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I wouldn't be entirely opposed to the idea of government funded tuition if the institutions weren't so horribly bloated. Even back in the early 2000's my univer

I wouldn't be entirely opposed to the idea of government funded tuition if the institutions weren't so horribly bloated. Even back in the early 2000's my university built a college football stadium, because they didn't like that the team had to use the city's stadium. Not only did they take donations and funding, but also added $600 a semester to every students' "fees" Yup, they increased tuition without increasing tuition by making every student pay an additional fee which, in my case, added roughly 10% (not to mention the other fees) to help pay for a stadium we didn't need. They literally funded the stadium in part by students taking out non-dischargable loans. Since then, administrative and real estate bloat has only gotten worse. The whole system needs a drastic re-think if it is to become a public good.

Communitivity 4y ago
You are right, just throwing money at the problem is not going to fix it. It's not a popular opinion, but I think they should just ban all college sports. Students are there to learn, not to play a a sport - and much of the abuses in the system are the result of college sports. Much of the rest of the abuses are from universities acting as for-profit organizations with their research and patents. Maybe something where students cannot graduate until they achieve a successful score on a test in their profession. Annual tuition is set by, and split among, the professors of the classes they take. A 10% overhead on the tuition would go to the school. The professors who best enabled passing the test would be able to demand the most money. I look at what I wrote and realize this is sounding like the model of Coursera, Udacity, etc.
- inetknght 4y ago
  > Students are there to learn, not to play a a sport If someone wants to go to a college to learn to play a sport then there should be a college for that sport. I think perhaps that is what's perceived to be missing. Lots of colleges have mixed curriculums. So if you go to college to major in some sport and minor in mathematics then... shouldn't the college have all of the tools to allow you to learn your major? And if you go to college to major in mathematics and minor in some sport then... shouldn't the college have all of the tools to allow you to learn your minor? Perhaps the real problem is a college that has their own tools -- their own sports complex, their own stadium, their own laboratory, their own microscopes. A college shouldn't be able to opt-out of using government-owned stadiums or government-owned laboratories. Except... how will the schedule of the college work with the public? It seems like there could be a lot of conflicting schedules and events; public stadiums need to be available to the public and not monopolized by the college. Public laboratories need to be available to the public and... wait do we even have public laboratories? There's lots of problems with our education system. This is just a symptom :)
- zdragnar 4y ago
  I believe there is a lot of value in promoting athleticism in college. A healthy mind is enhanced by a healthy lifestyle. What I don't care one bit for is the professionalization and commercialisation of collegiate athletics. It becomes a detraction, a purpose unto itself which should be made separate from the school.
secabeen 4y ago
Did the students vote for that fee? Most student facility fees are enacted by student vote, not just imposed by administrators.

Communitivity 4y ago

You are right, just throwing money at the problem is not going to fix it. It's not a popular opinion, but I think they should just ban all college sports. Students are there to learn, not to play a a sport - and much of the abuses in the system are the result of college sports. Much of the rest of the abuses are from universities acting as for-profit organizations with their research and patents. Maybe something where students cannot graduate until they achieve a successful score on a test in their profession. Annual tuition is set by, and split among, the professors of the classes they take. A 10% overhead on the tuition would go to the school. The professors who best enabled passing the test would be able to demand the most money. I look at what I wrote and realize this is sounding like the model of Coursera, Udacity, etc.

inetknght 4y ago
> Students are there to learn, not to play a a sport If someone wants to go to a college to learn to play a sport then there should be a college for that sport. I think perhaps that is what's perceived to be missing. Lots of colleges have mixed curriculums. So if you go to college to major in some sport and minor in mathematics then... shouldn't the college have all of the tools to allow you to learn your major? And if you go to college to major in mathematics and minor in some sport then... shouldn't the college have all of the tools to allow you to learn your minor? Perhaps the real problem is a college that has their own tools -- their own sports complex, their own stadium, their own laboratory, their own microscopes. A college shouldn't be able to opt-out of using government-owned stadiums or government-owned laboratories. Except... how will the schedule of the college work with the public? It seems like there could be a lot of conflicting schedules and events; public stadiums need to be available to the public and not monopolized by the college. Public laboratories need to be available to the public and... wait do we even have public laboratories? There's lots of problems with our education system. This is just a symptom :)
zdragnar 4y ago
I believe there is a lot of value in promoting athleticism in college. A healthy mind is enhanced by a healthy lifestyle. What I don't care one bit for is the professionalization and commercialisation of collegiate athletics. It becomes a detraction, a purpose unto itself which should be made separate from the school.

secabeen 4y ago

Did the students vote for that fee? Most student facility fees are enacted by student vote, not just imposed by administrators.