Christy Chung 
10 October 2015 
Section 3 
Blog 4 

In “Why We Should Fear University, Inc” Fedrik deBoer writes about how universities have been overwhelmed by corporatism. He begins his essay by describing a small garden on his campus at Purdue University. He recalls the garden fondly, considering it a haven that is “overgrown and seemingly unmanaged” (1). Unlike the other modern, orderly, and newly renovated parts of campus, deBoer is drawn to the garden because of its untamed beauty.  Unfortunately, however, the garden will be demolished to make room for an aviation research park. DeBoer parallels the destruction of this garden to the corporatization of American universities, to how there is “no room left for the ungroomed, the weird or the wild” (2). When deBoer refers to the overabundance of private corporations throughout his campus, it made me think of our own campus. Until reading this essay, I never put much thought into the presence of private corporations on campus. I always just saw the presence of places like Starbucks on campus as a convenience for days that I’m in a rush between classes and work. It is interesting to think about the wider implications of the places that are on campus.

My question is: How does privatization harm students? 

Below is an image from a strike at Ohio state to protest the school's plan to lease the campus's parking to a private company. 
Source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2012/05/02/demonstrators-denounce-plans-to-privatize-parking-at-ohio-state.html