Section A01
Week 4
In “Why We Should Fear University, Inc.”, Fredrik deBoer draws attention on how American universities are operated. He argues that universities are subject to corporatism, meaning that they use students' desires for education to gain profit. One example he mentions is the student loan disbursement on fee-laden A.T.M. cards, showcasing how expensive college can be. DeBoer also talked about how those who support the current university system are “right to combat the insulting presumption that today’s undergraduates are oversensitive and incurious”, but they do not realize that the students are expressing their intellectual and political freedom. This suggests that people can only view a situation through one perspective and not analyze the entirety of the situation, which should be a key part of being in a university.
Viewing university as a corporation reminds me of how different America is from other parts of the world. For example, in Norway, college is free. Thus, their students do not have to worry about money and not have to think twice if they can afford college. For many college students in America, tuition is a huge factor that they have to take into account before and while they attend college. Therefore, many students take on jobs and risk healthy lifestyles to be able to afford it. I find it very disheartening that American universities, which should encourage higher education, often times discourages students from attending due to their desire for profit. It seems as though American universities prioritize the amount they will earn over their students.
Question: Is the desire for profit necessarily a bad thing? What would be the incentive to run colleges/universities if college was free for students?
Works Cited:
deBoer, F. (2015, Sept 9) Why We Should Fear University, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/13/magazine/why-we-should-fear-university-inc.html
(2011, February 15). Recruiter’s Experience at one For-Profit University Suggests Reform Efforts Will Face Hurdles. Retrieved from http://www.heralddeparis.com/recruiter%E2%80%99s-experience-at-one-for-profit-university-suggests-reform-efforts-will-face-hurdles-2/
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