights...

Shhhhh... it is finals week for IU students, and the place is really starting to quiet down. Traffic is thinning out, and it is easier to park downtown. Next week, the students will mostly be gone except those few who live too far from home to travel for the holidays, especially students from abroad who have enough trouble getting a visa to attend IU in the first place. We're going to feed some of them at least one holiday dinner; on Monday night at the Herman B Wells Library, we fed 1,200 of them a free and healthy snack, and wished them best of luck on their exams.

Blue, blue, their world is blue

Our kids call the winter solstice holiday "Christma-Hanu-Kwanzaa," declining to differentiate between the annual getting of the presents. But apparently lots of people - especially male people - can't see any difference either. Interesting!

More on financial aid

This is huge. For students who get Pell grants, IU is going to cover the rest of the costs of tuition and fees, leaving only books, supplies and living expenses. Read the whole thing here. Of course, living expenses are a large part of the cost of attending college, but smart students can find lots of ways to keep those costs down as well.

Those goofy college kids...

...or in this case, it is a recent IU alum, seeking to gain fame through t-shirts.

Race and education

and everything else... For some well-written and thoughtful commentary from a different perspective, we recommend this blog.