Voice of the People - January 17, 2009

Only love can drive out hate

In memory of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, who once said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Dr. King was a remarkable man, and I wish he could be here for President-elect Obama's inauguration. A dream long awaited and a man that's worthy! Life is full of change.

Lula Samuel

Rock Hill

School's policy is unfair

A very dear friend of mine has always dreamed of becoming a nurse, but she never had the opportunity to attend college until recently. For the past four years, while working a day job, she has attended night school at York Tech in Rock Hill to earn her associate's degree. When she started at York Tech, she notified them of courses she had already taken in 1976 and 1977 at Central Piedmont College in Charlotte. She was told the credits would be transferred, but were too old to be counted as accredited and she would need to repeat the anatomy course. She took the anatomy course per their instructions and didn't pass the course the first time. She repeated the course and passed. York Tech has a policy that a course can only be taken twice.

It wasn't until after my friend completed all her classwork and was ready to enter the practical nurses training in a hospital setting that she was told she could not go any further in her studies because the policy stated that a course could only be taken twice. She told them she had only taken the anatomy course twice. She was then told the anatomy course she took in 1976 made it three times, and she would now have to wait five more years and repeat the anatomy course to get her degree.

This makes no sense at all. If York Tech couldn't count the credits from the anatomy course in 1976 because the credits were too old when she started her degree program, they should not be able to count the 1976 anatomy course as a third class at the end of her degree program classwork.

Waiting five years is not an option for my friend. She is in her mid 50s, and I give her credit for even venturing to start college at this time in her life. However, in five years, she will be in her 60s. If she must repeat all the classwork, she will be close to retirement age and unemployable. My friend has sacrificed and worked hard toward her dream of one day being employed in the field of medicine. It has not been easy for her working a low-paying day job with no benefits. She has sacrificed to pay for books, courses and gasoline to drive from Chester to Rock Hill to attend classes at night for the last four years.

I am writing this letter because I think people should know what may be in store for them if they have old credits and start attending York Tech. Be careful or you may find that all your money and hard work was just a waste of your time resources.

Gail Lees

Chester

This story was originally published January 17, 2009 at 1:23 AM with the headline "Voice of the People - January 17, 2009."