Section A02
Week 4
23 April 2017
I understand why many people may be angry at the though of Universities becoming corporate. Though, as someone who comes from a corporate and conservative background, and considers herself aligned with these beliefs, I believe that it's important to understand the circumstance of cost, and to find a balance. Education is something that everyone should have access to, and the sad reality is that not everyone does and not everyone can. It should be in the University's best interests to make this weight on the students lighter. As someone who used to have to pay out of state tuition, I felt the financial burden. In my freshman year of college, I owed the University about $5000 a month including student housing. In these instances, especially when I saw student athletes receiving stipends going to college for free, I felt cheated. There is such an imbalance. I also received zero aid after submitting the FAFSA. I also believe that some people underestimate the amount of help that the University does give them.
I've never had any qualms with for profit. I believe that we can have the students best interest at heart while giving people compensation for the work that they deserve. I am particularly concerned about how students tend to be swayed towards one ideal before seeing the big picture. These articles remind me of the movement against Linda Katehi last year, and how students wanted her out of the position due to apparent for-profit motives. In this case, there were several conflicts of interest and I understand that she was in the wrong in several incidences, however, I wanted to know more personally about the work that she provided for the school? Especially when it comes to money, not everything is black and white. Coming from a third world country, I personally feel like the corruption could be worse. However, I do agree with that the University should be smarter about the way they spend their money. It is the distribution that concerns me, more than the motives behind it.
My question is, how can the University better distribute their costs and dial back their budgets so that students are able to benefit from the money that they are paying the school?
With the corporatization of higher education being more institutionalized, with more hirings of administration positions and political backing, how can the problem be fixed?
References:
DeBoer, F. (2015, September 9). Why We Should Fear University, Inc. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/why-we-should-fear-university-inc.html
Joy, A. B. (2010). Whistleblower. Point Richmond, CA: Bay Tree Pub.
A., Markow. (2011, December 19). A Tale of Two Campuses: Berkeley and Davis respond to
Occupy movements. IVN.
Shaw, A. D. (2013, March 06). Protesters march on Sydney University. Retrieved April 23, 2017, from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-03-07/protest-sydney-university/4558696
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