<p>I think I'm going to write to my son's school. I wonder how much this costs each year. I can't believe this is necessary any more. (I know you have to pay extra for the long distance calls). I would think that nearly ALL students have cell phones nowadays:</p>
<p>NYU</a> > ITS > Communicate & Collaborate > Telephones & Voicemail > Student
NYU basic telephone service is provided and available immediately. NYU telephone service includes on-campus calls, local calls, voice mail, call waiting, caller ID, and three-way calling. Long-distance service can be arranged by completing an application online. Information will be available at check-in</p>
<p>S2 has a landline in his room for which he could order long-distance service. Since he has a cell, we didn't. He says they refuse to answer it because anytime they do, it's a telemarketer.</p>
<p>I packed a phone for my son to take up as a freshman. He looked at me like I was from mars. never used. I did send an email to the email address provided on their website. Will be interesting to see if they ever write back. If they are paying for lines the students never use, that could be a significant amt of money, we're talking 10000+ students (at least ) in NYU housing.</p>
<p>In some cases, donors' contributions are fungible; but not always. Sport facilities tend to be cutting edge and luxurious because alums like to remember their college days as an endless stream of games. The classics department at H is well endowed; and I do not think that, although classics is not as attractive a field as it was at the time when the grateful alum made his donation, one could use income from his gift to subsidize African studies. I suppose that private universities are thus more limited in the extent that they can move funds around than public universities.</p>
<p>To newmassdad...
If kids are wealthy (although, of course, almost always regarding them selves as middle class), I can see how they might regard college as roughing it. If your kid goes to the University of Chicago, okay, that's intellectually rich but otherwise Spartan.
But I can tell you that my first two kids from an honestly middle income family came back from school with richer tastes than they left home with.
To me, the article is spot on.</p>
<p>I can tell you that most of the "frills" the WSJ author talked about were things we gladly paid for when my D was at U Chicago. 24 hour library access a frill? Not in my book. The after hours IT support was whatever kid you could find to help you. But, considering how many academic resources are in the internet (most academic journals, for example, and Chicago expected undergrads to use the relevant literature...and course materials ....) I hardly call quick IT support a frill.</p>
<p>Roughing it? hardly my words, or anyone else here that I read. But to be clear, the options the wealthy have for higher ed are far different from us financial middle of the roaders, from luxury (and higher priced) dorm rooms to expensive greek houses to experiences overseas (for reference, yes, my D did spend a summer abroad: In Bolivia. Frequent flyer miles to get her there and back. Living on the local economy in La Pas cost her maybe $300/month, which she had saved. Her room in an apartment was not even heated. Her "program" was self developed and free. Richer tastes than when she left?)</p>
<p>But lets not battle rich versus not so rich. I think most of us are smart enough to figure out that life style choices vary and these choices are influenced by much more than just income.</p>
<p>I get a good laugh every time my S's private college calls to hit me up for more $. Since he's still a student there, they already have all of my $<em>#)</em>$ money!!! </p>
<p>I guess things are really tight there though, they might even have to wait to blow up another one of their 20 year old dorms. I think that they've build 2 or 3 new dorms since S enrolled as well as a new student center and social sciences building. As for me, I don't think I'll ever get my new kitchen. Sigh.</p>
<p>Not all school have the frills of a 24 hour library, consistent working internet, banquet like meal plans, 24 hour gyms, or even a student center! I know because I go to one and they jack up the tuition by like 10% last year!</p>
<p>Colleges HAVE to do this - it isnt their fault. They will LOSE money if they dont spend money on schmoozing their students, because rankings take into account how the students are being treated, and a drop in rankings (not like 34-35, thats nothing, I'm saying like 14->20, which could happen over say, 5 years) means a drop in money brought in.</p>
<p>Hi all:
I'm sorry I don't know how to hyperlink this, but I wanted to put it in for discussion. I was curious as to what other parents thought about the author's analysis regarding the rising costs of higher ed.</p>
<p>Well, Rice University is taking the opposite tack and increasing financial and merit aid:</p>
<p>"For incoming freshmen:</p>
<p>Rice will continue its policy of need-blind admission and meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need.</p>
<p>For families whose income is $80,000 or less, Rice will meet 100 percent of need eligibility without loans. That means these students financial aid packages will be covered by scholarships, grants, work study and other aid.</p>
<p>For those whose income is above $80,000 and who are need eligible, Rice will cap the amount of loans in financial aid packages at $10,000 for the four undergraduate years (as long as they remain eligible for need-based aid).</p>
<p>Rice will continue to offer merit-based aid to the top 30 percent of the enrolling freshman class."</p>
<p>The University of Toledo is also increasing aid for a very large targetted group. They have a very nice new program under which anyone who graduates from one of the Cleveland city schools (or from any of six large urban areas in Ohio), completes financial aid forms, and is shown to be eligible for a Pell grant will receive full tuition.</p>
<p>24 hour library access? Of course it's a frill. Don't need 24 hour McDonald's either.
How many of us in the real world have 24 hour library access? Yet we survive! Teach your students to manage their time better. A needless luxury, but one that fits the U of C marketing plan. And a bit of snobbery for anyone paying near to full freight to mention at cocktail parties.</p>
<p>Think 24 hour library access is a frill? At one time, central heat was a frill, too.</p>
<p>I guess you come from the age where studying was a part time activity, one you did outside TV time and so forth? U of C students take their studies pretty seriously, at least enough of them do that the library is quite well used at night. </p>
<p>I think your post 36 shows a callous cluelessness of what happens on the ground at some universities, especially ones that don't live for sports and such - I've seen no gripes here about the 24 hour gym access many colleges have! (but not U of C...)</p>
<p>Internet access makes 24 hour library access much more of a frill than it would have been when we parents were in college or grad school. There may be certain things that can only be used in a reserve room, but for the most part a student should be able to manage to arrange their time to check out materials between the hours of, say, 8 AM and midnight. Something similar would be used for gyms (though opening time would be earlier). You can study any time at your own apartment/home/dorm. The library doesn't have to be open, staffed, lit, and heated 24/7 for that. </p>
<p>If a school has money for a round-the-clock library, more power to them, especially at a school where it'll be heavily used. But for a school looking for ways to trim their budgets so that COA doesn't continue to spiral upward, an all-hours library, or gym, should be treated as a frill.</p>
<p>"Internet access makes 24 hour library access much more of a frill than it would have been when we parents were in college or grad school."</p>
<p>During finals and midterms, 24/7 libraries are helpful because of providing students with quiet places to study, something that can be difficult to do in dorms.</p>
<p>S particularly spent lots of time in the library as a freshman because his dorm had become the freshmen party dorm.</p>
<p>I guess ST never heard of reserve materials, or, gasp, other things like books that can't be accessed on the internet.</p>
<p>The fact is that some schools actually make an effort to push students to sources that are not online. </p>
<p>Not all schools do this, so I suppose for them, a library at any hour is a frill. </p>
<p>Pretty sad that folks believe libraries are a frill and should be equated with the gym. But heck, there's plenty of places for kids of these parents, because I's sure (correction: I know) that some colleges are so lacking in rigor that they rarely even assign papers that call for any kind of research.</p>