This is great, I think I’m starting to understand how things work around here. I have tried to make a few posts with a slightly different slant to the RA is the only answer position, and this guy DaveHayden is now referencing me as some degree mill refugee want-a-be. Here is my basic argument: Degree Mill Bad DETC Good RA Best BUT, that stronger competition between RA, DETC, and maybe ACICA would make education more affordable, as the RA’s are in collusion to keep prices high. If someone thinks my argument unsound, lets debate the points of it. But how about we stop with the character assassination in threads that I have not even posted in!! Bubba
I think Dave is alluding to another forum where someone referred to himself as Bubba. The use of pseudonyms tends to invite speculation as to our identities. I think that we shouldn't be so sensitive about "personal" attacks if we are using pseudonyms.
Actually, this isn't an argument, it is an opinion. But I could make an argument that this opinion is consistent with the observable facts. As for personal attacks, one cannot make a personal attack against someone who isn't a person. Whether or not someone using a psuedonym is a person, I don't know. I guess you could make an argument either way. I know that I've used my real name and have been the subject of many vicious attacks. Fortunately, they've been from all the right people, making them look even sillier than their degree mill shilling does.
If you are angry about what you believe to have been personal slights, starting a personality-battle thread with the rest of the board is probably the wrong way to respond. I'd suggest presenting your remarks at a higher level of abstraction, avoiding all mention of personalities, and implacably presenting your position as well as you can. Perhaps that's your position, but it certainly wasn't clear in the 'federal role' thread. Your very first post to that thread accused the rest of us of having bought into a "collusive conspiracy". You may have just intended to make points for DETC, but your post sounded combative. It only went downhill when 'Biker7' jumped in alongside you and started arguing for WAUC. Given that there are 2,888 RA schools, that's hard to believe. I expect that there's far more competition within the RA ranks than between them and the 61 DETC degree granting schools. I'm sure that the least expensive universities in the country are RA. I did about 60 units at City College of San Francisco, accredited by WASC, without paying a cent in tuition (it was totally free at the time). There are even schools that pay you to attend them. I expect that RA schools' reluctance to automatically accept DETC credits has a more fundamental explanation. The purpose of the various accreditors is to define and enforce standards. Well, if a whole set of inconsistent standards had to be treated as interchangeable, then the purpose of all of them would be subverted. What would be the point of an accreditor laboriously deciding to require X, if Y and Z had to be accepted as effectively equivalent? Like you, I would love to see the DETC schools become more competitive. But I think that the best way for that to happen would be for DETC to concentrate on upgrading its academics. It needs a higher profile. There need to be a few DETC schools that are widely seen as leaders in their fields. That's why I question their headlong rush into doctoral programs. What they really need to do is to promote scholarship at their schools before rolling out doctoral programs. They need to create some institutes and research units. People affiliated with DETC schools need to publish and present at conferences. DETC schools need to participate in research collaborations and joint projects. DETC could push that along institutionally by requiring schools with doctoral aspirations in the future to start preparations now. Let it be known that Ph.D. programs will only be approved at schools that have demonstrated the ability to credibly support them. Admittedly, that would be more than is required of the bottom of the barrel RA doctoral programs. But DETC are the new kids on the block and they will be the ones needing to win credibility. They really need some strong programs that simply can't be ignored.
