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Raising (already record high) tuitions that have far, far outpaced wages and inflation should be a last resort. You can start by cutting bloated admin, reduce f

Raising (already record high) tuitions that have far, far outpaced wages and inflation should be a last resort. You can start by cutting bloated admin, reduce fraudulent procurement/graft (e.g. the $700k Berkeley Chancellor's fence: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/700k-iron-fence-constructed-around-uc-berkeley-chancellors-residence/ https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/700k-iron-fence-co...), vanity construction, study abroad admin budgets that dwarf actual student grants, and the executive compensation/perks by admin. And this is just mentioning a sample of admin bloat, never mind the other areas.

echelon 1y ago
This. Cut spending on admin staff and facilities. Schools do not need amenities to attract students. They need lower tuition. You could teach students out of a tent and do away with all the flashy health spas and do a better job at the core mission of empowering students. No new buildings, no land acquisitions, no taking over facilities from the state for millions of dollars. University leadership does not need to make $300k, $600k salaries. They should make what the median professor makes. Universities will tell you they need all of this to compete with other universities. So to get the ball started, tax all of this as a negative externality and give it to the universities that do not spend in this way. Or turn it into scholarships. Speaking of scholarships, stop putting a cap on admissions. Let everyone that wants to come in do so if they meet academic thresholds. Let them stay if they maintain a good GPA. And make student loan debt dischargable. That might mean not everyone qualifies for a loan, but by making the system an "infinite money glitch", universities have grown into gluttons for tuition. They've taken this "free, unlimited money" to grow to obscene proportions. It's malinvestment propped up by an artificial quirk of economics.
- thunderfork 1y ago
  I don't see how "uncap admissions" and "don't take on any new infrastructure" are compatible.
  - echelon 1y ago
    Lecture halls sit empty while universities build amenities to make college seem like a staycation. If a university truly needs more classrooms, so be it, but much of the spending is going to perks like gyms, saunas, and sports facilities.
    - whatshisface 1y ago
      If the free market says that young adults 18-24 want to spend thousands of dollars on gyms, saunas and sports facilities, why should government regulators get involved?
      - IG_Semmelweiss 1y ago
        because government regulators are backstopping the loan that young adult took for that sauna. There's no free lunch. Its not a free market when a 17yr old with zero job experience can enter loan agreements of 100k per year. And you know that's true because in any other scenario, the same 17yr old will get laughed out of any loan office. I'm not even sure a 17yr old would get a 400k bank loan if the kid showing up at the bank as the patent holder of Wegovy, for example.
        makapuf 1y ago
        That ans I'm not sure the free market could not provide private independent luxury sports amenities just next to universities if it was a real need. I'm pretty sure the free market sports places would fail fast however.
      - pixl97 1y ago
        >If the free market says The free market will gladly smash your nation into the ground and kill everyone if it's profitable enough.
        whatshisface 1y ago
        Running a gym might not be on the same level.

echelon 1y ago

This. Cut spending on admin staff and facilities. Schools do not need amenities to attract students. They need lower tuition. You could teach students out of a tent and do away with all the flashy health spas and do a better job at the core mission of empowering students. No new buildings, no land acquisitions, no taking over facilities from the state for millions of dollars. University leadership does not need to make $300k, $600k salaries. They should make what the median professor makes. Universities will tell you they need all of this to compete with other universities. So to get the ball started, tax all of this as a negative externality and give it to the universities that do not spend in this way. Or turn it into scholarships. Speaking of scholarships, stop putting a cap on admissions. Let everyone that wants to come in do so if they meet academic thresholds. Let them stay if they maintain a good GPA. And make student loan debt dischargable. That might mean not everyone qualifies for a loan, but by making the system an "infinite money glitch", universities have grown into gluttons for tuition. They've taken this "free, unlimited money" to grow to obscene proportions. It's malinvestment propped up by an artificial quirk of economics.

thunderfork 1y ago
I don't see how "uncap admissions" and "don't take on any new infrastructure" are compatible.
- echelon 1y ago
  Lecture halls sit empty while universities build amenities to make college seem like a staycation. If a university truly needs more classrooms, so be it, but much of the spending is going to perks like gyms, saunas, and sports facilities.
  - whatshisface 1y ago
    If the free market says that young adults 18-24 want to spend thousands of dollars on gyms, saunas and sports facilities, why should government regulators get involved?
    - IG_Semmelweiss 1y ago
      because government regulators are backstopping the loan that young adult took for that sauna. There's no free lunch. Its not a free market when a 17yr old with zero job experience can enter loan agreements of 100k per year. And you know that's true because in any other scenario, the same 17yr old will get laughed out of any loan office. I'm not even sure a 17yr old would get a 400k bank loan if the kid showing up at the bank as the patent holder of Wegovy, for example.
      - makapuf 1y ago
        That ans I'm not sure the free market could not provide private independent luxury sports amenities just next to universities if it was a real need. I'm pretty sure the free market sports places would fail fast however.
    - pixl97 1y ago
      >If the free market says The free market will gladly smash your nation into the ground and kill everyone if it's profitable enough.
      - whatshisface 1y ago
        Running a gym might not be on the same level.