Tuesday, June 03, 2014



Liberals Recognize Conservative Suppression On College Campuses

All along Young America’s Foundation has said that college campuses nationwide seem to be less and less objective—well now even Michael Bloomberg agrees. At a commencement ceremony at Harvard yesterday, Bloomberg stated that colleges are supposed to be a place where students learn how to think, not where they are told what to think.

Just last week, Young America’s Foundation released its 22nd annual “Commencement Speakers Survey” which reveals that 43 liberal speakers and only 9 conservatives are scheduled to speak or have already spoken at this year’s commencement ceremonies at America’s top 100 colleges. Campuses are using commencement addresses as the last and final push to indoctrinate young impressionable minds.

It is important to note that Young America’s Foundation has always advocated for both sides to be presented on campuses—not one side over the other. We frequently hear from students about how they feel as though their free speech rights are suppressed on campus and 52% said that professors often do not present alternative viewpoints when there are different sides to an issue.

Colleges and universities should be places of tolerance for all opinions not just liberal viewpoints. Recently we have seen disgusting examples of intolerance from the Left when it comes to pro-life stances and pro-second amendment opinions. Conservative students have a right to expression just like liberal students do, but it is entirely unfair for conservative viewpoints to be suppressed.

A recent poll conducted by Young America’s Foundation found that 75% of graduating college seniors noted that they were required to take diversity courses, race & ethnicity courses, or feminist/women’s studies courses in order to graduate. When viewing the content of these courses it is clear that many of these courses are not being taught objectively but rather with a liberal bias. Why is it that these courses are being required and not just offered as electives? Also, where are the conservative courses?

It’s worth noting that campus “sensitivity” trainings are on the rise yet intolerance only seems to grow toward conservative students. Students are now being asked or required in some cases to “check their privilege” at the door because every student should be on equal footing.

We are living in a politically correct environment and college and university campuses are where it starts and begins. Bloomberg’s comments are worth applauding because at least he is able to recognize the growing intolerance toward conservative ideas on campuses especially when it comes to commencement addresses.

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Bonfire of 'soft' High School subjects in Britain: Media studies, astronomy and tourism could be axed in bid to make qualification more rigorous

GCSEs in ‘soft subjects’ such as film studies and leisure and tourism could face the axe in an overhaul of exams.

Education Secretary Michael Gove has already toughened up English and maths qualifications, as well as modern languages, history, geography and the sciences.

Exams watchdog Ofqual is now drawing up rigorous guidelines which could cull ‘easier’ GCSEs in hospitality and catering and health and social care.

It will publish a consultation paper this week on strict new criteria for subjects to attain GCSE status after 2016, calling for more stringent content and assessment.

Many GCSEs could be axed or have to be reclassified as vocational qualifications if they do not meet the standards. It is understood as many as 20 subjects from a list of about 58 GCSEs are under threat.

An insider at one exam board said some courses are more ‘vocational and  practical than academic’, adding: ‘The question will be asked of each one, “Why is this a GCSE?”.’

Figures show that the number of pupils taking leisure and tourism GCSEs this summer is 7,461 – a 120 per cent rise compared to the previous year. In 2013, more than two-thirds of students achieved at least a grade C in the subject.

Last summer’s exam included the question: ‘Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United Football Club.  'This is an example of a major sports venue.  Name one other example of a major sports venue.’

Health and social care GCSEs are being studied by 18,193 pupils this year, up 44 per cent on 2013 when more than half scored a C or above.

Questions in recent years have included: ‘Starting school is associated with which life stage? Middle adulthood, early childhood, adolescence or puberty.’

Exams watchdog Ofqual is now drawing up rigorous guidelines which could cull easier GCSEs in subjects including hospitality and catering. File picture

Tougher GCSEs in English language, English literature and maths are being introduced in 2015, followed by history, geography, the sciences and languages in 2016.

Reformed GCSEs will also be launched that year in art and design, music, drama and dance as well as citizenship, IT, design and technology, PE and religious studies.

An Ofqual spokesman said yesterday: ‘We’re going to be looking at what we think the GCSE should be and what requirements it should have ... exam boards will in future have to meet these requirements.  ‘If they don’t, [the subjects] won’t continue to be GCSEs.’

A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘All GCSEs should be made as rigorous and demanding as the ones we are reforming.

'We are not seeking to axe particular subjects, but they will all have to demonstrate they meet the same high standards if they are to continue.’

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Britain pushes for rules that force foreign students to return home once their studies are completed after Mail revealed around 100,000 stay on after graduating

Theresa May is pushing for new rules that will force colleges to ensure foreign students go home after completing their courses, it was reported yesterday.

The Home Secretary’s call follows fresh evidence, revealed by the Daily Mail last week, which shows that around 100,000 foreign students each year fail to return to their home countries once their studies are over.

A letter from Mrs May called for ‘decisive action to protect the integrity of the system and the reputation of our education sector’.

However, her attempt to make universities and colleges responsible is understood to have met fierce opposition from vice-chancellors and Coalition colleagues.

Universities Minister David Willetts is said to be sympathetic to the colleges’ pleas that they cannot be held responsible for the behaviour of students over whom they have no powers.

Migrants who come to study here from outside Europe are a lucrative source of earnings for universities, which can charge them up to triple the £9,000 fees charged to those from Britain and the EU.

Although the number of visas issued to non-EU foreign students has fallen since 2011 – when regulations were tightened up – government surveys suggest that a large number continue to come to Britain and not leave.

According to the Office for National Statistics, 145,000 non-EU students arrived here in 2012. Yet last year, only 50,000 non-EU students returned to their home countries.

Mrs May told Cabinet colleagues in March that she wanted new pressure on foreign students to obey the rules, following evidence of bogus courses and of students working for five-figure salaries and claiming benefits.

Ideas put forward included curbs on students bringing in dependants, sanctions against institutions which allow students to break the rules, and a requirement for universities to co-operate with immigration officers to ensure students return home.

Among open Tory opponents is former Foreign Office minister Lord Howell of Guildford, who is also the father-in-law of Chancellor George Osborne.

He said earlier this year that ‘being open for business means we’ve got to welcome the right people, including a lot of students and brilliant skilled people who add to our power in the world’.

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