Jaidyn Landers: College enrollment: On a decline
Over the past few years, it has been noticed by analysts that college enrollment has been on a decline, and the recent presence of COVID-19 only exacerbated this trend. If the reduction in admissions in higher education persists, we will begin to see a negative impact on the research being conducted, the number of workers in high-skilled positions and the productivity of our nation as a whole.
One reason causing this pattern of decline in enrollment is because of the increase in tuition. According to the Anti-Defamation League, tax payers are becoming less willing to fund services that are valuable to the people, and this has caused cuts in funding things like higher education. Less money distributed to colleges directly leads to the increase in tuition.
For many, tuition costs are unaffordable, which makes it difficult to go to college. As a community, we need to find ways to make college affordable for all, whether it be to create programs that provide money for those in need, fund classes that teach financial literacy or encourage the state government to put more funding towards higher education. College is a space where a lot of people tend to learn more about themselves and discover what they would like to do in order to make the world a better place. Although it’s not meant for everyone, higher education holds a lot of value in the foundation of our country.
Jaidyn Landers
Boulder
Tom Shelley: Virus naming: Slurs are not OK
Even if the recent shootings of Asian-Americans in Atlanta, GA were not racially motivated, there is a serious problem with violence towards and harassment of that part of our population in the last year. And it’s not just violence- economically Asian-America has been in decline, more so than the general population (they went from having an unemployment rate roughly the same as that of white people, to (according to Pew Research) having one in May of 2020 that was more than 1.5 times the white one).
This hostile environment is largely the product of Donald Trump’s insistence on blaming China for COVID-19. He insists on calling it the China virus, the Wuhan Virus, or the “Kung Flu.” A lot of Trump supporters probably would say that objecting to use of that last one is evidence that one doesn’t have a sense of humor. But it’s very offensive. It goes further than calling it the China virus. It implies that there’s is something culturally Chinese about the virus. Going back to the less offensive terms, I don’t think anyone called “Mad Cow Disease” the “English disease” (I don’t think that even Irish republicans called it that).
Some people who call it “Kung Flu” might say that the absolutely serious nature of this public health emergency justifies the hostility towards Asian-Americans, but it’s the opposite. I’m sure it’s very upsetting for Asian-Americans to think about how so many Americans blame part of their community for COVID-19 deaths.
Tom Shelley
Boulder
Tom Corson: Waterview: Revisit the issue
The City Council needs to “call up” the Waterview Apartment Development at 5801 Arapahoe. Not enough time was allotted per person for speakers at the March 4th Planning Board Zoom Meeting.
It appeared that the 7-0 vote in favor of the project was pre-determined and the meeting was orchestrated very effectively to that end. All the right boxes were checked by the appropriate responsible persons and the project ended up being a solid massive disaster of buildings and parking structures. The planning and design process needs to be improved prior to the approval of this project and future projects.
If the proponents of affordable housing in Boulder are interested in having affordable housing then the entire Waterview project should be made affordable, not just 80 units out of 317. Most of the proposed affordable housing units are very small single apartments with 400 square feet that rent for $1,200 month plus parking. $3 per square foot is expensive rent.
Density should be decreased from 317 units (46 units per acre) to 147 affordable family apartments. Twenty one (21) units per acre was the desirable number presented by Mr. Shutkin, the developer, at the neighborhood meeting on Feb. 11th. What happened to the 21 units per acre?
There are three major problems that need to be addressed.
1. Flooding and Conveyance: FEMA needs to use the correct flood maps to analyze the flooding and conveyance problems.
2. Traffic Plan: There is a solution to the proposed traffic plan….build the bridge! This is for the safety of future Waterview residents
and public traffic on Arapahoe.
3. Density: Density should be 21 units per acre, not 46 units per acre on 6.9 acres. 317 units on 6.9 acres is a massive, unsightly
development!
Please read the guest commentary title “Fortress Waterview” by Jeffrey Dumas in the Daily Camera on March 19th. His comments regarding Waterview are 100% spot on.
Tom Corson
Boulder
Karl F. Anuta: NRA: Good vs. bad
The NRA is wrong: Good Guys with guns are not the way to stop Bad Guys with guns. Boulder has more guns per capita than cars (gun shop owners will confirm that). It is highly probable that more than one person in King Soopers had a gun in her or his purse or pocket. Yet the Good Guy was one of those killed. Statistically there were perhaps a dozen persons in the Aurora Theatre who had guns.
Another thought: Let’s form a “well-regulated militia” (U.S. Const., 2d Amd.) and prohibit the ownership of guns to anyone who is not a member. Or perhaps the NRA could substitute and Federal law could require that to purchase a gun one must be a member of the NRA. They could then determine who is the good guy.
Karl F. Anuta
Boulder
