Hits and Misses
Courtesy of PennWest California
Josh Rifkin, left, a junior, helps freshmen Eduard Reyes of Alexandria, Va., and Maddox Anderson of New Kensington move into Guesman Hall earlier this year at PennWest California.
Courtesy of John Timney
Broadband internet is installed in Washington County in this undated photo.
HIT: President Biden didn’t win many votes in rural America, but he has been among the array of leaders on both sides of the aisle who have been working to expand broadband access in areas outside cities and suburbs. The case seems pretty rock solid, whether you are a Democrat, Republican, independent or whatever – having fast internet access where you live and work increases economic, educational and cultural opportunities. Next week, Greene County will be taking another step toward expanding its broadband capabilities when it cuts a ribbon on a project that will bring broadband to more than 700 underserved or unserved homes and businesses in Graysville, New Freeport, Spraggs and the surrounding areas. Funding is coming from a $2.5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and $2.7 million from Kinetic Windstream, which is teaming up with the county for the effort. Kudos should go to Greene County officials for recognizing the importance of broadband in today’s world. And it doesn’t sound like they are resting on their laurels. Commissioner Mike Belding said the county would “continue to seek opportunities to provide high-speed internet access to every resident, business and industry in the county.”
MISS: Any adult who visits a public school nowadays knows they are not nearly as accessible as they once were. Unlocked doors have been replaced by security guards and elaborate security systems, and understandably so following the horrors of Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland and all the other schools where mass shootings have taken place. But all this has still not prevented guns from being smuggled into schools, an investigation by The Washington Post has revealed. Published this week, it found that in the 2022-23 school year, more than 1,100 guns were seized at public schools, and that is just based on published reports – the number could actually be considerably higher, since many gun seizures did not make the news. The Post said the guns were found in book bags, lockers, cars, trash cans, just about anywhere. It’s a symptom of a society where too many guns are in circulation, particularly those that should be restricted to the battlefield. This being the case, school officials need to foster an atmosphere of trust and safety, where students feel like they can speak up if they sense something is wrong or uncover a gun, and parents need to be vigilant about the guns they have in their homes, and make sure their children don’t take them to places where they most definitely do not belong.
MISS: New enrollment numbers for institutions within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) were released this week and it was a source of both good news and bad news. First, the good: Enrollment increased overall for new, first-time students this fall at the state-owned universities. Now, the bad: Enrollment of new, first-time students at PennWest University significantly declined compared to last year, falling by a little more than 20%. Overall enrollment also dropped by 11.5%, the most of any school within the PASSHE. Officials within the State System and PennWest, which combined the campuses of California, Edinboro and Clarion universities, say the decline was not unexpected and they are facing significant headwinds, including a decreasing number of college-age students in the region. Even if some factors are outside their control, making the case to potential students on the value of a PennWest education needs to be made even more urgently by the university’s leaders.