China, the next Superpower

Is China a superpower? I had a rather heated debate a couple nights ago about whether China was or was not one. It is hard to argue not they are not one, just off of their economic strength alone. There are other factors that contribute to a country being deemed a superpower, however. According to Lyman Miller, the four basic components of how a superpower is measured are as followed: military, political, economic, and cultural. As the world emerged from World War II, two countries emerged as great superpowers, the United States (U.S.) and the Soviet Union. And so, the Cold War began. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. was the lone superpower and has been ever since, but that time may be up.

The unprecedented growth of China has launched a furious debate as to whether China can become to second great superpower. Keep in mind that China is the largest holder of U.S. debt with a number that is close to reaching $1 trillion, just built their first stealth aircraft, and has

“successfully developed, tested and deployed the world’s first weapons system capable of  targeting a moving carrier strike group from long-range, land-based, mobile launchers,”

according to Andrew Erickson, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College.” Such a system has been deemed a “game changer” that has already affected U.S. strategy in the Pacific.

Add in the fact that China is the world’s second largest economy, has the world’s largest workforce, and is a crucial ally to North Korea, a country poised to be an international issue, and it seems that while China is as of now only a regional power, that it is poised to be a superpower soon.

Here’s to hoping that the U.S. is paying attention, because China is coming…and they are not going to stop.

The Reality of College Education

In today’s competitive world, a college degree is a necessity. If one hopes to be successful, going to college is an absolute must. Universities are taking advantage of this new knowledge and continue to raise tuition year after year at a faster rate than the current cost of living. According to an article on CNN Money:

“For more than two decades, colleges and universities across the country have been jacking up tuition at a faster rate than costs have risen on any other major product or service – four times faster than the overall inflation rate and faster even than increases in the price of gasoline or health care. The result: After adjusting for financial aid, the amount families pay for college has skyrocketed 439% since 1982.”

Basic economics cannot explain the sharp increase in tuition over the last thirty years. While the economy has gone up and down over the years, tuition prices continue to rise. Colleges try to explain why tuition has become so expensive but nothing can explain a 439% increase. Why tuition has spiked is not as important as the effect that it has on students and their families all over the country.

Students now may pay upwards of $100,000 for a four-year public school undergraduate education and $200,000 for a private school education. The average student is forced to take out $21,500 worth of student loans just to pay for college, and the number is increasing. It is not uncommon for families to take out more than $50,000 in loans to pay for school. The thought process would be that one pays a substantial amount of money upfront but then is able to secure a higher-paying job over the long-term that would not be available if it were not for earning a college degree. This is how one can prove the worth of their college degree, at least in financial terms. That raises the question, however, if college is worth the price. Is it worth taking out thousands of dollars in student loans?

There is no clear answer. Rather, it depends on each individual’s situation. The fact, however, that graduate school is becoming more and more important in order to find a good job, devalues an undergraduate degree and forces students to pay even more money. Therefore, undergraduate degrees, for the most part, are not worth the price that we pay. It does not make sense for students to be burdened with large student loans after graduation, especially if the undergraduate education is less likely to help pay off student loans.

Salaries are not increasing at the same rate that tuition is, which makes it harder to justify the value and importance of an undergraduate degree. If our society is going to emphasize the importance of going beyond undergraduate school, than we must also stabilize costs for students in order to make graduate school a realistic possibility. If this does not happen, not only will we be hurting students by making it impossible to continue on with their education and sinking them in debt, but we will also be hurting America in its entirety.

President Nikias: The Greek System has Value!

C.L. Max Nikias, the new president of the University of Southern California (USC) recently suspended all weeknight social activities for the entire Greek system. The suspensions came after two embarrassing incidents that brought negative media attention to the university and its Greek community. The first incident involved a brother in the Kappa Sigma fraternity who sent out an email to his house involving women. He hideously referred to women as

“Targets, because they aren’t actual people like us men. Consequently, giving them a certain name or distinction is pointless.”

A couple weeks later, pictures of a member of the aforementioned distinguished Kappa Sigma fraternity and an unidentified girl were taken having sex on top of the tallest building on USC’s campus, Waite Phillips Hall. The intercourse occurred during a sorority philanthropy event that was taking place in nearby McCarthy Quad. A week after this latest incident, Nikias suspended all social activity on weeknights.

Because of two incidents and three irresponsible people the entire Greek community is forced to serve severe consequences. Three careless people scarred the reputation of the USC Greek community and damaged ties with university brass.

Why though should an entire community be punished for the actions of three people and one fraternity house? President Nikias must realize that these individuals do not represent the ideologies and values that the majority of Greeks believe. Nikias is beginning the slow and painful death of the USC Greek system with this kind of regulation. Whether he knows exactly what he is doing is another story however.

Do not think for a second that I am condoning the actions that have put the Greek system in such a precarious state. What happened is absolutely inexcusable, disgusting, and reflects poorly on a whole community that has such a positive and beneficial purpose.

That being said, Nikias is making a mistake. The president is demonstrating his negative attitude he has on Greek life, which does not bode well for the Greek community or the university as a whole. Contrary to popular belief, Greeks care about more important things than getting drunk on a daily basis. It is true that certain houses may have alcohol and hazing incidents from time-to-time, but the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, Nikias is only thinking about the negatives.

 

Fraternities and sororities are essential for a large university like USC. It allows people to take a big school and make it school smaller, meet more people, and form lasting friendships. Greek students also have higher GPA’s than non-Greeks. Moreover, consider that 85% of all Fortune 500 executives and 80% of all Presidents since the 1900’s were members of fraternities or sororities. Greeks are the future leaders of society and USC must make sure that the system thrives.

Houses organize philanthropic events to raise money for charity every year. Since 2005, Sigma Chi has raised over $200,000 through Derby Days, for various children’s hospitals. Kappa Alpha Theta has raised over $13,000 in the last two years.

The Greek system also serves as a phenomenal way for students to network and become fully entrenched as a member of the Trojan Family, a value that the university hopes will stick with students after graduation.

I implore the university, and mainly President Nikias to think about all the benefits of the Greek system before punishments are issued. It is easy to see individual houses and people and portray the entire system as acting the same way. Do not be blinded President Nikias! This is simply not the case. Be good to the Greek system and it will do good for entire university in countless ways.