Bard Prison Initiative on 60-Minutes

Proud Dad · 04-16-2007, 01:58 PM

Bard on 60-Minutes link
It makes me proud to be associated with Bard even if only as a parent of a prospect who decides not to attend. Watch it and excuse the opening commercial! Sorry.

MLEVINE07 · 04-16-2007, 06:00 PM

I like how they called Bard an "elite" school. Hopefully this will help Bard, who has been suffering because of its refusal to cooperate with the USNews Rankings and its reputation for being a liberal, hippie, druggy school.

bella89 · 05-02-2007, 01:01 PM

I dont like the idea of the prison intiative. call me conservative.

Proud Dad · 05-02-2007, 01:45 PM

...or, maybe closed-minded, eh, Bella? At least you tempered what you wrote in reply before you edited it. Maybe you should ask the students at Bard who volunteer in the program what they think of it?

That's OK though; my own brother thought it was awful to spend any money on or give this advantage to convicted rapists and murderers. I told him I held his education (private prep and Middlebury) responsible, not him personally. I don't see how anyone could watch the prison inmate describe how he served as a role-model for his daughter who is now attending college herself, and not find the program encouraging for the future of humanity. But that's just me.

On Monday I mailed the tuition deposit for my daughter to attend Bard this fall. She chose Bard over UVA, W&M, Wellesley, Wesleyan, and some others, knowing full well she'd graduate with twice the debt (in her name) of some of those others. She always was impulsive.

bella89 · 05-02-2007, 02:38 PM

I would call myself open minded on a lot of issues (civil unions, civil rights, etc), but the prison initiative just doesnt sound like the safest thing for college students to be involved in.
Yes, I edited my original response. I tend to get very opinionated, in a mean way, so I tamed it.

Your daughter must be very intelligent to get into W&M, Wellesley and Wesleyan. Wellesley was my early desicion college and I was very upset when I got rejected. Bard has an interesting mix of people. Its got students that rejected top notch schools, students with 1.3 gpas, and I hear they even take high school drop outs.

I feel like I wont fit in at bard, so I'm not too happy about going there in the first place. The prison initiative just tops off my negative feelings.

Ice-9 · 05-02-2007, 05:32 PM

OK, bella89, we get it, you don't like Bard.

bella89 · 05-02-2007, 06:15 PM

yeah, I'm not too excited about the college itself. I do however love the people. The students seem very friendly, which I'm looking forward to.

bella89 · 05-02-2007, 06:29 PM

im just a little bitter because I got rejected from both of my early desicion schools, and couldnt afford the rest of the schools.

(so no offense to anybody I may accidentally offend- I really dont mean to offend anyone, im just a bit depressed)

Ice-9 · 05-02-2007, 07:15 PM

I understand your predicament, bella89, but I think you would be better off being bitter in a less public forum.

If you were at the Bard open house a few weeks ago, you probably saw the lecture by Bard President Botstein (a brilliant orator, by the way). One of the parents in the audience asked him, "What if my daughter, who was accepted into Bard, decides to attend a different college, but after the first year she doesn't like it and decides she wants to attend Bard, after all. Is her acceptance from the year before still valid?"

Botstein first answered by repeating the question and making sure he understood what the parent was asking. When the parent confirmed he understood it correctly, he answered with a curt "No." But he then went on to say how if the parent's daughter isn't happy at her first college, she probably won't be happy at any college. He referred to what the daughter would be doing as "speculative college leasing," and explained how this person would not be seen as a pleasant candidate for re-admission.

So, if there is any point to this story, it's to be happy where you go to college--even if it wasn't your #1 choice. In the end, it's what you make of your college career that matters, and you won't make it far with your current attitude. There will be many setbacks in your life--try to not let them keep you from accomplishing your goals.

bella89 · 05-02-2007, 07:23 PM

I dont know if I really agree with "if your daughter isn't happy at her first college, she probably won't be happy at any college." only because I have a few friends who transferred from their first college and are a lot happier at their second schools (not to say that everybody always is)
However, I know my attitude has to change, and Im sure it will in time.