Sunday, October 11, 2015

Higher Education: Is It a Business?

Hans Anthony Galvez
Section A01
Oct 11, 2015
Blog 4



In "Why We Should Fear University, Inc.", author Frederik deBoer delves into the idea of corporatization in higher education. deBoer explains how universities are starting to operate like corporations: revolving almost all aspects of school around monetary reasons and protecting themselves at all costs (even if that means the students have to take the short end of the stick). "A Tale of Two Campuses" by Alan Markow both demonstrate and refute the idea of university as just another business by observing how two different universities, UC Berkeley and UC Davis, reacted to the Occupy Movement. While Berkeley announced the Middle Class Access plan, which would greatly reduce the education fees of middle class families, Davis decided to emphasize the damage done by students participating in the movement. Although Berkeley's reaction can show how universities may also have the students' interests in mind, Davis' response and even the infamous pepper spray incident demonstrate how administrators tend to protect themselves and their precious profit at all costs, even if it results in the physical abuse of students.

Question: How can students tackle the corporatization of universities without having to go through administration?


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