Recently here in Cedar City, there have been several letters decrying the direction of the university as a “liberal arts” institution and complaining about the high cost of tuition. My initial – and continuing – reaction has been along the lines of what planet are these idiots from?
The university has always had a liberal arts/teaching focus, from the days of its founding over a century ago, and its tuition is so low that its out-of-state tuition and fees are lower than the in-state fees of many universities in other states. Now, admittedly, tuition has increased more than the administration would like, entirely because the state legislature has decided to cut per-student funding while mandating enrollment increases, not only for the local university but for most of the state institutions. Even so, considering the quality of many programs, state tuition here and elsewhere in Utah is a comparative bargain. Here, the music, art, and theatre areas have won national awards against much larger schools; the nursing program is rated as one of the best in the state and region; pre-law and pre-med students have an enviable rate of acceptance at graduate schools; and the physical education program has been so successful that it’s known as the “coaching factory.”
Unfortunately, this disregard for the facts isn’t just about college education here in Cedar City, but is symptomatic of a larger problem. More and more, I see people ignoring the facts that conflict with what they feel and want. It’s as if they actively avoid facts and circumstances contrary to their beliefs, as if they simply don’t want to know. Whether it’s global warming or deficit spending, immigration, income inequality, decreased social mobility, education…or a dozen other subjects… they don’t want to know… and trying to get them to consider “contrary” facts just makes them angrier.
Part of this is an effect of civilization. If, earlier in history, you didn’t want to believe that the perils of the time – predators, floods, fire, famine, and raiders from other tribes, for example – you ended up dead. Now that civilization has eliminated or limited the effects of those perils, and the dangers we face are more indirect and take more time to affect one, people ignore the facts about dangers. In this regard, global warming is a good example. I can recall predictions dating back almost twenty years suggesting that weather would get more violent with even modest rises in overall global temperatures. Temperatures have risen; weather has become more violent; and still people debate whether global warming and its effects are real.
On a personal level, there’s and even more stark and direct example — obesity. Excessive weight is one of the primary causes of early death and other health hazards. There’s absolutely no question of that… and yet Americans are the most obese nation on the face of the planet… and they scream bloody murder when a politician suggests banning serving soft drinks in 32 ounce sizes. For heaven’s sake, does anyone really need a quart of carbonated beverage at one sitting?
But then, I suppose, why anyone would want that much at once is one of those facts I don’t want to know.