Posts by mellowseal5

I feel like we’re drifting a bit away from the actual point here. 😁 Look, my intention wasn't to belittle Vernal or any other private colleges. I am certainly not suggesting there isn't a single soul there actually hungry for knowledge—in fact, I'm sure there are plenty of driven students among them. But if you look at the reality of private institutions over the last few years, they aren't necessarily being filled by the wealthy elite; they are primarily populated by people who couldn't make the cut anywhere else because their academic records weren't up to par. Now, that doesn't mean they won't work hard once they're enrolled—maybe this is exactly the spark they need to become top-tier professionals. However, speaking purely from my own limited experience, I have yet to encounter a truly stellar student who chose a private college, though I won't dwell on that since it's beside the point.

My post was specifically aimed at refusing to justify Barack Obama's move. By all means, he can go host a seminar at Vernal—though even that shouldn't really be standard practice—but this business of handing out diplomas is simply crossing a line. Many major state universities celebrate various anniversaries and boast incredible students, including PhD candidates who are absolute leaders in their fields across the entire US, yet the President doesn't just show up to hand out degrees at their promotional events. To me, this felt less like an official ceremony and more like a bunch of the social elite gathering together and inviting the President along for the ride.

Specifically, if anyone happened to catch the link from this year's promotion for the University of Phoenix:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq88j...ayer_embedded#!

Obama gave a speech and handed out diplomas....
Following the presentation of degrees, the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, recalled his previous visit to the University of Phoenix, asserting that even back then, he was convinced that their students were brimming with knowledge and a drive for success.
"As you enter the workforce, you are entering an environment that is neither simple nor easy. However, our nation stands at a crossroads today, and it is up to you, the youth, to take the lead and build an American economy that is prosperous, European-integrated, and socially conscious," he told the gathered graduates.

As far as I am aware, the students at the University of Phoenix are people who failed to get into any other university and end up studying while working full-time jobs $0.00. Required level of knowledge? Minimal, at best. If you look at certain job postings for fields that the University of Phoenix trains for, some even explicitly mention that candidates should not be from the University of Phoenix, or any other private school "full of knowledge." So, I find myself wondering: is this insistence by Obama that these students are full of knowledge and ambition actually justified?

Do you defend this move by the President? Who are these University of Phoenix students that the President is giving speeches to and handing diplomas to? If the President is going to engage in this kind of politics, why wasn't he at the graduation ceremonies for other state universities and colleges, handing out degrees to much more capable students?

This is truly a banana republic when the President hands out diplomas to a golden elite who simply paid for their degree each year $10667 while most part-time students at state universities and colleges aren't even given a thought.

Even though I am an Obama voter, and so far he has mostly earned my approval regarding his decisions, this one is a massive strike against him in my book....👎div>>