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Let's not forget where big public universities have really been spending their (and their donors') money lately: 5. Luxury student dorms. 6. High-end gym faci

Let's not forget where big public universities have really been spending their (and their donors') money lately: 5. Luxury student dorms. 6. High-end gym facilities. 7. Junior professional sports (Bonus: pay and benefits for the athletes is peanuts.) The things I don't like about universities are the hardest to replace.

mrguyorama 8y ago
>5. Luxury student dorms. Having slept in many of those dorms, I would not call them luxurious.
sdinsn 8y ago
Luxury dorms? Which schools have that?
- stephenhuey 8y ago
  Some may not use the word luxury, but there are a few nicer ones out there. https://www.housebeautiful.com/promotions/g21086931/best-college-dorms/ https://www.housebeautiful.com/promotions/g21086931/best-col...
  - Woofles 8y ago
    I went to WashU (#1 on that list) and while the dorms were nice I wouldn't say they were "nicer than your apartment" or "luxury". The benefits that you would find that you wouldn't find at most other places are personal bathrooms (sort of... you're still sharing with other students but just not a full hall of them), tempurpedic mattresses (only in the older dorms when I was there), and maybe carpeted floors. Beyond that it's not like we got anything crazy. We had a common room that was basically a table and a few chairs to study at, one in the basement that had a few couches and a TV, and one tiny kitchen for the entire building. Just a little bit of context as far as "luxury dorms" go since I see WashU at the top of almost every list. Maybe luxury means your plumbing doesn't break when it gets cold and you don't get athlete's foot from the showers in the shared bathroom.
- kbutler 8y ago
  http://www.bestcollegevalues.org/best-college-dorms/ http://www.bestcollegevalues.org/best-college-dorms/ But they are seeing some pushback, with $1000/month price tags. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-07/texas-a-m-and-oklahoma-luxury-dorms-stumble-amid-sticker-shock https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-07/texas-a-m...
tnecniv 8y ago
> Junior professional sports (Bonus: pay and benefits for the athletes is peanuts.) While they don't get money, the athletes at top schools do get compensated in plenty of ways, including tuition, access to world class facilities, and individualized attention from coaches and staff.
- s73v3r_ 8y ago
  Until they get hurt, when they're cast aside like yesterday's trash.
- philwelch 8y ago
  And in some cases they do get money! (https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/02/25/sean-miller-deandre-ayton-arizona-ncaa-fbi-investigation https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/02/25/sean-miller...)
smelendez 8y ago
Dorms are interesting because the colleges really do have to compete with the outside real estate market (including, in some schools more than others, the student's room at their parent's house) and with each other. We've all heard stories of crumbling dorms in decades past, but it wasn't too long ago that boarding houses and cold water flats (i.e., apartments with no hot water) were reasonably common. If potential students come to visit a college and the dorms notably look bad, they might get a bad impression of the school, even subconsciously and end up going somewhere else. And if too many students decide to live off campus, it messes with student activities and general sense of school pride (which also messes with future alumni donations) and with the school's bottom line.

mrguyorama 8y ago

>5. Luxury student dorms. Having slept in many of those dorms, I would not call them luxurious.

sdinsn 8y ago

Luxury dorms? Which schools have that?

stephenhuey 8y ago
Some may not use the word luxury, but there are a few nicer ones out there. https://www.housebeautiful.com/promotions/g21086931/best-college-dorms/ https://www.housebeautiful.com/promotions/g21086931/best-col...
- Woofles 8y ago
  I went to WashU (#1 on that list) and while the dorms were nice I wouldn't say they were "nicer than your apartment" or "luxury". The benefits that you would find that you wouldn't find at most other places are personal bathrooms (sort of... you're still sharing with other students but just not a full hall of them), tempurpedic mattresses (only in the older dorms when I was there), and maybe carpeted floors. Beyond that it's not like we got anything crazy. We had a common room that was basically a table and a few chairs to study at, one in the basement that had a few couches and a TV, and one tiny kitchen for the entire building. Just a little bit of context as far as "luxury dorms" go since I see WashU at the top of almost every list. Maybe luxury means your plumbing doesn't break when it gets cold and you don't get athlete's foot from the showers in the shared bathroom.
kbutler 8y ago
http://www.bestcollegevalues.org/best-college-dorms/ http://www.bestcollegevalues.org/best-college-dorms/ But they are seeing some pushback, with $1000/month price tags. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-07/texas-a-m-and-oklahoma-luxury-dorms-stumble-amid-sticker-shock https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-07/texas-a-m...

tnecniv 8y ago

> Junior professional sports (Bonus: pay and benefits for the athletes is peanuts.) While they don't get money, the athletes at top schools do get compensated in plenty of ways, including tuition, access to world class facilities, and individualized attention from coaches and staff.

s73v3r_ 8y ago
Until they get hurt, when they're cast aside like yesterday's trash.
philwelch 8y ago
And in some cases they do get money! (https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/02/25/sean-miller-deandre-ayton-arizona-ncaa-fbi-investigation https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2018/02/25/sean-miller...)

smelendez 8y ago

Dorms are interesting because the colleges really do have to compete with the outside real estate market (including, in some schools more than others, the student's room at their parent's house) and with each other. We've all heard stories of crumbling dorms in decades past, but it wasn't too long ago that boarding houses and cold water flats (i.e., apartments with no hot water) were reasonably common. If potential students come to visit a college and the dorms notably look bad, they might get a bad impression of the school, even subconsciously and end up going somewhere else. And if too many students decide to live off campus, it messes with student activities and general sense of school pride (which also messes with future alumni donations) and with the school's bottom line.