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I support wholeheartedly Nic's comments regarding this list. As I said in a much earlier post (pontification) regarding the potential demise of GC, nationally, it is important for those of us in this field to have knowledge of the political climate across the country with regard to what we do. None of us should ever think that we in developmental education or learning assistance are as desired, necessary or permanent as we might like to think, particularly at four year institutions. In the years I've worked in this profession, I've seen many wonderful, competent people lose their jobs because of shifts in demographics, institutional or state fiscal stability, political agendas (national or state), social trends and obligations, news magazine ratings, and administrators with a different value system than ours. I have always viewed this listserve as a finger on the pulse of those shifts. We need to know what is happening at individual institutions and states so we know what to be prepared to address in our own positions. I was grateful for the opportunity to find out from this listserve about UMINN's pending decisions, and equally grateful to be given the information here to be able to write a letter to their Board of Trustees to help them understand the national implications of their decision. The situation at UMINN is not a private campus skirmish. It is a huge decision effecting one of the largest, most comprehensive and innovative developmental programs in the country. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere, and IMHO this listserve is an appropriate place to discuss it because many of us could face a similar fate as this news becomes national. Certainly, thanks to a magazine's rating system of who is the best school in the country, I already routinely address this issue with many members of my own institution who point to "excellence" rather than "access" as the more important value for our institution. My opinion is, to our profession UMINN represents "excellence" in working with "access", and for years, GC has been one the benchmark programs for all of us in this profession. Jeanne, and the rest of you at CRDEUL, I urge you to stay a part of this group, and continue to do and share the vital research that you have long offered to our profession. And I hope that the decision to keep politics away from this list will be more carefully considered in the future because many of us are in this profession because of issues of social justice and political values. Shevawn Eaton, Ph.D. Director, ACCESS/ESP Northern Illinois University DeKalb, IL 60115 PH: (815) 753-0581 www.tutoring.niu.edu FAX: (815) 753-4115 To unsubscribe,send a message to [log in to unmask] In body type: SIGNOFF LRNASST-L To access LRNASST-L archives,point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To subscribe, send email to [log in to unmask] Leave subject blank.In body type: subscribe LRNASST-L To contact list owner,email [log in to unmask]