The story of a student saddled with debt, struggling to make the minimum monthly payments, is far too common in today’s Western society, and the U offers no exceptions. And unfortunately, this sad truth will continue to apply to U students as tuition rates continue to rise. Students are being forced to take multiple jobs in order to pay for tuition, which may negatively impact their grades. With the federal government showing no signs of intervening and with the demand for scholarships outstripping the supply, addressing the debt crisis is a responsibility of the schools. Finding ways to bring tuition down and save money has almost been completely neglected by the U.
The U has engaged in massive construction projects that produce stunning buildings and add nothing to the quality of education students receive. As more money is appropriated to building concrete shells, less money is appropriated to paying teachers, meaning that new and existing faculty receive lower wages or are let go entirely. No matter how beautifully designed a building is, it does not have the ability to teach calculus or writing. That responsibility falls to the professors, and unless they have the resources to teach the material in an understandable manner, students will suffer unnecessarily. The U.S. has a history of underpaying teachers, and the U is continuing that depressing tradition despite having ample funds available to remedy the situation. This unacceptable practice is denying current and prospective students quality education and must stop.
Some students would argue that more funds should be allocated to improving campus life instead of educational quality, but that is completely incorrect. Teachers are far more important than having a beautiful campus since they give students the skills that they need to succeed in life. Teachers are training and influencing the next generation of scientists, doctors and lawyers. On the other hand, campus life has little to no impact on a student’s success later in life.
Even when the U does construct a building that adds to the quality of campus, the building is often completely unnecessary and contains services that can be found in other locations, such as a gym or running track. An excellent example of this misappropriation of resources is the newly constructed Student Life Center.
Although the Student Life Center is nice, the vast majority of activities offered, such as running and swimming, can be offered through other organizations without needing a separate $3 million housing center. For example, we have a large public swimming pool with diving boards, the Steiner Aquatic Center, located five minutes away from campus. Even if students attended Steiner Aquatic Center every day they would be hard-pressed to spend the same amount of money that they’re paying for the new Student Life Center, especially since the entrance fee for the aquatic center is a scant $2. Even if students did manage to spend an equal amount, the university could easily fix the financial hiccup by working out a deal with the Steiner Aquatic Center that resulted in savings for students. The convenience of the facility does not justify the corresponding increase in tuition. It also forces students who don’t use the Student Life Center to pay for the construction of the facility and reduces the amount of money available to pay professors. If a project fails this criteria it should not be pursued at all because it does not add to the campus in any truly meaningful way. The U also had a previously existing sports and exercise facility that sufficiently served students’ needs that was ignored when the decision was made to create a new facility.
The cost of the U’s refusal to curb the construction of new facilities is being felt by students who attend the university everyday. This is forcing students to pay more, settle for lower-quality professors and accumulate more student debt. If the U was truly concerned with providing students quality education it would halt the construction craze and divert almost all its resources to hiring good teachers. Unfortunately, judging by the amount of construction that is going on around campus, that dream is not going to be realized anytime soon.