College: For The Students or Of The Students

David Diaz

“The most subversive question about higher education has always been whether the college makes the student or the student makes the college,” writes David Leonhardt of the New York Times in his article "The College Calculation". Leonhardt then continues in a different direction and proves that the cost of college on average is worth the average salaries earned by college graduates. Leonhardt does not, however, answer the question of whether colleges create the students or whether students create the college.

Leonhardt observes the monetary aspect of attending colleges and concludes that the average debt is worth it when one considers the increased wage that a college graduate receives. Also, Leonhardt says that in this economic depression many people are going back to college because they either have nothing else to do or have lost their jobs. Furthermore, Leonhardt shows that the dropout rate of colleges is roughly fifty percent, which raises the question, are colleges doing their job. However, apart from all of this Leonhardt fails to tackle the question does a college make it’s students or is a college made by its students?

To answer this question, one may use the fact that the nationwide average dropout rate in colleges is fifty percent. With a half of the students not graduating, a college doesn’t create its students or at least one may say that it only does half of the job because only half graduate. At the same time, a college that can drive away half of its students is certainly not made by its students. Because neither of these answers the question, one must remember that a college is a business, it exists to teach, to further knowledge, and most importantly to make money. One may certainly argue that both of these must be present in college and that the relationship between a college and its students is a symbiotic one. That the college does mold the student by education and by placing the student in the culture of the college, but at the same time the body of students define the culture of the college from which they benefit. This is certainly true, but to say that a college is either made by the students or makes the students is ludicrous because money makes the college and money is the motive of the college. Interestingly enough, money is also the motive of many of the students that attend college. The student hopes that by attending college he or she may get a job with better pay than had they not attended college.

The question of whether a college should make a student or a student make the college is an interesting one. Although, both sides must be present in a symbiotic setting for college to have any purpose. However, the question seems ridiculous when one realizes that on average both the college and the student are acting only to make money.

The Google Library

Jamie Signorile

In the past many reaserchers have paid much attention to the increase in the amount of textbooks being placed online. However, few researchers have considered the large expansion of library resource books being implemented into online systems.

Google has been noted as one of the most popular search engines. Also, it has acquired a large amount of books that can be viewed digitally. Recently, many universities are working hand in hand with google in assembling one of the largest collections of online volumes of text. Many Universities donate their texts and in return, receive digital copies of the database. This will help students find any information they need. It is also making the google book search much more advanced. Many of googles books are not present because of copyright issues, however if the Universities use their texts to assist google, it can make this hurdle a lot easier to conquer. Currently only sixteen percent of books are available in full text due to copyright issues. This project is called Hathi Trust. The project has already accumulated 3,960,034 volumes. If more universities participate in this, there can be a massive compilation of texts. Students would easily find information by searching google. This will ensure more chances of students getting the correct information that are on point to what they are searching for. There are currently twenty five schools in the program, ten of them being associated with then University of California system. Hopefully, with the addition of more schools the project can fulfill its long term goals.

Adimission and Economy

Richard Zhang

It's that time of the year again. No, it isn't February 14th, its the time where massive college fairs take place. Recruiters from around the country “sell” their college or university to prospect students and their parents. However, with the our economy slowly rising out of the recession and still rising unemployment rates, many are fearful. A recent article in the NYTimes reports that parents are fearful of the steep increases of college tuition. But recruiters are also fearful, there is just not enough students who will apply. Many students are settling for community colleges and state colleges due to financial reasons. Less students are applying for college yet, more are asking for financial aid and scholarships. Rather than looking at what SAT average score is this college accepting, parents are looking at the price tags and asking themselves whether or not they can afford it.



Sometimes, students who normally would end up in a prestigious school have to settle for a low ranked state university. It is truly a shame that his abilities and skills are not being challenged by the state university. It is a waste of human resource. Of course not everyone deserves to go to an Ivy League school. But some students who has the ability to prosper under a better education system cannot reach their full potential because they just don't have the means to pay for it. Even with generous financial aid and scholarships many students who go to private institutions have to pay up to $35,000 a year compare that with the $7,000 of a state university, many students really don't have a choice

ADHD in college students

Shawn Roberts

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a learning disability that affects many college students. The problem with ADHD is that there is very little concrete data to study from. The most doctors can do is diagnose someone with the disability and prescribe a medical treatment such as Adderall or Ritalin. These pills have extreme side effects though such as high blood pressure, loss of appetite, stunting of growth, and difficulty sleeping. These side effects cause many of the afflicted to choose not to take the pill as a safety precaution for other conditions. It is, however, something that should not be overlooked as it affects between 2-4% of college students as found by studies given on News-medical.net. Students with ADHD have shown difficulty paying attention, following instructions, completing tasks, procrastination, disorganization, and much more. They have also shown to struggle in their overall grades, largely due to the inability focus. This inability to focus has made it so that some students cannot multi task with things such as note taking and class participations.

Some colleges have started to take action and help those with this problem by offering services such as note takers, and recording devices. This has become a controversial issue in some schools though. There are some schools that only offer this service to student athletes which leads many to complain. ADHD is a learning disability so why do schools only help some of the disabled? Shouldn’t all of the handicapped be given the opportunity to negate their disability?

Hybrid Classes

Brandon Carter

Although some researchers have found that students in a hybrid class, one that is taught in part by lecture and also online learning, can do as well as students in a more traditional class, this might not be the case all the time. According to James N. Gregory, an associate professor of history at the University of Washington, "The devil is in the details" of how such courses are done. According to Mr. Gregory, "A course that is taught by an involved instructor and meets some of the time in person and uses various tools and enhancements by computers could be wonderful," he says. Or it could be "a disaster."

In order for the classes to be effective students need a certain set of skills. For example, when there are few time constraints other than deadlines, students who take online course are fully responsible for sticking to their own schedule. If the student is the kind of person who procrastinates too much and has trouble managing time, the online part could end up being much harder than necessary. In addition while students don’t necessarily need to know everything about computers, understanding of how to interact with the online section of the class is a must. Plus the fact that some students have higher computer literacy than other students may put the lesser equipped students at a disadvantage. In addition there is also the problem of lack of direction. In the hybrid setup, students have a lectures one class and online learning the next, but in between the lectures all the students have is the online resources the professor gave them. While this may some times be sufficient there are other times where a student could be left in the dark so to speak. If the student can’t ask the professor questions on which direction to head in, the student could end up in completely the opposite direction the professor intended.

Is American Higher Education Better than the Rest?

Hunter Hammond

According to Christopher J. Lucas, author of American Higher Education: A History, Second Edition, at one point in our nation's history we possessed a unique opportunity. Lucas quotes David Robson (author of College Founding in the New Republic) to say, "had funds expended on higher education been concentrated in a select few institutions, it has been argued, the United States soon would have developed a system of education unsurpassed by any other in the world." In other words, it has been debated that America could be even more of a giant (in academia) than it already is. The question now becomes, (in the status quo) is American Higher Education better than the rest? Can other cultures' systems of learning compete with our own?

Given the current state of the economy, this question is more pressing and meaningful than ever. According to Thomas J. Tierney (director of eBay), America used to hold an understood position of power. Tierney evaluates this based off of a solely economic aspect, which falls within his realm of expertise, and correlates the economic condition of the country to our higher education. Empirically, the scattering of local colleges has paid homage to the phrase "more is better;" however, as of late the new outlook on American Higher Education is that fewer colleges releasing higher quality students would better serve our current economic plight. This vantage from Tierney constitutes an answer to our question. American Higher Education is not better than the rest; we are being out competed!

In response to being outcompeted, a grant foundation (Lumina), as well as the federal government, have set initiatives to increase the level of high-quality college degrees by a certain margin and by a certain date. These initiatives are testaments to the real fears we are now living with: American Higher Education is in jeopardy. The Lumina Foundation has been cited stating that expansion of the college system could cause more harm than good. Specifically, expansion cannot occur if dilution of the system occurs along with it. This means that institutions of higher learning must be of a high caliber. This evidence stands in direct confirmation of the quote from David Robson. This is important because we are now living in a time where our "more is better" mind frame is not able to help us; on the contrary, it is hurting us.

Our higher education system has served us well in the past. We have made leaps and bounds as a country; however, can our old system survive? The answer is no.. In the status quo, American Higher Education is not better than the rest. Given consideration to the current economic state, Robson and Lucas were correct in their assumption that a more focused system would be more effective. However, this does not mean our current system is bad; it merely needs to be reinvigorated.

Government Funding For Childcare

David Diaz

A bill that passed the house last week aimed to raise the standards of education from birth until the age of 5, according to “Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs” by Sam Dillon. Dillon informs the reader of the need for government funded early childcare programs and the current state of early childcare. However, Dillon doesn’t mention anything about the impact this will have on education, particularly higher education.

Dillon describes the current early childcare system as a group of daycares funded by private organizations, churches, and in some cases the local or federal government. He continues to say that these care programs vary between a well planned schedule of activities and no group activities of any kind. Obviously, the children who attend the better daycare facilities will be better prepared for kindergarten than those who don’t. Also, daycares are in great demand currently because in many families both parents have jobs. Many people are demanding government-funded and government regulated day care programs for their young children while they are at work. There is a great demand for daycares in this country, but how will daycares affect education in general.

Although daycares may better prepare some children for kindergarten and allow children to learn how to deal with being away from their parents, they don’t affect higher education. According to Dillon, many people complain that children entering kindergarten aren’t on the same level, but one must remember that kindergarten serves as a method for equally preparing children for school. Kindergarten specifically plays this role because it is the minimum age when all children can begin to acquire the skills to be successful in school. Also, one must remember that accomplishments and grades in elementary school no longer matter at the high school level. Likewise, high school grades don’t matter at the college level. Because kindergarten serves as a way to equally prepare all students for school, improving young childcare, will have no affect for students performing at the high school or college level. Improving childcare simply serves as a way to provide much needed childcare to working parents.

Dillon introduces a bill that was passed by the House of Representatives in congress that includes a section in which the government will provide funding for early childcare. Although there is a great need for government funded young childcare, due to the recent increase in both parents working, young childcare will not have any substantial affects on student performance in high school or in college.

Losing HOPE

Jamie Signorile

College is one of the most expensive things a family has to pay for. Many have depended on financial aid, typically given through scholarship. However, it is now clear that many of these forms of financial aid may come to a halt.

In this economy, State budgets have been forced to cut to prevent worse economic downturn. Sadly, this causes States to cut some of the most important parts of their budgets. Many scholarships are funded directly from the state. An article in The Chronicle For Higher Education states that many states are cutting their funding for scholarships because they are just too expensive.

Many students need state scholarships. These scholarships handle a huge part of college costs, and many students are only attending college because of the aid. The HOPE scholarship in Georgia is a blueprint that many States use in their programs for aid. Students must have certain credentials and maintain certain grades in college to keep this scholarship. Many students can attend Universities because their HOPE scholarship covers the cost. However, the program is funded by state lottery and the growth for student scholarships is growing faster than the revenue can handle. This now leads to the government reforming the programs. In Florida there is a similar program. It used to pay for 100% of student tuition, yet the State had to cut back and limit the amount of money given due to budget cuts. Similarly, in Georgia, the State is going to cap the amount that is given to qualifying students. It is amazing to see how much of an impact economy has on education. As the economy trends lower and lower, there seems to be less and less opportunities for students to succeed in higher education. Hopefully, States can figure out a way to allocate money and help students to succeed.

House pass student loan bill

Richard Zhang

Recently, the House of Representatives passed a legislation that calls for a larger federal aid package to college students. Tamar Lewin of the NYTimes reports that the legislation would provide $40 billion to increase scholarship amounts. President Barack Obama states that the plan would save $80 billion over the next 10 years. The student loan legislation included more funds and less questions on the tedious Free Application for Federal Student Aid or more commonly known as FAFSA. Thereby increase the accessibility of the aid. This bill aims at reduce cost by ending federal subsidies to private lenders. Without private lenders earning a killing off poor students the government and students are able to save money.

This bill is a reassurance and a relief for many students. Faced with rising tuition and living expenses many students are force to borrow. In some cases the interest are so high that it takes decades before a college graduate can pay back the loan. With the passage of this bill however, the government has eliminated the middle man and able to offer more loans and grants to students. This is especially welcomed in this economy. The cutting of questions to FAFSA is also welcomed. FAFSA was a form that all students who wanted financial aid from the government would have to complete. FAFSA was a confusing and complicated process with forms up to 7-10 pages long requiring extensive financial statements. It was a dreadful process that took weeks to complete. This bill allows students to pursue their dreams regardless of the economic situation. Students rejoice for the bill because it keeps the door of college open for them even though they are experiencing financial hardship.

Distracted?

Brandon Carter

While many believe computers are almost a necessity, they can be a gateway to distraction. Specifically they provide a convenient alternative to studying. Many people feel that by studying on the computer you have access to more resources than you would if you were studying from notes, books, or other material. While this may be true, many college students don’t use the computer wisely.

For example, it’s very easy to be on a computer studying for a test and working hard then suddenly decide to check your email or Facebook. This may seem like an innocent thing and some students tell themselves it’s only for a moment, but this moment many times turns into something that can keep students occupied for several hours. It’s so easy to get involved with a website online that you completely forget that you need to be studying. When this kind of thing happens the night before the test, it’s never good. While trying to study for a big test this once seemingly innocent distraction may end up costing some students a good grade. Even though this may not be true of all students, this affecting anyone is a slight cause for concern.

On the other hand, some students may find this not to be a cause for concern because they may feel like they have a good handle on their time management. They very well could have, but the thing is it doesn’t take much to take one’s focus off of the subject at hand. What is the easiest solution? One possible solution is for students to not use a computer when they study. Because many students need their computer in order to study another solution could be to allot certain times to certain activities and study with a friend. By doing this the student can have someone to help keep them to their set time allotments and also have time for fun along with studying. No distractions can be some of the best distractions.

Where is the Motivation?

Hunter Hammond

According to an article from the Associated Content, college students do not exercise due to a lack of motivation. The article cites a study taken of 1044 individuals living in a college setting. The study inquired the subjects who exercised regularly, exercised moderately, and none at all what was their reasoning behind exercise. The subjects who exercised frequently revealed that motivation and enjoyment was key to staying on top of a workout regimen. Of the subjects who worked out moderately to none, it was reported that a lack of motivation, as well as other factors, was the reason. The article reveals that lack motivation is the catalyst for exercise, but what the article fails to do is assess what instills motivation in some and what inhibits it in others.

The subjects who exercised routinely expressed that working out made them feel better. It was revealed that the motivation was fueled by an intense desire to be healthy and to feel good. Among the subjects who exercised moderately, it was reported that more time would allocate for a more strict and routine workout. Correspondingly, among individuals who did not exercise, it was expressed that a lack of time was responsible for not exercising. This presents the question: Is there really no time for exercise?

College students today are faced with a myriad of tasks and obligations which must be met. It takes a great deal of studying and work to stay on top of just the academic aspect of college life. Outside of that aspect lies also a social life which needs balancing. With theses thing in mind, it is not hard to envision that time for exercise would be limited. The Chief Executive Officer of Georgia Tech's Student Government Association stated that a definite decrease is observable between the first week of classes (where testing has not yet set in) and the fourth and fifth weeks of classes (when tests and quizzes are in full swing). An article from UPI also points out that college students workout less in college.

However, in contrast to that vantage, Lawrence Conant (author of: Tackling tech: Suggestions for the undergraduate in technical school or college) reveals that not only can one make time for exercise, but by through exercising one can become better suited to tackle a demanding schedule. This thought proposes an answer to the motivation question. An incentive to workout can be found in the respect that working out may increase one's academic performance.

Dorm Life

Shawn Roberts

Living in a college dormitory presents a completely new life experience. For many it is a nerve-wracking experience transitioning from being governed by one’s parents, to governed by one’s self. There are no more bedtimes, no more home cooked meals, no more parents to make sure all the work gets done and every class is attended. Once at college and in a dorm it’s all up to the student. Dealing with this can be tough for some, especially the homesickness and loneliness that comes with the independence.

In her article about college dorm life Christina Couch recommends three things to help one deal with these issues. Keeping in touch, getting involved, and staying busy. Keeping in touch with close friends and relatives is important because it makes it feel like there is less isolation from home. With all the technology there is today it is much easier to contact anyone on a daily basis if need be. There is no more waiting for letters, because now there are multiple instant messaging tools which are convenient for most any person. Getting involved is important because that is the only way to make friends. Homesickness and loneliness only increase if a person has no friends to talk to or even study with at college. Thirdly, staying busy is important because it keeps the mind off of being homesick. If most of the free time at college is replaced with constructive activities then the mind will not be nearly as prone to depression.

Increases In Foreign Teachers

David Diaz

An article from the New York Times entitled “Schools Look Abroad to Hire Teachers” by Sam Dillon, presents the fact that more and more schools have to hire foreign teachers to fill hard-to-staff schools such as inner city schools or very rural schools. Dillon continues to say that schools have resorted to hiring foreign teachers because it is so much easier to get a service to interview hundreds of willing applicants versus scouring the country in search of few reluctant American teachers. However Dillon says very little about why American teachers are becoming hard to find especially in more specialized subjects.

Dillon presents substantial evidence that schools are filling hard to staff schools with foreign teachers as well as difficult to teach subjects such as calculus. He also says that the numbers of foreign teachers rise rapidly every year, for example Baltimore Public Schools had 108 foreign teachers in 2005 and now they have over 600. However, according to Dillon, the number of foreign teachers is starting to fall because of sources such as Teach for America that provide American teachers to fill the teaching staff of schools. Although Dillon never asks why American teachers have become so difficult to find.

The answer likely lies in colleges, and the motives students have for attending college. Students rarely attend college for the sake of learning or for sharing knowledge with others. Students are simply interested in getting a job that they otherwise couldn’t get, such as pursuing a career in engineering, medicine, law, or business. However teachers generally tend to be the type that enjoys learning and enjoys sharing with others. Since the average college student doesn’t have these motives, students pursuing a teaching career aren’t as common as in previous years. Because America produces less teachers than it has in the past and the teachers it produces aren’t likely to teach an unwanted position when they are so valuable to any school, school systems nationwide rely upon foreign teachers to fill the teaching staff.

Dillon presents a solid article about teaching positions being filled with foreign teachers, but doesn’t offer any reason for American teachers becoming rare. The American teacher has become less common because colleges produce fewer teachers and these teachers are so valuable that they will definitely not teach an unwanted position. This means that schools have to hire foreigners who are very qualified and very eager for the opportunity to teach. However, thanks to programs such as Teach for America, American teachers are starting to again occupy hard-to-fill teaching positions.

Surviving College

Jamie Signorile

To the public, higher education is growing uncontrollably. Many experts have concentrated on observing the large amounts of students enrolling in universities. However, there is an even more important issue. In most cases attention should be given to the decreasing graduation rates, rather then the increasing enrollment.

The statistics for college graduation rates are alarming. To draw attention to one, The University of Massachusetts, Boston, has only 33 percent of their freshman graduate in six years. This is a ridiculously small amount of students. On average American universities graduate only half of their students in six years. The reasons behind these numbers are unique.

Success in college is not always dependent on the work that one does at a university, yet the preparation they have had in the past. Many students are simply not prepared for the fast pace and rigor of courses. Also, many students are just not qualified to complete college work. Those who are prepared do not have equal opportunities. According to the New York Times, about half of low income students had a H.S. GPA of 3.5 and an average SAT score of 1,200. It is obvious that these students are intelligent and can most likely succeed in college. Yet, these are the students that the N.Y. Times says are the students who did not attend the college that they could have. Many low income students who could do college work, simply cannot afford it. Some choose the lower tier schools, for various reasons, and are in an environment that has a lower standard for their graduation rates.

In addition, it seems like there are many students who simply just drop out of college. The main reason, like many things, is money. Tuition is increasing every year. It is said that 1/2 of incoming freshman borrow money to attend college. It is obvious that many students do not graduate simply because they cannot overcome the economic hurdles, while those low income students mentioned before do not even have a chance.

This is an alarming topic. It seems like there is so much hype on the statistics and numbers of incoming students, yet there has not been much alarm to the number of students who just do not make it.

“Research or no research”

Richard Zhang

Lately, there is a controversy vexing American Higher Education. “Research or no research” seems to be the issue when it comes to undergraduate education. In a recent article in the New York Times, Ron Lieber touches upon the subject. “Daniel Weiss, president of Lafayette University states ‘Our faculty must have the opportunity to revitalize their teaching through research. If you’re teaching the same old course the same old way every year, you’re not keeping up with the discipline and not able to animate your own teaching with that experience.’ However, scholars like Burton Weisbrod beg to differ ‘Am I, for example, as a tenured professor or any tenured faculty member necessarily, or even probably, a better undergraduate teacher because I am doing research?’”

During class last week, the same question of “Research or no research” arose. After spending an hour debating and discussing on the topic, we came to a general conclusion. The conclusion that we came to was research does not necessarily make a professor a better undergraduate teacher; however, it is still unclear whether research actually make a professor a better teacher.

Even so, research is still an important part of an education institution especially an institution that specializes in engineering like Georgia Tech. Most of the engineering majors require extensive lab work and research. How can a Bio-Medical student learn anything if there is only textbooks? These students need a role model who has actually gone through what they will be going through. Institutions such as Georgia Tech pride itself on its research programs and facilities. Research not only tests the professor’s resolve but also the professor’s capabilities. Ultimately, research and university go hand in hand. Therefore, the answer to the question of “research or no research” should be research.

GPA vs. School Prestige

Shawn Roberts

An issue that many students face when considering what institution of higher learning they want to attend is the prestige of a school versus how hard it would be to obtain high grades at a school. Some say that higher grades are more important because that’s what employers look at first; however, I believe that it is prestige that wins this battle.

The truth is, there are many employers who do not even look at GPA when considering whether to hire one for a job or not. While searching for sample job applications I found out that a large number of employers only ask for the graduation date, university attended, and degree/diploma. This is a big indicator that what is most important in getting one’s dream job is the prestige of the school that they graduated from. An employer knows, just like everyone else, that if someone graduated from Harvard medical school they have the knowledge and understanding to do the job requested. The prestige of a school one attends also shows that person has the desire to learn. They put themselves in an environment where there were high expectations so they could better themselves instead of taking the easy way out and attending a community college where they could easily ace all classes. Another thing it says about a person is that they must have received high test scores or grades at an earlier time in their life in order to be accepted to a prestigious institution.

Proponents of a high GPA might say that receiving high grades shows the work ethic of someone and that if someone receives low grades they do not work hard. In actuality this is completely wrong. Someone receiving high marks could very well be receiving them because the courses they are taking are not challenging enough and they’re not learning a lot. Someone who receives less than stellar grades may be in a class where working hard is expected and the course is much more demanding. In the end does it not all come down to who is more qualified for the job?

Eight Years Ago...

Hunter Hammond
For the past eight years, efforts have been taken to heal the wounds inflicted upon our nation; memorials have been held, eulogies given, monuments erected, sympathy shared, empathy radiated, and love bestowed. It has been eight years since the planes crashed into the twin towers and the wounds still sting.

In April, a piece of legislation drafted by congress was signed by President Obama to make 9/11 a day of national service and remembrance. This bill indicates that our national leaders believe that 9/11 should never be forgotten; however, this may not be a plausible hope. This is brought into perspective by viewing higher education and the students who are a part of it. For the students presently enrolled in college, the memories of that tragic Tuesday morning are still present; however, upcoming students will not share the same firsthand experience.

U.S. News and World Report and the Gainesville Press published two articles referring to the fact that students will soon be void of any memories pertaining to 9/11. The articles delve into the possibility of forgetting what happened on 9/11. Professors cited in the articles express that it would be difficult trying to impress the importance of 9/11 upon students who did not personally experience what happened.


9/11 is now a national day of service and remembrance; however, many up and coming college students will not know firsthand what truly occurred. U.S. News and World Report goes on to report that courses should be developed to teach middle school and high school students about 9/11 so that they may be able to empathize with students who did witness the tragedy. The program was designed so that student WILL never truly forget 9/11. When these students enter college, it is expected that they are fully aware and informed of what happened on 9/11.

Should we HAVE to go?

Brandon Carter

While some research has been conducted to show that mandatory attendance of college classes can lead to better grades, much of this research was done in a narrow rang of majors. They don’t take into consideration all of the classes that are offered and so they have no definite way of knowing whether or not it improves students grades. Some classes that have a mandatory attendance policy are the ones that require the least student participation. If a student doesn’t want to be in a class they are less likely to pay attention to what the professor is teaching. . If a professor does require attendance, it’s could be because nobody would want to come to class otherwise.

While sometimes classes have to have mandatory attendance, good professors don’t always have to require attendance. They can organize their courses in a way that makes it obvious that a lack of attendance will severely harm performances on tests and papers. When students realize that if they don’t come their grade will suffer they are more likely to want to be there in order to get a better overall grade. On the other hand, when required to come to class students are likely to do one of two things, either skip class altogether just because they can or they show up and aren’t as invested in class as someone who wants to be there. If someone shows up because they actually want to learn or to pass the class they might have a more vested interest than say, someone who shows up because they have to keep their seat occupied. Mandatory attendance may not always improve student’s grades.

Reasons For Increasing Tuition

David Diaz

An article by the New York Times entitled "Why College Costs Rise Even in Recession" by Ron Lieber, gives several reasons for the constant increase in college tuition every year, however he focuses mostly on how to lower tuition costs and less on how tuition costs have actually increased. Lieber suggests several college practices that cause an increase in tuition. These include teachers spending too little time teaching, unnecessary departments, and too many administrative workers. Although, Lieber does not take into account the basic needs of a college such as technology, maintenance, student services, and the effects of inflation on these factors.

According to Lieber, college tuition constantly increases due to several avoidable factors. First, colleges today spend tons of money to fund departments that are costly and unnecessary, for example piano classes that require costly pianos and regular maintenance. Second, colleges today have a habit of hiring too many administrative people. Lafayette College, according to Lieber, actually spends more money on nonfaculty staff then it does on teachers. This makes no sense when one considers that a college is first and foremost a school and not a place for countless and random administrative positions. These are two reasons given by Lieber on the excessive cost of tuition and methods that may lower it, but what about the unavoidable factors?

Although Lieber makes a strong argument and presents insightful solutions, he has failed to recognize the unavoidable. Colleges in this day and age are expected to have the latest and greatest in faculty, textbooks, and technology. The latter two require maintenance and departments that work constantly to provide that maintenance. Also, college must have living quarters that require cleaning, dining facilities that require cooks, and many other services each requiring their own set of dedicated workers. Finally, with the rise of inflation over the past years, all of these services are becoming more expensive to provide. This causes an unavoidable increase in college spending and they pass the expense onto the students via tuition. Even though Lieber does make a great point that colleges can do a lot to lower the cost of tuition for their students, he does not say that due to the increased expectancy of the services colleges should provide and the increase in expense to provide these services some of the cost is necessary and unavoidable.

The Rise of the Electronic Book

Jamie Signorile

One of the major parts in the cost of college is textbooks. Many students hate having to spend so much money on books necessary for certain courses. However, there is a up and coming alternative, the e-Book. Electronic books, in some instances, can be a great economic and environmental alternative for students who are trying to avoid the high costs of textbooks.

The National Association of College Stores reports that, on average, students spend $750 a year for textbooks. This is obviously a ridiculous amount. Yet, many companies are publishing their texts online for students. One company, CourseSmart, has added over 7,000 titles. This is a huge amount of online text. Electronic books are much cheaper for students. The publisher is able to post one text online and have thousands of copies administered to buyers, without the cost of producing the physical text. This allows for low prices, and happy students. This also ends the hassle of selling back books, considering, most e-book files last a certain amount of days to ensure there is no chance in reselling or reuse.

Technology has advanced to a point where the need for physical text is decreasing rapidly. Students can access their e-books from anywhere. Any technology that has access to the internet can log on and show the text. This makes it extremely easy for students to access from virtually anywhere. This advancement in technology has also increased the chances for more environmental efficiency. Less books means less money wasted on tons of paper. Most universities, like Georgia Tech, have transferred many of their course materials to the internet. Many students can pay a publisher that grants them access to an e-book and a portal that has all course homework and activities. This is the link to a website that I frequently use to complete my economics work. This site has a broad range of courses, that a student signs up for. They pay one price that allows them to connect to all of the resources they need to complete work in their courses. This usually includes access to the e-book of the designated text for the course.

Electronic books are truly revolutionizing the way we learn and process information. This will hopefully prove to be both environmentally and economically beneficial for both students and universities.

Professors and Economy

Richard Zhang

After students cope with their financial hardships, they are looking forward to a great year with expanding their knowledge, gaining the freshmen 15, and going to their first frat party. However, their eagerness came to an end when the professors walked out on them. The Associate Press reports Oakland University, located in Michigan, closed indefinitely due to the freezing of the university professors’ salaries. Unless the school officials come to an agreement with the professors’ union, 18,000 students will be without an education that they paid for. The strike comes after a recent $100,000 raise of the university president. All talks for a new contract with the professors broke down, and 450 faculty members walked out.

(image from Associated Press)


As the cost of attending a university continues to rise in this sluggish economy, students and teachers are at their limits of tolerance. They understand that the economy is very weak and everyone has to make sacrifices. But, there is only so much they can take. School officials must realize that there is always a limit to how much they can cut. Obviously, freezing professors’ salary isn’t the way to go, especially after they raised the president’s salary. In this economy, the goal is to do anything to survive. In order to survive, the institution must become one, rather than bickering amongst themselves and fail. The president and the school board is at fault on this issue. the school board should have made freezing professors' salary a last resort. The school board should apologize and resume school as soon as possible so that the students can do what they paid for.

The SAT: Keep it or Leave it?

According to the College Board, in 2009 more than 1.5 million students took the SAT. At this point in time, the SAT has been recognized as a standardized test that was designed to tell how well a student is prepared for college. With this is mind it has been a major factor in college admissions. However, Is this test really a true representation of intelligence and preparedness for higher education?

College students have already past the point in their life where all they thought about was the dreaded SAT. Now there is countless arguments that the system in place is just not fair. To prepare for this test, students need countless hours of studying. Many seek out outside help, such as tutoring or extended classes that help them prepare for the test. Yet, what if a family can not afford extra help? A student can score lower on the test because he did not have the same resources available to him like others. Principal Shawn Toler agrees when he notes that the test is unfair for students, such as inner city minorities, who simply cannot afford test preparation. The test is also noted to be biased against students who's first language might not be english. Even if there was no chance of the system being unfair, it is difficult to understand how just one test can decide success in higher education.

Colleges and Universities are responding to this debate. For example, many schools have not even considered including the writing section of the SAT in their admissions requirements. Also, every year there continue to be more and more schools that do not even require standardized testing to admit students. One website, www.fairtest.org, has kept a running list of colleges and universities that are on their side. The schools listed do not used standardized tests as a means of admission into their Bachelor Degree programs. Only time will tell if the SAT can keep its status that it has held since its inception.

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Professional degree?

Shawn Roberts

The majority of informed people in the world know that with a better degree comes a better salary. However, is it really worth putting in the years of work or pay the monumental costs of obtaining the more prestigious degrees? To find out there has to be some number crunching. For starters the average yearly earnings of a bachelor’s, master’s, and professional’s degree are $43,000, $53,000, and $70,000 respectively. The difference in these salaries is considerable but so is the amount that it costs to obtain them.

The average cost of a four year institution is $15,665. The average cost of graduate school to get a master’s degree is $14,825 while the average cost of a professional program is $20,903. This means that the cost of a Bachelor’s degree is $62,660, $92,310 for a master’s, and a staggering $146,272 for a professional degree. The next thing we can now calculate is that it takes almost one and a half years to pay off a bachelor’s degree, almost two years to pay off a master’s, and a little over two to pay off the funds for a professional degree. The high salary of a professional degree then quickly surpasses that of the other two. Within 18 years after graduating from high school the net profit of a person with a professional degree is greater than that of a person with a bachelor’s degree and a person with a master’s degree. Therefore and in conclusion, if a person plans on working past the age of 36 it is in their best interest to spend the extra time and money to obtain a professional degree.

http://www.salary.com/
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/

To Sleep...or Not to Sleep? That is the Question!

Hunter Hammond


According to sources at Associated Content, an ever growing number of people throughout America LOVE sleep! Specifically, the article focuses on college students and their love of sleep; however, the article also addresses students incapability to sleep. Late night parties, all night study sessions, and late night meals are all factors which compromise students ability to get a good night sleep.

Furthermore, studies have shown that these college students perform worse and pay attention less than students who get a full night of sleep. USA Today reported on several case studies ranging from St. Lawrence University in New York to Stanford in California that found that "all-nighters" and atypical sleeping patterns keep students awake at night. This can have a negative impact on many students' daily lives.

Science Daily reported that a large percentage of undergraduate and graduate students are adversely affected by unfavorable sleeping patterns; however, the reasons behind harmful sleep patterns are often self imposed. Students can control if, and when, they sleep! This assumed truth introduces the question: To sleep...or not to sleep?



It is true that a lack of sleep has an adverse effect on the body and the mind of most people, specifically college students; however, do the benefits of not sleeping outweigh the consequences? For example, if something highly memorable happened on a particular night, then many students would choose the memory over the negative consequences. By not sleeping the student might not perform well the next day; however, he (or she) will have an interesting story to tell.

Furthermore, it can be argued that not sleeping is all part of the experience. All nighters, parties, time for friends, late night dinners, and so on are all components of a college experience. Even though studies may find that students LOVE sleep and that sleep is good for your health, many students will choose to opt out of those benefits in an attempt to have a fun and enriched experience while at college.

The Great Transition

Brandon Carter

Getting ready to leave for college is not one of the easiest things to do. Can colleges do something to help? The transition from home life to college life can be quite difficult. One of the hardest parts of the transition is the separation from friends and family. Leaving behind people you have grown up with and shared so much with is not something a lot of people want to do. As stated by Dr. Jennifer Crissman Ishler, an assistant professor of counselor education at Pennsylvania State University, "Part of the adjustment process for first-year students involves grieving the loss of precollege friendships as they have known.” When finally leaving for college, saying goodbye becomes that much more difficult for a few. Some may not find it as hard to leave because they attend a college that is near their home town, while others find it much more difficult because they live several hours away. One could say that visiting friends on the weekends or every few weekends is a remedy to the problem and that there is no real reason to feel stressed about leaving friends behind. The truth of the mater is just knowing that it might be a few months before you see them again makes it harder to deal with.

In addition to affecting how students feel the difficulty of trying to maintain precollege friendships may affect student’s grades and future friendships. According to Dr. Crissman Ishler - many students who felt separation anxiety spent a lot of time and energy trying to maintain ties with old buddies -- which in turn prevented them from investing in new friendships at college. Dr. Crissman Ishler believes it is important for colleges to get involved in the transition process. With activities such as orientation and freshman seminars, colleges are starting to get involved in the process of students transition.

economics and college

Richard Zhang

As times gets tough, colleges turn to sponsors? According to NYTimes, one public college in California is turning to sponsors due to budget cuts. Even though, the college has cut many classes in its curriculum and raised its tuition, there is still a significant budget gap. US News reports that there is another reason that colleges are feeling overwhelmed. More and more students are applying for college and there are simply not enough seats for them in this economy. As more and more students are seeking higher educations, there isn’t enough financial aid to go around. Why are there such a high number of students searching for financial aid? Due to the recession, many college saving accounts has lost a good portion. Furthermore, colleges have raised their tuition to deal with the budget and endowment cuts. This is affecting under privileged students, especially students who come from financially difficult background. Yet, these students are hit the hardest in this economy. These students depend heavily on the scholarships, grants, and loans. With these financial options cut, these students are feeling the full blunt of this economic recession. Even students with wealthier background are feeling the pinch. Many applied to state schools in order to make college more affordable. Most families cannot afford to keep their children in college for five years. Even so, a lot of high school graduates are going to continue their education because they cannot find any work after high school. As the economy continue to slum, college students are adapting to a more career concentrated college years.

The Distribution Credit System

David Diaz

According to “The State of General Education” by Mark Bauerlein, universities are using a system of distribution credits to give students a wide area of subjects to study. This poses a problem in that students are taking courses that they don’t need to get their specialized college degree. According to Baurelein students view these required courses as, “a bunch of heterogeneous hoops to pass through.” Also, the distribution system creates the possibility that students can acquire an education of random courses that don’t relate to one another at all versus a strong set of courses in which each builds on the others. So why is it that colleges have adapted a system of distribution credits over the traditional core curriculum system which entails fewer classes with a broader focus?

Bauerlein answers this question by saying that “One, students like having more choice. Two, faculty either don’t believe in, or are scared to declare, what every graduate should have read, studied, and remembered. For all too many of them, the worst trait is “prescriptive.” Although, there is a lot of truth to that statement, I have an alternate theory. Money is the motivating factor behind the distribution system. First, as Baurelein stated, the distribution system provides more classes which draws in more students, which brings in more money. Second, the distribution system complicates the required classes for a degree. This means that students who want to take the minimum amount of courses to get a degree have to stay longer and complete all or their distribution credits. On the other hand, students who attend college for the sake of learning will be interested in many of the extra classes offered and will likely stay to complete as many as possible. Consequently, extra classes means a harder schedule with a lower chance of passing or an easier schedule and more time spent in college. All of the above situations have one thing in common, students spending more time in college meaning that they pay more tuition and the institute makes more money.

In conclusion, Bauerlein makes an interesting point about the curriculum of colleges becoming a system of distribution credits with very little core curriculum. He acknowledges that this system has a potential for disaster, but has been adapted for two reasons. However, the underlying reason behind those two reasons is simply that this system can rake in more money to universities.