Finance School Abuzz at the University of Texas at Austin

ABC News On Campus reporter Chelsey Delaney blogs: Yesterday at 10 a.m. my professor asked our sleepy journalism class of 60, "How many of you care about the stock market?" Three raised their hands. I hesitated, considering the question. "You should care," a young woman to my right said. But, overall, the students in my class weren’t terribly concerned. Neither is Chad Stewart, an economics major and member of our campus’ Texas Economics group. "I think finance and economics students are still hopeful," said Stewart. "Now we are just looking for jobs in other industries, like the energy industry, or retail." But Mark McDowell, a business graduate student and president of the campus group "Wall Street Prophets," says the finance school is abuzz with word of stock market collapse. "It’s one of the toughest environments to graduate right now," McDowell said. "There are just not enough jobs — companies are contracting and selling." I told him people on my side of campus (the liberal arts) weren’t worried. From what I have heard, people don’t understand the meaning of this stock market turmoil. Maybe it is because they don’t own stock. Or maybe it’s because no one taught them to care? "I don’t expect everyone to follow the market," McDowell said. "But it does affect certain majors more than others." McDowell preached safe investing, after all, he’s a finance student. Someone did teach him what it all means. The next time my professor asks "Who cares?" I plan to raise my hand.