Longread #458 -- The Dark Power of Fraternities -- 3/24/14

I was worried at first that this would be a standard hit-piece on fraternities. While those stories are often warranted by the facts, they often follow similar incidents without looking at any bigger picture. On the other hand, this investigative piece takes a much deeper look into the role of fraternities in campus life, how they are organized, and many of the risks that arise from their growth.

"The Dark Power of Fraternities" by Caitlin Flanagan
Published in the Atlantic, February 19, 2014

Eric

Longread #427 -- The Homeschool Apostates -- 12/24/13

This whole article is good, but I especially liked the part about the role of debate in influencing how homeschooled students saw the world around them.

"The Homeschool Apostates" by Kathryn Joyce
Published in the American Prospect, December 4, 2013

Eric

Longread #401 -- The Decline of Wikipedia -- 11/4/13

"The Decline of Wikipedia" by Tom Simonite
Published in the MIT Technology Review, October 22, 2013

Eric

Longread #399 -- Women in Science -- 10/31/13

"Why Are There Still So Few Women in Science?" by Eileen Pollack
Published in the New York Times, October 3, 2013

Eric

Longread #280 -- The Kalamazoo Promise -- 3/21/13

Though "the Kalamazoo Promise" sounds like an awful romantic comedy, it's actually a pretty awesome program to pay for college for nearly all students who graduate from high school in Kalamazoo. This article explains the program, its mysterious origins, and its profound effects on the community.

"Why These Kids Get a Free Ride to College" by Ted C. Fishman
Published in the New York Times, September 13, 2012

Eric

Longread #259 -- For-Profit Colleges -- 2/20/13

I had heard rumblings about the perils of for-profit colleges, but I had no idea about the degree and the scope of those perils. For anyone who believes in higher education as a pathway to advancement (personally, in careers, etc.), this article will make your blood boil.

"For-Profit Colleges Only a Con Man Could Love" by Chris Parker
Published in the Village Voice, August 1, 2012
http://www.villagevoice.com/content/printVersion/3638912/

Eric

Longread #191 -- The Slow Death of Public Higher Education -- 11/8/12

A huge part of the recently-concluded elections was about the proper role of government in society. On many issues ranging from health care to the economy to social issues like women's rights, the question of the government's proper role has been hotly contested. It is important to note that these debates are important not just at the federal level but also with state and local governments. One major issue for state governments is about the accessibility of higher education. This longread investigates the higher education system of the state of California and how it has changed since Ronald Reagan instituted a new approach as the state's governor. It is a depressing look at how one of the key tools for social mobility, innovation, and economic growth can be systematically eroded in ways that, not surprisingly, benefit certain private interests.

"From Master Plan to No Plan: The Slow Death of Public Higher Education" by Aaron Bady and Mike Konczal
Published in Dissent Magazine, Fall 2012
http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/from-master-plan-to-no-plan-the-slow-death-of-public-higher-education?src=longreads

Eric

Longread #117 -- Pledge Prep -- 7/19/12

This article was making the rounds on Facebook and Twitter earlier this week. It's pretty easy to bash on the people in this article, and frankly, I'm not going to come to their defense. I'll pile on.

My biggest issue with this article isn't with the coaches; instead, it is with the entire conceptualization of a fraternity or a sorority in this context. I joined a fraternity because a handful of guys who were already my good friends happened to join the same house. It also helped that it was cheaper than other options available, offered a single room, and allowed us to live without an RA. While those perks were nice, for all of us, it was friendship first. This whole sorority interview process with people you've never even met just seems to put the cart before the horse. It formalizes the sorority as an institution of status rather than a place where truly meaningful friendships and interactions happen. For teenage kids just entering college, it is sad to think that they are sacrificing the opportunity to really meet new and different people because they are going through this whole process and being assigned to a sorority or fraternity house ahead of time.

Am I being too judgmental of the more "traditional" Greek system? Or should we just acknowledge and accept (rather than judge) that many people are joining frats and sororities for networking and social status?

"Pledge Prep" by Abigail Sullivan Moore
Published in the New York Times, July 16, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/education/edlife/prepping-students-for-sorority-rush.html?_r=3&smid=tw-share&pagewanted=all

Eric

Longread #49 -- Brainstorming -- 4/11/12

My favorite science writer, Jonah Lehrer, recently released a book about creativity. As part of his book tour, he came through Seattle, and I saw him present on Monday night. It was one of the better Town Hall talks that I've seen in large part because Lehrer possesses the same qualities in his speaking as he does in his writing -- he picks interesting topics and discusses them in an engaging, concise, and often humorous way. One of the reasons I enjoy reading articles by writers like Lehrer is that they are willing to take on conventional wisdom. For example, this longread stems from his research on creativity and debunks the long-held assumption that brainstorming is the best way to generate ideas from a group.

"Groupthink" by Jonah Lehrer
Published in the New Yorker, January 30, 2012
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all

Eric

Longread #45 -- Libraries: The Not-So-Dismal Science -- 4/5/12

In honor of my sister, who attends a multitude of conferences for librarians, I'm posting this fun, tongue-in-cheek longread about the 2012 Public Library Association conference in Philadelphia. The author attends the conference in order to document the malaise surrounding libraries and instead finds a very different scene.

"Book Report" by Jessa Crispin
Published in the Smart Set, March 27, 2012
http://www.thesmartset.com/article/article03271201.aspx

Eric

Longread #42 -- Coaching A Surgeon -- 4/2/12

Tonight is the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship, and the matchup between Kansas and Kentucky features not only two storied programs but also two high-profile coaches. The performance of a team in sports is often related back to the coach, and it is more or less accepted as fact in our society that athletes with coaches perform better than those without. However, we rarely ask how this principle might apply in other settings. In this article, Atul Gawande looks into the topic of coaching and even takes on his own coach for his surgical performance. Even a top-notch surgeon like Gawande found that there were many ways that he could improve, but for coaching to work, the person being coaches has to be truly welcoming of the feedback. This is a good reminder of the need to be humble about what we know and think we can do, which isn't always easy, especially in many of the most demanding and highly-competitive professions.

"Personal Best" by Atul Gawande
Published in the New Yorker, October 3, 2011
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/03/111003fa_fact_gawande

Eric

Longread #19 -- Waldorf Schools -- 1/30/12

This is an interesting article about Waldorf Schools, which avoid using technology in their classrooms. This is in stark contrast to most other schools, which are rapidly working to incorporate new technologies into curriculum. This article plays on the seeming contradiction that exists of having a Waldorf School in the Silicon Valley where its students largely come from families of big-time technology executives. As the article states, it is extremely difficult to formulate clear comparisons about educational quality between Waldorf Schools and more conventional classrooms. I think that nostalgia for the past (before everything was so plugged in) has a tendency to bias a lot of impressions about things like this (whether it be schools or the article on social relationships I posted a few days ago), but it does seem there may be some definite ways that a more interactive and engaged classroom can benefit students.

"A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Compute" by Matt Richtel
Published in the New York Times, October 22, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html?_r=2

Eric