<p>Jude,</p>
<p>Part of the problem lies with the students and parents themselves. They are constantly wanting bigger and better things on campus…wireless internet connections, luxuries dorm rooms, etc. I see this type of behavior with my students all the time. They don’t like their classrooms…they want the best computer technology, the best seats and desks, the best student centers with top notch everything, exceptional food (professional chef who offers 3 star meals). These things can be costly, which forces schools to increase tuition.</p>
<p>My campus has multiple satelite locations and our students demanded plus seats with wheels, laptop connections to power supply at every seat (which required special desks) and plus carpeting. Our on-campus students demanded plus chairs and executive style desks as well. Our classroom computers are currently running Windows XP with Office 2003 but they are constantly complaining because we don’t have Vista and Office 2007. The on-campus clubs wanted a high-tech meeting area, so we (stupidly) gave them one…that they don’t use because it isn’t high-tech enough. They want freshly painted rooms each semester (understandable at the beginning of each year, but why do we need to repaint the rooms during Christmas break when the same student is moving back into the same room??)</p>
<p>Just to satisfy our students, we had to build a $7 million student center and install wireless network and internet access in every classroom and dorm room…and the signal needed to be strong enough that they could sit in the quad and use their laptops.</p>
<p>It is ubsurd what students and their parents expect from a small university, let alone a larger university. Maybe if the demands weren’t so great, schools wouldn’t have to keep raising tuition.</p>