Letters to the Editor

Letter: What’s wrong with our university?

Today, we read about the hockey coach promoting a $50-$75 million sports complex at the university as something that will elevate life in this community. It prompts the question, “What’s wrong with our university?” As a University of Alaska graduate, in my opinion, our university system is broken because of thinkers like this. Promoting $50-$75 million to have a place to play when we have no place to house our homeless. When we have a Medicare and general health crisis. The largest population growth rate in Alaska is among seniors, yet there is no plan for dealing with their needs. Yet our university is not producing anywhere near the number of health care workers necessary to even meet current needs. When our port is in danger of failing and such a failure would be a disaster of unprecedented proportions.

We have a school system that is failing and student competency scores below anyone’s acceptable level. We have a study that shows that the poor ratings for our schools is one of the largest deterrents that recruiters face when trying to fill job vacancies in Alaska.  People don’t want to move here if they don’t have good schools for their children. I imagine adult playgrounds are further down the list of prerequisites. We have a state government that can’t even staff an office to disperse available funds for food stamps and other support funds to Alaskans in need. We have dwindling gas reserves in Cook Inlet to supply power and heat to Anchorage for the long term yet have no plan to develop alternative energy sources on a timeline to match the gas depletion.

That is what is wrong with our university. We have no rational big-picture thinkers stepping up to deal with real issues. What our best and brightest minds from our university think is best for Anchorage is an adult playground.

— Jerry and Janet George

Anchorage

Have something on your mind? Send to letters@adn.com or click here to submit via any web browser. Letters under 200 words have the best chance of being published. Writers should disclose any personal or professional connections with the subjects of their letters. Letters are edited for accuracy, clarity and length.

ADVERTISEMENT