By: Diane Benjamin
Everybody should already know that capitalism isn’t taught to most of the students at ISU. The kids flocked to the last Democratic primary to vote for a socialist.
ISU now has an Adventure Center! https://campusrecreation.illinoisstate.edu/adventure/
The Center just opened this month. Click on Equipment Rental
A long list of items for rent from government is available to not only students, but for a much higher cost, the public can rent stuff too.
ISU is infected with the same disease Bloomington and Normal are. “We must entertain!”
What did this cost taxpayers?
$2.1 million
If it was built with Foundation funds instead of tax dollars, I’m sure the story would have said that.
There’s more:
This adult playground supposedly promotes team building and personal growth. (We used to learn that in kindergarten)
Other facts:
The meeting room only holds 68 people.
The building hours are limited: 
The Democrats claim the ISU kids had to stand in long lines to vote when they had from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm to show up at a polling place.
How will they ever be able get recreation in just a few hours a day?
Click on Trips and Activities. College is no longer a place to get an education.
Things like this is why college costs are unaffordable without mountains of debt. Any businesses owners in Normal catering to student activities just lost business because of government. The kids will spend money for ISU entertainment meaning less money will be available for private sector entertainment.
Capitalism provides what people want. Government control of entertainment leads to waste of capital and jobs for cronies. I wonder how much tax money Normal just lost since the private sector got the door slammed in their faces?
Capitalism lifts people out of poverty, socialism puts them in poverty. Now it is obvious what the “right fit” for Bloomington-Normal is.
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Sponsored:
Why are public $$ so often spent to replace private resources which are already invested and at work in the community? It’s an economically disruptive practice, especially when public and private are under more pressure than ever to be efficient and responsible. Easter Seals’ Timber Pointe camp at Lake Bloomington has long offered it’s resources in a beautiful setting to the community for teambuilding events. Their high ropes course is great example. Keep in mind that the core mission is to serve disabled children while providing an exciting and safe “regular” camp experience that accommodates.
The building may be new, but ISU has had an Outdoor Program of this nature since well before I graduated in 1991.
It was after I was there a little earlier then
How is this any different than sports at any college or university? It isn’t. How many millions are spent on football? ISU doesn’t teach capitalism? I bet they do in the political science department.
This is an attack on higher education. You attack people who you paint as lacking “personal responsibility”, when a higher education lifts people out low paying jobs. A higher education not only trains you in your chosen field, but it also trains you to think analytically, understand subjects that are complex, and have the ability to communicate them in an effective way. Additionally, it instills important skills like self-discipline, organization, and being able to finish a task from start to finish. Namely, it helps turn you into a more professional person with many work-related skills. Their is a strong anti-intellectualism going on here, it must be hard to have your entrenched attitudes challenged.
Your problem appears to be that students don’t vote the way you WANT. They have the unmitigated gall to not only vote Democratic but to vote for “socialism”.
Duh, Bernie admits he’s a socialist. What percent of kids actually graduate? I know, do you? Erik Rankin, Democrat is in the political science department. He isn’t teaching capitalism because Democrats don’t believe in it. Since I’m sure you don’t know the graduation rate: https://news.illinoisstate.edu/2017/09/illinois-state-named-one-best-public-universities-nation/
How do those dropouts pay back their student loans? More than 25% won’t graduate. Of course, maybe they figured out great paying jobs that don’t require a 4 year degree are going unfilled.
i am actually very Pro-intellectualism, which is why I am dismayed that *ISU Itself* exhibits so much anti-intellectualism. College should teach you to think – they teach students to parrot. College should teach you to speak up (moreso to learn in the course of discussion than to protest whatever, but still) but seems to have joined the anti-free-speech bandwagon, even if they aren’t on the forefront. College should expose you to conflicting schools of thought so you can learn to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each and form your own, presumably hybrid, position, not give students ‘safe spaces’ where they are safe from having to think.
Students voting socialist is not so much an affront in an of itself so much as a glaring symptom of the failures of the school. There is near universal agreement that Nazism was bad, having killed something like 40 million people in the 20th century; so instead, most universities steer their students towards socialism, one of or perhaps the only -ism that is Worse, having killed roughly three times as many people last century. It shows a clear Lack of analysis, complex understanding, self-discipline, or thinking a course of action through from start to finish.
And meanwhile, this lack-of-education costs more and more, in part due to unnecessary secondary and tertiary costs like adventure centers and other anti-capitalist initiatives.
These faults are not unique to ISU, and I don’t think ISU is even a particularly egregious offender compared to other schools, but this ‘abdication of duty’ will be a significant contributor to coming ‘higher ed bubble collapse,’ which I personally will hate to see.
It was communism in Russia and Stalin specifically that killed people not “socialism” and certainly not Democratic Socialism. In this country Democratic Socialism can be traced back to 1982 has at the most 49,000 members as of 2018. Hardly any numbers to threaten either Republican or Democratic party.
As for parroting you doing a really good job at parroting complaints about higher education by conservatives. Almost everyone who is in college benefits from extra curricular activities in college, whether it’s Habitat for Humanity or centers like this. I still don’t get the blogger’s or your concern that this is somehow “anti-capitalist”. I think hysterical hyperbole is being used here, it certainly not anti-capitalist to do any of the activities offered at this center. It’s not “anti-capitalist” to play football or or join the many activities student join to enrich their experience getting a degree.
Sigh. When did ISU or anyone seize all means of all production and also seize all the property in Bloomington/Normal? They haven’t. Democrats don’t believe in capitalism? Boy, you’re making some huge assumptions, I have yet too see any Democrat stating that all corporations should be nationalized all property seized.
Capitalism hasn’t gone anywhere in this country under any democratic president, it’s still is part of our country. Obama fought to preserve capitalism during the financial meltdown 10 years ago. With the help of Ben Bernanke and Larry Summers who learned the lessons of the 1929 crash and the depression they all acted to save the economy. Because of them, your capitalism is stronger.
So a drop out rate is somehow an argument to end public higher education. What about those who graduate and go on to have productive lives with jobs and families? From your link: “Illinois State maintained a high graduation rate of 72 percent, which far exceeds the national rate of around 60 percent.”
Make up your mind. In your estimation, people lack “personal responsibility” but when they get an education, suddenly they are radical socialist who vote. How is their vote any better than yours? If you really believe in our country everyone should be able to vote for whom they want, not necessarily the way you want.
Great paying jobs without a degree is a whole different subject. You still need schooling and training most which is through unions or certificates from Community colleges.
You aren’t worth my time.
I was floored by the recent Pantagraph article about Esports at IWU: https://www.pantagraph.com/entertainment/game-on-iwu-unveils-esports-arena/article_f3b411c2-a980-5e72-8ba8-5450923d4bbe.html
Especially the last comment that the freshman students had been playing together for 9-10hrs per day. I don’t know how these kids are going to pass their classes with this distraction going on…
Capitalism isn’t taught at ISU? And you’re using the political science department as your barometer? Move to the south end of the campus and look at what the College of Business teaches. It’s all capitalism!
And the rec center expanding offerings for students and the community is one of those area where anti-government folks continually say “run government more like a business!” They are…..
Am I “worth your time?”