Clarice Wong Week 4

Clarice Wong
Section A02
Week 4

Frederik deBoer:“Why We Should Fear University, Inc.”

The operations of universities have become equivalent to those conducted in a corporate environment, argues Frederik deBoer in "Why We Should Fear University, Inc". Besides the literal corporations taking over within American universities, including Starbucks cafes, Barnes & Nobles campus bookstores, and Visa tie-ins to dining commons cards, the systematic standardization of everyday operations within a university are no different than in a corporation. For example, he argues, colleges now employ more "senior administrators" than professors, where the functionality of "senior administrators" is little more than nominal position, overseeing minute and important details of a university's operations while holding a very lucrative title. Supporting deBoer's main argument is my personal experience at UC Davis. While I have been utilizing the campus resource of free therapy on a weekly basis, and appreciate the availability of mental health resources, a few stories I have heard have caused me to scrutinize it. Mainly, these stories revolve around friends of mine who have gone to therapy in order to qualify for a late "Pass/ No Pass" switch, or late dropping of a class. Apparently, attending a session with a counselor and crying is enough for the counselor to write them a pass saying their mental capabilities were hindered due to things going on in their personal life. While I am sure some people qualify for this, I have seen this pass more abused by students than used in an appropriate situation. Furthermore my issue is not with students who do this; it is my suspicion that the university is afraid to run into any formal legal accusations concerning mental health of students that they have this policy in place, to play it safe rather than discover the true intentions of the student. This reflects upon the corporatization of our university: rather than be motivated by promoting education, a student's well-being, and justice, the university prioritizes its financial needs before all else. Question: What other features of UC Davis reflect the corporatization of the university?

References: 
1. DeBoer, F. (2015, September 9 ). Why We Should Fear University, Inc. . The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
2. [Digital image]. (2016, April 14). Retrieved October 15, 2017, from https://coed.com/2016/04/14/uc-davis-pepper-spray-cop-budget-google-ranking/