There is a myopia epidemic at the University of the District of Columbia. That’s the only way to explain the reaction of some students, faculty and administrators to the proposal to increase tuition and enhance academic programs at the troubled institution. They can’t see the direct connection between UDC’s deplorable physical plant, its antiquated course offerings, its abysmal ranking in the academic community, and its lack of resources — financial and human.
As dozens of students, meeting last week in UDC’s auditorium, displayed their inability to engage in an open, respectful dialogue about the future of the District’s only “public” university, other individuals rang my telephone incessantly. They urged me to help in the fight against the increase. (Tuition would rise from $3,800 to $7,000 per year for students in baccalaureate or graduate degree programs.)
