Meanwhile, in the ivory tower.(Notes & Comments: September 2004; gambling as curriculum)(Brief Article)

One of the things middle-class parents worry most about is saving enough money to pay for Junior's education. We won't even mention how much it costs to go to private college because by the time you read this the figure will be out of date. It is reassuring, then, that college is a place of rigorous study where students steep themselves in the riches of the past in an environment conducive to building good character and responsible citizens. Consider the news report from the Associated Press about the recent vogue of "casino and gambling majors." No, we are not making this up:

 
   In the last five years or so, the courses and 
   majors have cropped up at colleges including 
   San Diego Stare University, Michigan Stare 
   University, Tulane University's University 
   College in New Orleans, and the University of 
   Massachusetts at Amherst. They join the 
   pioneering University of Nevada at Las Vegas 
   and Reno.... 
 
      Courses range from the study of gambling 
   laws around the ...