Dear Editor:

“Phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed will allow Earth’s biosphere to return to good health.” So says the home page of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, whose answer to environmental problems lies in the prospect of a future without humans. While this would be beneficial to the planet, anyone can see that this solution is both unrealistic and unwanted. One must give them points for effort, though.

So what can a person do about the vast environmental issues our generation is facing? It is easy to get overwhelmed when one considers the realities of global warming, explosive population increase and the veritable buffet of toxic wastes we spew into the environment every day.

What can a single student, such as you, actually do? In reality, one person can do very little.

However, just as the human body is comprised of countless cells working to achieve life, so must be the movement towards a sustainable future.

It will require more than buying organic cotton shirts saying “Go Green” or investing in a Prius to pretentiously boast about higher gas mileage.

It will require a large group of individuals fully dedicated to preserving the planet. Amassing this kind of group is the long term goal of SOARE (Students Organized to Advance Renewable Energies), but in the short term, we hope to educate both campus and community about renewable energies and the benefits of a sustainable future.

As you may or may not know, you were charged $10 this semester for a “Sustainability Fee.” In fact, every student was charged this fee and the sum is to be spent on “green” projects on campus.

Some of the upgrades from this fee include water regulators and light sensors throughout campus, as well as the solar array on APSU’s farm. A wind generator is also under construction on the farm.

The amount of money available provides a lot of potential for even more drastic changes to reduce our campus’s energy consumption.

However, this fee was intended to be spent with student input, and very little has been received. SOARE hopes to act as a mediator between the student body and the Sustainability Fee Committee.

If you have any ideas for projects to request to the school, or you just want to find out more about our organization, please contact us at soare.apsu@gmail.com.

If we can significantly decrease the amount of energy consumed on campus, we can greatly decrease the amount of money spent on energy. This money could improve student life in countless ways. So essentially, if you help the environment, you wind up helping yourself. Imagine that.
— Luke Holliday, SOARE President

Dear Editor:

It’s very rare that a student has the attention of the campus community and dignitaries in one setting. As SGA President, I was able to help plan the 10,000 student enrollment milestone as well as the opportunity to address a large crowd of APSU supporters.

I am glad that The All State covered this milestone in a positive light. However, I definitely had a poor use of judgment when I used a terrible adjective to describe some of our residence halls when I said, “ghetto Cross, Killebrew, Rawlins.” As a former Residence Assistant (RA), it takes a significant amount of time and energy to build a positive community for residents to live and learn. I hope that current residents and RAs understand that my comments were inappropriate and that I was only poorly judging the look of the buildings.

While many of us rush to judgment, including the looks of our campus buildings, we have very dedicated Resident Assistants, faculty, staff and administration that make APSU a special place to be.

Maybe all of us should take a step back and be thankful that we are blessed with a lot of tangible and intangible assets. I just hope that the campus community understands that what I said wasn’t appropriate and that I am very grateful for the APSU experience.
— Chris Drew, SGA President

Dear Editor:
In the October 28 edition of The All State, there was a question asked regarding non-traditional students in the “Dwonna know what I think?” column that really got my attention. The reason it got my attention was because it was full of inaccurate statements and stereotypes made by the advice column writer. In addition, the advice offered to correct the situation was poor at best.

The advice offered to the student who felt like non-traditional students took up too much time rambling about nothing was to tell the non-traditional student to “shut the hell up.”

The person offering this “advice” also said, “Often, when I want an older student’s perspective, I’ll ask, ‘Where’s my resident old person to speak on this topic?’ I will then let the non-traditional student speak, but try not to let him or her go on and on because it can get a bit tiring — and boring.”

That’s stereotyping. Can you imagine if, while in class, I answered a question using a disparaging term like, “I’m not sure, Professor XYZ, let me ask one of my young, immature, childish classmates.” Or even worse, if I used some sort of racial or religious stereotype.

How about if I told a classmate, “Shut the hell up, kid — you don’t know what you’re talking about, you’re only 18.” Sounds crazy and more than a bit stupid, doesn’t it? And yet that was the advice offered, and that’s what apparently happens in the advice writer’s classroom.

I’m fairly certain I would suffer some kind of consequence if I said something like that to someone in class — as I should.

According to APSU, a non-traditional student is one that “… is not defined only by age (usually over 24), they are also students with life circumstances different from the typical traditional student,” such as students who are married, divorced or single parents, veterans or students returning to school after spending time in the work force. According to APSU’s Web site, there are over 3,000 “adult learners” enrolled here. With a 2008 student population of 9,401, that’s at least one-third of the student population, depending on 2009-2010 enrollment. Not an insignificant number.

These are the people who some seem to have little patience with, because we are characterized as unable to control ourselves, rambling on aimlessly about nothing in particular and on subjects that have absolutely no bearing on any classroom conversation.

It reminds me of “The Simpsons” episode where there’s a picture of Grandpa Simpson shaking his fist in the air with an accompanying newspaper headline that says, “Old man yells at cloud.” It’s sad, but that’s how many students and some professors here see us.

And as I said before, it’s stereotyping and discriminatory in the same class as gender, racial and religious discrimination according to APSU and according to federal law. And it’s just as wrong and just as hateful.

We aren’t here to bore you or to take up valuable class time and “waste your parent’s money” by speaking in class as was mentioned in the column. We aren’t here to be your parents, or to prattle on about “back when I was a kid.” We aren’t here as some sort of international parental cabal, bent on ruining your education or good time while you’re at college. We’re here for an education — just like everyone else. For some reason, a simple question from a student was twisted around and turned into a bash-fest. Any advice offered was lost in a sea of ignorance and intolerance.

The real answer to the original question should be this: your first step should be to discuss the issue with the student you feel is being long-winded. Don’t do it in a confrontational manner, because nobody likes to be spoken to that way. Just phrase it with the common courtesy and respect any student or human being would expect and I’m almost certain that will be the end of the problem.

But if that doesn’t solve the problem, then go to your professor, either after class or during office hours. But telling someone to “shut the hell up” or anything else confrontational or humiliating in a public setting is a non-starter in any situation.
Having a first-class education is a powerful and personally satisfying thing that can open many doors to you. But without common sense, respect for others and an open mind, it isn’t worth a damn thing. 
— Donald McCasland, freshman social work major

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by APSU’s Dr. Harriett McQueen.

The APSU Middle College is a partnership between APSU and the Clarksville Montgomery County School System. Planning for the Middle College began in 2006 after representatives from APSU and CMCSS visited other Middle Colleges that are located on campuses of colleges and universities in Tennessee and North Carolina.

After conversations with enthusiastic students and faculty and after observing the success of these Middle Colleges, APSU and CMCSS entered into an agreement to open a Middle College on the APSU campus in Fall 2008. Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 120 students: 60 juniors and 60 seniors. The APSU Middle College is one of the eight high schools in CMCSS. There are 109 students are enrolled for Fall 2009.

Students who meet APSU admissions requirements apply for acceptance to the Middle College and are chosen for participation through a rigorous application process that was developed by APSU and CMCSS.

Upperclassmen enroll before Middle College students enroll. Priority registration at APSU is based on hours earned; thus, upperclassmen may enroll before students who are entering the university may enroll. Because Middle College students enroll last, they do not “bump upperclassmen out of spots in the classroom” if the upperclassmen take advantage of their early registration opportunity, confirm their classes and pay their fees in a timely manner.

Middle College students may enroll only in freshman (mostly 1000-level) courses for which they meet the prerequisites. By the time a student has achieved upperclassman status, required 1000-level courses most likely will have been completed. The only other students “competing” with Middle College students for the same slots are those who have the same registration priority.

Middle College students receive high school lottery scholarships available for any dual enrolled student. Middle College students often find the “stuff” of high school unappealing and prefer to move ahead with academic achievement. They, like other dual enrolled students, value the opportunity to begin their college education before completing all high school requirements more than they value participation in extra-curricular activities that may be very motivating for other high school students.

The state of Tennessee has applauded their choice by providing lottery scholarships for those who qualify. This fall, 88 (80.7 percent) Middle College students are recipients of the high school HOPE scholarship. APSU provides no additional scholarships for these students.

Middle College students pay all fees appropriate for the number of hours in which they are enrolled. APSU students enrolled on the main campus pay a program services fee and the amount is determined by full-time or part-time enrollment.

Middle College students pay the same fee that any part-time student pays. Additional course fees apply to Middle College students who are enrolled in those courses, as they apply to any student.

In the event that a Middle College student is enrolled only at APSU at Fort Campbell or is not enrolled in a university class, the program services fee is paid. No special privileges are given to Middle College students. Any fees that are necessary for campus privileges are paid by Middle College students.

APSU is Tennessee’s fastest growing university. Students choose APSU because they feel welcome on campus, find support both academically and socially and see challenging academic opportunities that appeal to them. Because of the additional tuition and fees resulting from growth, the university is able to enhance programs and provide academic opportunities that might not otherwise exist in a time of economic downturn.

We welcome the growth that has resulted from the addition of a Middle College whose students are taking university classes as dual enrolled students. And, happily, of the 48 students who were members of the first APSU Middle College graduating class, 19 are enrolled as first-time, full-time freshmen at APSU.

Middle College students (if you are able to identify them) do deserve a “pat on the back” for being pioneers; but they, as all students do, also deserve a welcoming smile from their fellow university students and from the faculty who teach them.

Read Nicole June’s editor’s related editor’s note here.