Tiny Christian college nets generous federal funding

[Bandit]

http://www.adn.com/front/story/5935677p-5842239c.html

Tiny Christian college nets generous federal funding

Alaska's congressional delegation has delivered more than $1 million to Alaska Christian College over the past two years. That's more than $20,000 per student and about equal to what the school president figured is a full year's operating costs. Most of the federal funds go to teacher salaries, student scholarships and recruitment.
<snip>
Alaska Rep. Don Young was responsible for most of the federal spending on the school. In fact, the money for Alaska Christian College was one of just nine individual spending earmarks Young claimed credit for in the 3,000-page spending bill Congress passed last month. His office said it sees the school as a good transitional program to help village youths prepare to go on to degree-granting institutions.
<snip>
"I've never even seen a college with 37 students; I've never known such a thing existed," said David Williams, the vice president for public policy at the Washington, D.C., watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste. "In our estimation this is not something federal taxpayers should be paying for."
<snip>
The school doesn't offer traditional college course work such as math or English. Course offerings listed on Alaska Christian College's Web site cover religious subjects, including Bible studies, ministry, worship and choir. Hamilton said there are also counseling classes, a transitions course to teach about college life, physical education and a course on service -- teaching students to serve their communities.
Hamilton said the college in February started a second-year program, which allowed it to apply to get accredited. He said the Association for Biblical Higher Education requires three years of monitoring after the application, so it cannot get accredited until spring 2007.


The school is not accredited and no degrees are awarded. It is the only such case in the entire USA. Our tax dollars at work yea Bush*
In reality this is no different than the federal government putting a million dollars in the collection plate at this particular church.

[Vanje]

1. The "college" isnt even accredited. There are no Math or English classes

From the article cited:
"The school doesn't offer traditional college course work such as math or English. Course offerings listed on Alaska Christian College's Web site cover religious subjects, including Bible studies, ministry, worship and choir. "

and

"Hamilton said the college in February started a second-year program, which allowed it to apply to get accredited. He said the Association for Biblical Higher Education requires three years of monitoring after the application, so it cannot get accredited until spring 2007."

[quaoar]

2. I don't ever want to hear another Republican

complaining about wasteful government spending -- ever again.

[DemBones DemBones]

3. Will it really help the "village youths" go on to college?

Are we talking impoverished Native American village youths here? Who operates this "college"? Will they be adding a class a year, graduating a class after existing four, maybe five or six, years? Or do they plan to simply be a Bible school and a transitional program forever?

I have a lot of questions about the government funding a "college" that seems to be entirely a religious school. Church and state are still supposed to be separate in the US!

[Vanje]

5. Its a federally funded missionary effort , pure and simple

nt

[The Stranger]

4. No, you see Christians are being persecuted around the world.

Especially in places where there are brown people and Muslims.

[DrGonzoLives]

6. Alaska politicians are corrupt as hell

Ted Stevens got called out on it a few weeks ago, in U.S. News & World Report, no less, and Lisa Murkowski is knee deep in nepotisitc shit up there. I am not surprised that their third senator...er, at-large Congressman is being nice and corrupt too.

A lot of this falls under the Native program (or whatever it's called), designed to funnel money towards Native-owned businesses and such. The program is so ungodly filthy and doesn't much help Natives anymore that it needs to end.