Section A03
Week 4
After reading “Why We Should Fear University, Inc.: Against the corporate taming of the American college,” I was surprised to see how plainly universities were truly viewing students as money-making machines rather than aiming to fully educate the future scholars of tomorrow. The reality is that the university is geared to fulfilling the goals of subtly transforming high education culture and environment into one that is beneficial to the individuals of the higher administration and one that is highly reputable to alumni and boards. An example of this is the point where the author, Fredrik DeBoer, brings up is the Title IX law is not necessarily put in place to protect people from gender discrimination in education, it becomes a tool for institutions such as universities to take advantage of the self-protective aspect of the law. They are able to utilize and manipulate the law to aid them in avoiding legal liability. Another point DeBoer brings up is that students become robotic and unaware of the systematic control of the universities implement upon them. Student activists are quieted by the structures of the institutions for they obey the rules and set opportunities given to them. What students like me do not realize is that the university is blatantly threatening my intellectual freedom through their means of suppressing any indication of defiance or confrontation. After reading this article, I begin to doubt the true standings of the university in which I give my money to; does the university really provide the opportunities for me to express my rights and grievances if they arise? My perception that the university was a place for furthering and expanding my knowledge and place as an individual in the community subsides as I open my eyes to the reality to the efforts the university makes to silence those who speak out on the issues that don’t align with their agenda.
Why is student activism seen as a danger rather than a push for bettering the system?
References:
1. DeBoer, F. (2015, September 09). Why We Should Fear University, Inc. New York Times Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
2. Unknown. Power to the Students. Retrieved October 14, 2017 from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hell-we-wont-go-student-activism-vehicle-leadership-dominique-mcshan
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