Hits and Misses
California University of Pennsylvania
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
An estimated 400 Americans are dying every day due to the coronavirus, and the country will soon reach a grim milestone when it records its 1 millionth death caused by COVID-19.
The price of everything seems to be going up, thanks to inflation that is bedeviling the United States, Europe and other parts of the world. But students at California University of Pennsylvania and the 13 other institutions within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) can breathe a little easier following the announcement last week that tuition is going to be frozen for the fourth year in a row. It will remain at $7,716 per academic year for an undergraduate degree, which is still pretty pricey to anyone who remembers when getting an education at a public institution was much less costly. Nevertheless, officials with the state system are hoping that more funding comes from Harrisburg this year. State system Chancellor Daniel Greenstein said, “Just freezing tuition is not a sustainable strategy without meaningful investment from the commonwealth. Pennsylvania must invest in its state-owned universities if we want them to continue providing the high-quality, affordable education they were born to deliver.” The Legislature needs to listen to Greenstein.
In March, Charleroi’s borough council tabled a motion that would have fined three members of the council $500 apiece for speaking with the Observer-Reporter about a separation agreement with former borough administrator Joe Manning. Of course, the whole idea of a governmental entity fining elected representatives for speaking to the press would seem to be a direct violation of the First Amendment. Fortunately, council has come to its senses and will not be pursuing fines. Council President Paul Pivovarnik said, “It was illegal. They could not enforce that resolution.” And Sean Logue, Charleroi’s solicitor, said the resolution was “unenforceable and worthless.” While Charleroi residents should be glad council has moved on, they should be concerned that anyone thought this was a worthwhile idea in the first place.
A few months ago, we pointed out that some political candidates on the right have expressed an unseemly and frighteningly un-American enthusiasm for throwing political opponents and members of the media in jail. Last weekend, The New York Times carried a report on how journalists working in the Indian region of Kashmir have been repeatedly jailed and held without charge. Authorities say the reporters are being detained because they have published stories “against the interest and security of the nation.” Other activists, including political organizers, poets and a Catholic priest have been jailed in India on sedition charges under the regime of populist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Times. One reporter said, “Every time we hit the publish button, we are not sure if that particular story will land us in jail the next day.” No matter their political leanings, Americans shouldn’t wish for something like that here.
Though there has been a recent spike, COVID-19 numbers have declined from the heights they reached in January, and the disease is not claiming as many victims, thanks to the availability of vaccines and other treatments. Still, an estimated 400 Americans are dying every day due to the coronavirus, and the country will soon reach a grim milestone when it records its 1 millionth death caused by COVID-19. We have largely become numb to the pandemic over the last 25 months, but to borrow a recent headline in Scientific American, there is nothing normal about 1 million people dead from COVID. At the outset of the pandemic, such a loss of life in one of the world’s wealthiest countries would have seemed inconceivable. Whenever the next pandemic comes, we can only cross our fingers that lessons have been learned from this one.