Re: #39
However, whether the housing is organized into residential colleges/houses or otherwise, it would be either economy class versus luxury class in amenities, or traditional rooms-off-a-hall versus suite-style, or old versus new, in either type of arrangement.
Wonder what the cost of college would be if they dropped specialty foods of all types, fancy gyms, high salaries for Administration (do they really need those people), profs who don’t teach and more. Seems a shame to force so many kids to take out loans for these extras. Some kids are paying a decade for these extravagances they could certainly live without. Would be great if they offered these “special items” a la carte. So if your kid wants to eat organic food and be able to work out at 3AM, it’s there but they have to pay for it.
UW Residence Halls is a self sustaining entity. It does not subsidize the university nor does the university subsidize it. taxpayers would object to subsidizing it and student families likewise would object to money going to the U. Part of the costs go toward maintaining buildings, including the food service area open to all- residents pay less than the cash price. With options off campus Res Halls still remains full and has to turn down students. Residents have a zero requirement for food service so they make good food students want to eat- and dorm rooms have a small refrigerator plus one microwave allowed so it is not the only nearby option. Many different buildings of varying ages (but all well maintained) and campus areas plus interest group housing. Still, a dorm room is a dorm room.
May not follow but it may well follow. And even it if doesn’t, if your housing/facilities umbrella is flush with cash you don’t have to find other sources of funds (from say the general operation fund) when housing/facilities has a needed capital project. And even if you plow profits back into housing/facilities that may well result in more full pay kids attending (families with money, international and out of state kids) bringing more tuition and fee dollars to the institution.
@ChoatieMom It’s not a luxury–they deserve it!
“whether the housing is organized into residential colleges/houses or otherwise, it would be either economy class versus luxury class in amenities”
Yes, but the residential colleges themselves are a luxury, even if they have ancient linoleum floors and leaky plumbing and fifth-floor walkup rooms (hello, Harvard!). Running a separate dining hall, library, etc. for every ~300 students is inefficient and expensive. In my view, those costs are well spent…they’re just luxuries. You don’t need them to run a university.
I agree that there are fancy-shmancy and bare-bones designs and finishes, of course.
Assuming that they do not put wheelchair users and others with mobility disabilities upstairs, is that a problem for most college students?
Yes, most college students find it undesirable. You can see it directly during room draw: those suites are chosen last.
Aren’t these features mainly to recruit athletes though?
No, schools trying to recruit athletes away from another school have a whole secret section of goodies for them. There are usually separate weight rooms and practice facilities for athletes in the power conferences.
Re#18…I kid you not, my neighbor has a “lazy-river” component to their pool (this is a typical suburban 70’ lot so not an easy feat to squeeze onto the lot!) and they use their pool maybe 4x a year since they installed it 5years ago. I am betting their kids would look at a collegiate lazy river and think “been there, done that, not impressed”.
No I don’t particularly care about resort like features, but a nice dorm and an up to date library are nice features in my book. I’ve seen some pretty awful dorms on college tours. I swear the dorms we toured at Ohio U and CWRU in the past few years hadn’t changed an iota since my husband and I attended school there 25+ years ago!
^^ and yet there is still a line waiting to get in.
I think the resort features are only important if students are choosing between a few schools that are basically equal in other ways. Once the academics and finances are sorted out, students can become picky.
@Hanna, working in student finance in Europe, the prices that are being asked to house teenagers in tiny double or triple bedrooms, with communal bathrooms off the corridors, and feed them cafeteria food for 3 and a half months, it’s hard to imagine how colleges are NOT making a profit (especially if we are talking college towns in the middle of nowhere, it’s different of course if you need to use real estate in Boston or NYC). What am I missing?
It seems to me that one way to keep prices under control might be to require schools who get federal funding to offer housing, a meal plan and access to central facilities as a non profit entity to the price of the federal loan. That way, the college cost discussion could focus on tuition and tuition discounts - the teaching and learning being the core business of higher education after all. Does this sound like a very „European“ solution that wouldn’t fly in the US at all, seeing that it combines the terms „federal“ and „require“?
@labegg Wow- I’m just imagining that lazy river! Kids are getting harder to impress. I think there has been such a cultural shift to child-centered parenting. I am surely a part of this - so I am not criticizing. I think many middle class kids have experienced luxuries that their parents did not have growing up.
Since college will be around 70k a yr I expect the dorms to be pleasant and the food to be good. A beautiful campus and great facilities would be very nice. However, the two most important things in my opinion are the quality of the education and the people. That being said, my D was very excited when we saw a high ropes course on the campus of one of her favorite schools.
“require schools who get federal funding to offer housing, a meal plan and access to central facilities as a non profit entity to the price of the federal loan. That way, the college cost discussion could focus on tuition and tuition discounts”
Yes, it sounds European, and I tend to be on board for that kind of thing.
Yes, it sounds European, and I tend to opposed to such ideas.
Look, it’s a matter of degree. There’s been a lot of time spent discussing the Lazy-River. That’s a good discussion, but how about beach clubs, sushi bars, steak houses, and lobster dinner nights? If you want to pay for these go for it. If you don’t, don’t. I do believe that students that place these amenities above faculty, labs/research facilities, meeting/collaboration spaces, and green space are missing what a college education is.
The cafeteria at my daughter’s school has many international food offerings. Some might think it is a luxury, but since 35% of the school is international students, it is really an attempt to make them feel at home.
I think parents of full-pay or nearly full-pay students want to see that their student will directly benefit from exorbitant tuition costs. A campus with obvious amenities is a tangible way to appease them. You don’t find the more lavish offerings at public universities, and when you do, they are usually athletics-related, and probably funded in large part by donations.
I don’t have a problem with the amenities. When I see a campus that has little to offer, I worry that students will be more likely to seek out drugs or alcohol out of boredom. A nice hangout spot does help bring the community together. I’m glad my son has a spectacular gym that he takes advantage of. Also, a climbing wall is an excellent workout.
Not sure why a climbing wall in the gym is a symbol of extravagance, since it seems a lot less expensive to maintain than treadmills and such.