<p>In Today's NYT, it was noted that colleges are cutting costs in a myriad of strange ways.</p>
<p>Examples are:
* reducing window washing from twice a year to once a year
* reducing the pick up for trash
* reduced maintenance
* eliminating phones for staff and faculty offices
* Less painting of buildings
* My favorite: virtual swim meets. Instead of having teams fly or bused to competitions, they will swim in their own pool and each candidate will be timed by a visiting judge with possible video taping of results. Thus, less travel costs since whole teams won't need to travel.
* Limitations on number of free print copies available to students
* Charges for laundry etc.
* Elimination of HBO and ESPN for televisions.</p>
<p>Moreover, these changes aren't just happening at public universities. Many private schools have instituted these and other draconian measures. Thus, if your kid's school implements some less savory policies, at least you will understand that these types of activities are going on in many schools.</p>
<p>That was one of Union’s selling points when we toured there - “You don’t have to pay for laundry!” Hooray, my $50,000 would go to something worthwhile!</p>
<p>Dickinson and Bryn Mawr doing a virtual swim meet to save a few
hundred dollars. Bryn Mawr’s swim team is really bad and this just
sounds like an excuse not to do the meet. I think it reflects poorly
on both schools and cheats the kids of a competitive experience.</p>
<p>It’s ridiculous. The point of swim meets is that swimmers swim faster when they’re racing the competition… in the same pool, at the same time. That’s the point. I mean, if you’re just going to swim in your own pool for “official” times and then compare them, you could do the same thing for track and field. That’ll save a few hundred more. Whoopee.</p>