Regarding the item, “Anger motivating voters to support Trump,” published Feb. 5:
Fulton-Montgomery Community College President Dustin Swanger begins the column stating it is clearly not his place to speak against any political candidate in his official capacity as a community college president, (indeed, he should not, as that is not what we taxpayers pay him for).
He states he will attempt to explore this topic, “without tipping my hand,” then adds, “I doubt I will be able to accomplish that task.”
Here we have an admission of responsibility, and an admission of doubt he can abide by that responsibility.
Swanger then proceeds to undergrade one of the candidates, and only one, notably Donald Trump.
Poor old Trump, directly or indirectly, is cited for racism, vulgarity, being rich, spewing hate, and fanning the fires of the electorate’s frustration.
Ouch – all this time, I thought he was a nice guy.
Now that Trump has been effectively tarbrushed, however undiplomatically, we must proceed with the article. Mr. Swanger states, “we need to teach our students to approach issues – and political candidates – in a measured and critical way.”
I thought a course on logic (the science of reasoning) had already been established in the present curriculum at the college. If that is not true, shame on the president and its administrators.
Let us go back a few years, when I addressed the college about bringing in people who gave speeches with their political views without proponents with different opinions; a debate, if you will. I emphasized then at Mohawk Valley Technical Institute at Utica, a forerunner of our present community colleges had in their curriculum a course (communication skills, three credits, two quarters), which included logic applications, debating skills, critique of current and past issues, pro and cons, who said what, when, why and where etc. This course and the Citizens & Government course which was also given were not electives.
If our students are being graduated into society without these basic communication skills and tools, they are not being properly educated. Where is the oversight on our education dollars?
What we have is self-serving, runaway educational and political bureaucracies answerable to no one.
No wonder we have a frustrated electorate.
JOE PARKER
Mayfield
