@CathJR, not sure how you concluded that I said everything is pointless and not worthwhile (since I said no such thing).
And yes, a few majors closing down does pale compared to death and loss of financial security and civil liberties (especially since, for many Americans, those are not exactly just abstract concerns or of other people far away on the other side of the world any more). And how does bringing it up not add insight? Adding perspective to a discussion isn’t insightful, in your opinion?
My personal opinion is that ignoring what’s going on in the world is what’s unrealistic (let’s face it: CC is a bubble and many people who frequent it also live in bubbles; and I’m not excluding myself).
Wow, your reserves of emotion are very limited. I’d hate to be your wife, child, or relative. “I’m sorry honey. I know you’re upset about that, but there are drone bombings in Yemen, so your tumor barely registers.” 
Ah, so it’s their fault. Gotcha.
(And for someone for whom this matter “barely registers,” you seem to find a way to dredge up the resources to enter the thread and “wonder if the folks who think more HS kids should go down a trades path are the same ones who think LACs turning in to vocational schools is ‘sad’.”)
@marvin100, so because I think that not being able to graduate in English from that college is not a big deal (and doyouknowthattheycannot or are you just assuming that the college is not making arrangements?), you assume that I could care less if someone has cancer?
There’s a thin line between being hyperbolic and being an a*******.
So hypothetical scenario: Do you react the same to your kid not being able to graduate in English as if your kid got cancer?
And I’m here because CC is a guilty pleasure/time waste. Don’t see why you think that just because I don’t consider being able to graduate in English a big deal that I shouldn’t point out that there are two contradictory viewpoints floating around on CC.
Some things you think are a big deal, others don’t. And yet you feel the need to tell other people that the things they care about “barely register.” Pointing out contradictions is a two-way street.
To summarize, I have great empathy for people with real problems such as coming down with cancer or losing civil rights. Not being able to graduate in English? I’m sorry, that’s a first world problem. I sure as hell would not equate not being able to graduate in English with coming down with cancer. To me, trying to equate them is offensive, even if you are being hyperbolic. That you would not find that comparison offensive just shows how much in a bubble you live, @marvin100.
Okay, how about this:
“Sorry honey, I know your boyfriend dumped you, but there are children starving in North Korea, so it barely registers with me.”
Better, @PurpleTitan ?
(ALL our problems are “first world problems”)
(and wait–you’re outraged about hyperbole on the internet? Talk about trivial problems! Shouldn’t you be mobilizing people to do something about Aleppo right now?)
Couple points that are perhaps relevant to this discussion:
(1) Colby-Sawyer has stated that all currently enrolled students will be able to finish their majors. Their current English majors (about 18 out of 1,250 students) and philosophy majors (zero) aren’t losing the opportunity to earn their degrees; the school simply won’t be offering these majors to new students in the future.
(2) Colby-Sawyer dropped unpopular majors in both “liberal arts” and “vocational” fields. The elimination of the English and philosophy majors got most of the attention, as you can see from the title of this thread. But let’s not overlook the fact that the majors in accounting, health promotion, and health care management got eliminated as well.
http://www.vnews.com/Colby-Sawyer-Wrestles-With-National-Trend-6777744
So here’s the bottom line: a small regional college with limited financial resources, offering degrees in both liberal arts and vocational fields, decided to stop offering five of their least popular majors (in both liberal arts and vocational fields), while allowing all existing students to finish their degrees.
This doesn’t really strike me as headline news.
Posts on CC aren’t headlines 
It’s sad to me that this college, founded in 1837, has fallen on such hard times. I hope it sees better days ahead and that the hard choices it’s had to make turn out to be good ones.
My Mom went to Colby-Sawyer when it was a two-year Junior College. My mom went on to finish her B.A. at Duke and become a distinguished academic. Small LACs are becoming a bit of a vanishing breed today, just as Private 2-year colleges were a generation ago.
Equating not being able to major in English (except, wait, these students can, so all your sadness was over nothing) with a relational breakup says more about your limited emotional range than my reserves of emotions, @marvin100.
And I’m not outraged by your hyperbole. I just find you offensive and ridiculous.
BTW, I’m not the only one who doesn’t find this development sad. Several other people also didn’t find it sad. So do you believe that the reserves of emotions of those people are lacking as well?
And finally, this:
“Some things you think are a big deal, others don’t. And yet you feel the need to tell other people that the things they care about “barely register.” Pointing out contradictions is a two-way street.”
Are you unable to handle that some people don’t care much about stuff you care about? I thought being able to handle that was part of maturing. And what contradiction is there? I’m not the one accusing people of lacking reserves of emotion. I am accusing you of being offensive and ridiculous, but I think that pretty much everyone besides you would equate not being able to major in English with getting cancer to be offensive and ridiculous.
Anyway, everyone can judge us by what we both wrote, so if you want to carry on being ridiculous, hey whatever.
@Corbett They dropped accounting? OK, no more sympathy.
You recognized that I was using hyperbole, @PurpleTitan , and hyperbole, by definition is not equating. I find it offensive and ridiculous that you’d equate the two 
You posted in the thread specifically to judge others. We all do what we must to feel good about ourselves, I suppose.
@marvin100, quite true.
Almost all responses on CC are judgmental. There are very few responses on CC where there isn’t an opinion expressed (which I find normal).
Yes, many posts are asking for opinions. You posted to judge the people who posted–and did so by saying you don’t care about the struggling college. It’s ironic (and a bit disturbing) that you care more about tut-tutting the opinions of strangers on a message board than about the real problems facing the college and it’s students, applicants, alumni, and faculty.
@marvin100, as I said before, I read and post on CC as a diversion, and pointing out the contradictory viewpoints of posters on CC certainly was amusing enough to comment on.
MODERATOR’S NOTE: Since this thread has become a bickering session between two users, I am closing it.