Second Town Hall Meeting Tackles Issues on Education

On Tuesday, November 3, 2015 Frostburg State University held its second town hall meeting. Mr. Tim Magrath, the Executive Director of The J. Glenn Beall Institute for Public Affairs, and Patrick O’Brien, Director of The Office of Civic Engagement host these meetings to encourage student involvement. Tuesday night’s meeting discussed statewide issues.

Spending on education was one of the most highly debated issues, and for some, the most important. In addition to spending on education, some other areas needed for improvement are welfare programs and infrastructure, including building and maintenance of community centers. One student pointed out, “LaVale took down the bowling alley for another Sheetz.” For students, whether in college or grade school, there are limited entertainment options. Along with the Country Club Mall, the bowling alley in LaVale was a major focal point for students to hang out with their friends.

Professor Henriette Soro is from the Ivory Coast in West Africa and came to Frostburg to receive an education. She received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at FSU and is currently a French professor. She says, “This was my American dream.” She goes on to explain, “It is good to invest in education because students are the future of your country.” Unfortunately, many people cannot afford to attend college. One student suggested giving full-ride scholarships to those who cannot afford to attend college at all.

Many careers require further education after high school. Before getting to that level, grade schools deserve to have a piece of the pie from the budget as well. Some argued that more money should be spent on the maintenance of school buildings, while others argued teachers deserve a higher pay. However, all agreed that, “schools should advocate for participation in politics.” When students come to college, many are unaware of how politics affects society and/or how to become involved.

In high school, students are required to complete a certain number of student service learning hours in order to graduate. This may be one way of contributing to the community; however, it’s not as effective as schools meant for it to be. One student talks about how they “cheated” to get the mandatory hours and didn’t take it seriously. Instead of these mandatory hours, students should somehow get involved in politics—whether that means taking field trips to Washington, D.C. and Annapolis, practicing writing letters to Congressmen, and having in and out-of-class simulations of how to effectively and properly raise awareness on various issues. In addition, students who are eligible to vote should be shown how to do so, along with filling out absentee ballots and attending town hall meetings.

The biggest concern brought up at Tuesday night’s meeting was taxing the wealthy. There were mixed reviews and very strong opinions expressed from both sides of the debate. Still regarding education, the question arose of how and why equal tax among citizens is more harmful than beneficial. One side believes having a flat tax, where all income levels pay the same percentage, is fair. A student said, “Those that are rich work hard for their money and deserve to keep it and spend it how they want.” Another student disagreed, arguing that “There can’t be a flat tax because the playing field isn’t even.”

Lastly, the question was asked, “If education is key then why are schools closing down and/or run down?” Some students expressed there seem to be a bias towards inner city kids and there needs to be more education. Schools need to educate their students about what is going on in society. “We are here! We have a voice,” one student says.  There are some schools whose only concern is to get the students out of the system and earn a paycheck, as one student had unfortunately experienced. The overall agreement was to “invest in teachers and not materialistic things.” While having state-of-the-art equipment and labs are nice, teachers who truly care about their students can really make or break a school.

All students are encouraged to attend the last town hall meeting of the fall 2015 semester. The third and final meeting of this semester will take place on November 17, 2015 in the Atkinson Room in the Lane Center at 6 p.m. Federal issues will be discussed at this meeting. While there will only be one more meeting before Thanksgiving Break, students are also encouraged to attend the town hall meetings in the Spring 2015 semester.