Wednesday, June 8, 2016

M + D

My alma mater has done it again.

The Marywood University student news site, The Wood Word, is out with its annual report card on the state of the university.

It's a well written, well thought out piece.  The good, bad and ugly are there for all to see.

The bottom line is the students give their university a D grade.

Okay.  That's all well and good.  Marywood has some issues.  The incoming president knows that.  She's made no secret about it.  There are financial problems, morale problems and more.

As I noted in last week's Hazleton Cops blog entry, the way to fix a problem is to shed some light on it, expose it, talk about it.

But, for every yin, there is a yang.

I have this picture in my mind.  It's a high school junior, soon to become a senior, sitting at a desk at home, Googling potential colleges and universities.  He or she comes across the Wood Word editorial and sees the D.  The student asks the question, "Why would I want to go there?"

The same goes for high school guidance counselors.  Could a guidance counselor, in good conscience, steer a student toward a school where its own students give it a D?

I do not regret my time at Marywood, and the recent spell of major problems make me sad, even though I'm not an active alumnus.  Solving the problems won't be an overnight thing.  It could take years.  I just wonder if there will be enough students to look past the D and give the place a shot.