Lessons for North Americans (norteamericanos) from the DR

1. Slow down, enjoy your food and the relationships with people you encounter.

Como norteamericanos, or “as North Americans,” I think we tend to generally be in high gear almost all the time. We seem to be constantly in motion, attending to various activities and demands for both work and pleasure which cause us to forget a basic side of our humanity. Clearly it is dangerous to speak in generalities, and I acknowledge this self-inflicted risk in this posting, but I think it is both justified and needed to make this point.

Why are we in such a hurry? Do we think we can add an ounce of value to the activities of our day if we are able to complete just one more task, or several more tasks, because of the efficient speed with which we attack our “to do” lists? How ridiculous our haste and “busyness” is from the perspective of many foreigners. When was the last time you enjoyed a meal with friends, and took three or even four hours to enjoy conversation and discussion before, during, and after the meal? The natural response of the twenty-first century northamerican to this scenario is probably something along the lines of, “What a waste of time!” Yet our basic human needs for relationships, for healthy eating, and for a reasonable pace of life cry out in support of this counter-cultural (from the perspective of norteamericanos) idea.

2. We need to comfortably and readily identify ourselves as a diverse society, which has greater strength, depth, and richness because of our diversity.

Again, I know to generalize is to risk stereotyping and labeling, but I do not think I am speaking out of turn when I say that many US citizens today have problems with the idea of our society being a multicultural and diverse one. I am not sure, but it seems that part of the movement to privatize part (or much) of public education– to permit the diversion of public education dollars to private educational institutions– is motivated by a desire of some to subsidize with public tax dollars the education of the rich, white elite who are able to afford private education.

I am sure I am stepping on many toes with these observations and opinions, but none-the-less I will press on. Here in the Dominican Republic, it is abundantly clear that the people as well as the government pride themselves on their cultural identity, which is diverse and multicultural. This does not mean there are not problems, or racism, or difficulties– but it does mean that in this country, the people and the government seem not only at ease, but also enthusiastic at their present (and future) reality of being a multicultural society.

I do not think the same wide consensus exists in the United States today. I think many people view other ethnic groups as threats, as opponents, rather than as partners and fellow citizens with whom they must work to build a brighter future and a better tomorrow. In many circles, the terms “multiculturalism” and “diversity” are linked primarily to sentiments of anger, frustration, and ethnocentrism. No country represents a “perfect world,” and clearly all the nations of the Western Hemisphere have shortcomings and needs which must be addressed: many of which are dire and dramatic. I am NOT saying here that, culturally speaking, the Dominican Republic or any other Latin American country “is better than” the United States. What I am saying, and saying with deep conviction, is that there are many lessons which we as the people of the United States and the cultural free agents of the US culture need to learn from our neighbors.

And our cultural identity, as a nation both defined and strengthened by its diversity, is one area where we need to listen, learn and change.

3. We must insist on providing a free / affordable education, including at the university level, to all students in the United States

The rate at which the price of a university education is increasing in the United States is AN ABSOLUTE CRIME, and I would either like to see someone hang for it– or more realistically (since a single person or group of persons are really not to blame for this trend), see the trend itself change.

Here is a statistic that is simultaneously amazing, sobering, frustrating, and true: In the early 1990s, specifically in 1992-1993, the cost of a three hour graduate course at Texas Tech University was approximately $200 – $300 per semester. Today, in 2005, that same course costs $700 – $800. These prices are for in-state students, of course the prices for out-of-state students are much higher and even more ridiculous.

Why do we have public as well as private institutions of higher learning? Only so we can educate a rich elite, a small portion of our society that is genetically endowed with the intellectual capacities to succeed at higher levels of education? I vehemently think not. Perhaps in the past this was partially true, to the extent that our universities were created to educate only an elite few. But today, the reality is very different. What used to be the “college prep” curriculum has become the standard / required curriculum for most US high schools and school districts. The numbers of students attending universities is ever-increasing. And what are the governments and universities around us doing? I can speak most directly out of my own experience, as a university student in Texas. From my experiences, here are two negative trends which must be reversed and changed:

A- Our state is not providing the funding our legislators have promised to the universities. Again, in the case of Texas Tech, the legislature “owes” (has promised because of past “formula funding calculations”) $12 million in additional monies. Are they delivering? Last I heard, they were not. Support of our educational institutions is one of the primary reasons we have a state government, and one of the main reasons I and many other citizens pay state taxes! And our legislators are content to sit back and not fulfill promises relating to the funding of public universities?! This is ridiculous! Show us the money, Texas legislators! Pay up, and keep your word. To do otherwise is to lie with your actions, to increase the distance between what you say and what you do, and this practice cannot be tolerated by the citizens of our great state.

B- Secondly, the public universities themselves are increasing the amounts they charge for student tuition and fees at a ridiculous level. Again, speaking as a student of Texas Tech, last fall (in August 2004) our tuition and fees increased 34% compared to the previous spring term! How ridiculous is that?! Why did we not see protesting in the streets of Lubbock? That answer is probably a good topic for another post– but suffice it to say that our situation now is beyond ridiculous. When you compare not only the price of a single course in one semester today to the price of one just ten years ago, or when you look at the price of an entire education: whether an initial undergraduate degree or an advanced graduate degree– the conclusion is the same. The rate of increasing prices for higher education is absolutely ridiculous, and runs counter to the principles which should guide our public educational system at the national, state, and local levels.

I am very aware of the positions of those who would cry “socialism” or “communism” at the proposition that the state provide an extremely affordable, even free public education at the university level. Let them bring their hollow cries and “straw man” attacks. Let us contrast the present reality of US education to what is available here in the Dominican Republic, or even to the south in Mexico.

Here in the DR, at the Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, over 100,000 students are enrolled, and the total cost for tuition and fees for an entire semester for one student is approximately $5 US. Yes that is right: five dollars. (Obviously the real cost of the education per student is much more, but that is all the student/family is charged per term.) The DR is not a communist or even a socialist country, economically speaking, but what they are is a country of individuals as well as governmental leaders who recognize and financially support the value of a public education, including a university education. There are many private universities, and many good reasons to attend those universities instead of the public ones which are available: but none-the-less the opportunity exists for Dominican students to attend and graduate from a university and pay what amounts to a paltry sum for their educational experience. (Interestingly, it seems that in the DR the state is expected to allocate 5% of its budget for education, but currently is using only 1% — so there are also some striking, unfortunate similarities here to the educational situation in Texas.)

This is the final lesson I will offer this evening which we, as US citizens, need to learn from many of our neighbors. Education defines our present as well as our future in many ways. Authentic education is far more than an experience which can be quantified on a multiple-choice examination, no matter how well-written or well-researched. We must value, in concrete, financial terms, education at both the K-12 and university levels, for all our citizens in the United States. Does every person want or need a college education? Certainly not. But for an ever increasing number of our young people, the answer to that question is an emphatic “I do.”

How many children who graduate from our schools are we “leaving behind” because the toll on the highway of university education is far too high? I am not saying we should not have private universities, or that we should not have a marketplace where universities compete for the enrollment of students and the allegiance of professors. I am saying, however, that we (who often DO play the part of the arrogant “gringo”) in the United States, need to take a careful look at many trends which are present today in our educational system.

We cannot and should not leave children behind, whatever their age. Unfortunately, I have no doubt that at present, we are doing just that for many students who view the port of entry into the university life as closed for all practical purposes.