My home university in Germany is on strike. Instead of going to class, my classmates in Leipzig made a soft porno to protest against cuts in the education budget. On the Web site www.stura.uni-leipzig.de you can see how well a naked woman acts like a devoted student. A man - also in his birthday suit - is the professor who gives his student an extra lecture. The rest I leave to your imagination.
What's more, the students on strike interrupted a meeting of the Saxony parliament because the government of the province has the financial responsibility for education. The German educational system is based on the advantages of the welfare state. Everyone's taxes pay for the education of everyone else. Education is not free, but no student has to pay tuition for university schooling.
This system is changing right now, along with the education system of all of Europe. To have comparable degrees from different countries in Europe, the European Union decided to introduce the BA/MA system, which ensures that students will study for a specific amount of time for their degree. The German government sees the change as a chance to cut the budget for education. Always with an eye on the examples of success in the United States, the government sees raising costs as the only way to pay for the changes.
My German classmates strongly disagree with the increase of fees. The protests from Berlin to Marburg to Frankfurt are now in Leipzig. Ohio University has nearly the same number of students as Leipzig, but the German students' political power is different. Some facts about the circumstances of you Bobcats' existence sound very weird in my German ears.
In addition to the enormous tuition fee, you pay $400 a month for a room in a dorm, in which you can't be sure the heating is OK. And, even worse, you have to live in these dorms for your first two years of college and have to eat in the dining halls. I do not say that this food is not delicious, but I do not understand why you are not allowed to make a decision between the delicious food in the dining hall and my favorite restaurant, Bagel Street Deli. I always thought the United States was the country of unlimited choices, but the Bobcats do not even have the possibility to make a choice about the place where they are living and the food they are eating.
While the German students are striking against potential tuition fees, the American students do not care about their dollars. Why don't you see your political power? Maybe I simply do not understand the American culture. Anyway, I am a guest in your country, and trust me, I love America. But there are some things I just cannot understand: First of all, how can you tolerate your president, and secondly, why are you so apolitical?
-Maren Lange is a graduate political science student. Send heran e-mailat ml132503@ohiou.edu.
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