It’s no surprise that state universities are struggling

The news about state-owned universities like Edinboro University not being able to retain students is not surprising (“State System’s Universities Struggling to Retain Students, But Rates Vary,” March 16). Students are realizing that going to college and taking nonSTEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) courses often results in amassing great student debt and an inability to find a decent job.

Additionally many students prefer to go to state-related schools like Penn State or Pitt rather than to state-owned universities like California State or Slippery Rock because of a desire to go to a more prestigious university. There are also too many state-owned and state-related colleges located near one another. Even Penn State and Pitt have branch campuses located near each other, such as the Pitt Titusville campus and the Penn State DuBois campus.

Furthermore, there are too many colleges and universities in this state and not enough vocational schools. We should follow the lead of countries like Germany that funnel students into appropriate vocational apprenticeships depending on aptitudes and interests. These changes in our educational system would mean a better future for Pennsylvania students and save money for the state’s taxpayers. JAMES BUKES Mt. Lebanon

We welcome your opinion

a major contributor to global warming. It is not the strongest greenhouse gas, but it is not about potency; it is about overall effect. The change that best accounts for the warming of our planet is the human production of carbon dioxide.

There is not only an ideological danger in flagrantly denying scientific consensus; there is a practical one. In order to plan, to strategize and to administer environmental protection, you have to have all the facts. Without having tested and credible facts at your disposal, you are going to have a hard time planning for the future. Being convinced of something is not the same as knowing something. And when you build judgments on falsehoods, the people who depend on you will suffer. And we all depend on a healthy environment.

Thinking that acorns grow into roses will make you a bad gardener. I suspect Mr. Pruitt doesn’t do a lot of gardening. PATRICK WALSH

Shadyside and instructor, I would like to offer a few other tips.

All nursing homes are rated through a five-star rating system and their ratings and their surveys and complaints are posted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. You can find those ratings for any nursing home in the country by going to medicare.gov/nursinghomecompare.

All personal care home inspection results are listed through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

These two reports along with Ms. Wonderlin’s tips will provide the consumer with some helpful information for caregivers with the overwhelming task of looking for placement for their loved ones JEFF WEINBERG

President Caregiver Champion

Squirrel Hill

Recently state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale came out in favor of legalizing marijuana for responsible adult consumption, and I applaud him for taking this stand (“Auditor General Sees Tax Revenue Potential in Pot,” March 7).

Will it solve all of Pennsylvania’s financial problems? No, but it sure will help. What it also will help is stopping thousands of people’s lives from being ruined each year when they get arrested for an intoxicant that is far less harmful than any other substance on Earth. And as a person who has personally witnessed how the opiate crisis is killing our citizens on a daily basis, I’d like to point out that it has been shown that states that have legalized marijuana have shown a 25 percent reduction in opiate use.

The time is now to end this madness.

On a side note, there will be a marijuana decriminalization rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday, April 19, at 11:30 a.m. If you can attend, I urge you to do so. DAVID LOVETT Carrick