The educational community over the past several decades has made excellent progress in providing opportunities at all levels of society, and to all types of individuals. This provides an excellent example to society overall and it is very positive in nature. Last but not least is the environmental factor that most affects the program with which I am associated. I view this factor as positive in nature as well. The rising cost of energy affects all aspects of life, not least among them the students who attend my classes who are most likely to be at the bottom rungs of the economic scale. These students are the ones who can least afford to pay the higher costs of energy. These students are faced with not only the visible price of fueling their transportation, but the often hidden...

The current administration swears there are no signs of inflation, but my students would likely vehemently disagree. Rising food, clothing, books and living quarter prices are all influenced by the higher energy prices, and with barrels of oil now over the magical $100
per barrel price, those prices will all likely be much higher in the forseeable future. However, this too is a positive affect. Higher prices oftentimes weeds out those who do not wish to make the sacrifices necessary to obtain a higher degree. Education should have to be worked for, and my students realize that life can often provide them with lemons rather than apples. It is up to each one of them to either make lemonade or chew on the bitter fruit of defeat.