May 12, 2004

• Topic: Trying to make it happen

  
  

  Here’s an e-mail I just sent to this guy, Greg Winter, a writer for the New York Times, who wrote an article in Dec. about my school, Wash U., which is the basis of my book, which I’ve given a title to, “The Crises At Washington University: The First Step Towards Improving Higher Education” to be available this summer!!!

  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  Dear Greg Winter, I got your e-mail from Ann Lee. I found an interview on the internet of her and yourself for the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and she helped me find your e-mail. I hope you don’t mind… I am currently writing a book titled, “The Crises at Washington University in St. Louis: The First Step Towards Improving Higher Education” I graduated from Wash U in May 2003, and despite its #9 ranking in the US News and World Reports, I have spoken to many students and have reflected on my own experience, and have concluded that while the school has risen in the rankings, it has a handful of problems that are long overdue for discussion. I am self-publishing and distributing my book around Wash U next fall semester in an attempt to make all students and faculty aware of what college has been lacking for some time, and offering some suggestions. My goal is to then get students and faculty to have seroius discussions about such realities as student apathy, cynicism, mental health problems related to school stress such as migraines and depression, alienation and loneliness, feelings of inadequacy, and several other effects of a system that has separated school from real life. I am informing you about my book becaues of an article you write, 12/22/03 titled, “A Mighty Fund Raising Effort Helps Lift A College’s Rankings.” The conclusion I drew from the article led me to write this unpublished letter to the times: “Washington University and its 6 figure price tag left much to be desired of my education, and left me questioning the value of a degree that required bare minimum qualifications to obtain. Shouldn’t the calliber of education be ahead of the caliber of its fundraising, for an institution that wants the title, “America’s Best University?” In the last 6 months, there has been no article to calm my concern about the status of higher education. A recent article just upset me more. The article is “How I Spent Summer Vacation: At Getting-Into-College Camp,” by Tamar Lewin, April, 18, 2004. Again, I sent a letter, which was again unpublished by the Times: “The college prep programs discussed in the article, “How I Spent Summer Vacation,” reflect a dangerous trend in all of education. Their message to parents and students is to value grades, resumes, and the status provided by a schools name, over learning and life experience. The money spent on these programs could be better used on truly enriching programs, such as those that send students abroad to explore other cultures. Also, the messsage that parents must not forget to tell their kids, is that what they do in college and after are much more important than the outcomes of the college admissions process.” I’m only 22, one year out of college. I’m currently in Cape Town, South Africa, writing my boook. I have been here 5 months now, spending 3 working as an outdoor education instructor for Outward Bound South Africa. I read the NYT online whenever I can, and reading the articles about higher educatoin over the last several months has left me confused as to why I’ve only seen the types of articles that praise college education and market schools as well. I’m starting to think maybe I’m the first to view typical student issues such as resenting grades and desiring to skip class in order to pursue other life experiences as not simply part of the college experience, but symptoms of a college crises! The system is having an ill effect on 1000s of college students, and these are the people who enter the real world in a stage of confusion, and comprise what is another issue, the 20-something depression/existential crises. When I read your article about Wash U, I thought to myself, “There’s no journalistic reason why the NYT couldn’t cover the other realities of college.” In fact, I felt it would be important that they did. I’m writing you because I’m an idealist with no connections. You’re writing for the biggest paper in America, and I’m sure you have many more connections than that, plus as a college grad yourself, I’m sure you can understand some of the things I’m writing about. You may have felt some frustrations with college yourself. I believe we all have. Please let me know if you can in some way help me get my word and ideas out. If you’re interested, I can help clear up some of what I’m writing about, since I probably haven’t done the best job at explaining it all to you in this e-mail. Thank you for your time. -Dan Lilienthal

  
  

   

  • 6:22 pm
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