A back-to-school theme finds its way into many of the editorials found in today’s Sunday papers.
St. Petersburg Times – USF students brave ethical stands worth of notice: At least twice this year, students at the University of South Florida have been put in the difficult position of deciding whether to overlook superiors’ wrongdoing or tell the truth. In the end, they demonstrating more integrity than their superiors. They should be commended by USF and the community.
Daytona News Journal – No more graduation games: Florida has been playing games with its graduation and dropout rates for 21 years. That’s not all bad. Thousands of students each year are funneled into alternative programs and given standard high-school diplomas. Some have parlayed that achievement into higher accomplishments, succeeding in community college or state universities where they otherwise would have carried the “dropout” stigma throughout their lives.
Lakeland Ledger – Gigs and garlands: Today is the birthday of political satirist Mark Russell. He turns 77. Last week, upon hearing that former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay would appear on “Dancing with the Stars,” Russell commented, “I can’t wait for the season premiere of ABC’s ‘Dancing with the Allegedly Corrupt Indicted Former Congressman.’ Shouldn’t he be doing some kind of community service by now, besides the tango?”
Orlando Sentinel – Our take on UCF tailgating: The University of Central Florida’s game-day committee made the right call when it reduced tailgating hours before home football games this season. But UCF sure busted the play.
Tallahassee Democrat – Student strife: The first few days of campus life were less than a joyful homecoming for some 800 students who arrived on campus last week and found Florida A&M didn’t have housing available. While some might argue that the story was hardly front-page news, the shortage is a matter of concern in terms of keeping potential students enrolled and cared for in line with the university’s motto, “Excellence with caring.”
Tampa Tribune – National health care standoff: Clearly, even though most people today say they are OK with their insurance coverage, they want reform. Americans understand our current system is not sustainable. But though the president may deny it, what he has advocated, and what the main House bill purportedly does, is to extend government control over health care, whether by new regulations or building a new bureaucracy. And that’s why so many Americans, who typically want as little to do with government as possible, are cranky.
