Editor, Daily Nexus,

This is in response to Steven Ruszczycky’s column on Jan. 22 (“Don’t Go to College to Learn How Much You’ll Make,” Reader’s Voice, Daily Nexus).

Mr. Ruszczycky wrote about how student slackers in the UC system are negatively interfering with the high-achieving students. Most likely he didn’t conduct an accurate poll, but it is obvious there are two groups of students at UCSB: students simply wanting to earn a prestigious degree and the research-loving students. Somehow, in a peaceful coexistence, we all attend the same classes and go to the same parties. It is easy to realize there are no difficulties preventing a UCSB student from engaging in intensive research. You have to sit in the front row during lectures, become a regular at the library, assist a professor or TA with their research or find your own research and attend a U.C. graduate school where you can research even more.

The U.C. system does an excellent job with its application process for undergraduate admissions by finding students that show an aspiration for higher learning. It is very strong words from Mr. Ruszczycky to denounce his peers saying, “In the end, a good number of students at the U.C. level would be better off attending a Cal State or a community college.” With this logic, all the intelligent minds working on a higher level of learning at UCSB who just want a degree should be suppressed by the less-competitiveness of a Cal State. By the way, Mr. Ruszczycky, my friend just wants a degree in art history to become a high school art teacher, should I tell him to go to SDSU because he is interfering with my research in political science?

JEFFREY MAREK

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