$200: the final straw for this Gopher alum & lifelong fan

[GopherTheJugular]

If you ever really want to get pissed, look at the "student services fee." It's like $550+ on top of tuition. When I worked in a role that supported students, I fucking hated talking about that fee and I was always up front in my feelings on it.

The core principle of our society is making taking money above all else.

At least in terms of the student services fee and other things the kids are paying for, I fixed your sentence for you. The U isn't "making money" they are "taking money".

Making money comes from putting out a product or service people will pay for willingly. This isn't that.

 

[upnorthkid]

At least in terms of the student services fee and other things the kids are paying for, I fixed your sentence for you. The U isn't "making money" they are "taking money".

Making money comes from putting out a product or service people will pay for willingly. This isn't that.

On a technicality, they are making it. No one is forcing anyone to go to the U. They’re then spending that money on athletes but the service the U is offering, people are willing to pay. We’ll see if it affects enrollment or not, but I doubt it in any real capacity that won’t be within the standard error

 

[Mr. 131]

At least in terms of the student services fee and other things the kids are paying for, I fixed your sentence for you. The U isn't "making money" they are "taking money".

Making money comes from putting out a product or service people will pay for willingly. This isn't that.

Strange semantics, and by your own logic this is incorrect. The product (a degree), and the service (education) is provided to those who willingly enroll and will pay either via massive loans, subsidies, or straight cold cash.

Either way, my core sentiment is that higher ed, much like every other industry in our society, is built on wealth accumulation above all else.

 

[FinnGopher]

And that is why I moved from PA to FL...and would never return to MN...beach life!

So you're living life with the toothless...

 

[Dave H]

$200 is not a lot of money for me now. When I was in college, $200 was more than I had in my bank account at the end of freshman and junior year.

Yes but it isn't like you have to write the U a check for the $200. Its a line item on an already ridiculous bill that I bet you never read while you were there. (I only did when their clerical error screwed up my financing and forced me out of school) $200 won't even register as a noticeable change when they pay the bill.

Look I find it ridiculous they are charging fees but the people getting apoplectic about it like the U is holding a gun to students and emptying their wallets is hilarious. If the U wasn't forced to be public about their fees (which make no mistake I am 100% glad they are!) no one would even make a stink cause no one would notice. That doesn't make it right, but it is not worth the vitriol it is getting either.

Plus it just seems weird to me that people seem ok with the idea of cutting non-revenue sports to support Football and Basketball but this is a bridge too far. I guess screwing over some students is ok and in their case it is for way more than $200.

It is bad enough they expect us to pay athletes through NIL...but fees like this are only the beginning. It is only going to get worse.

 

[Dave H]

They may be paying it out of their pocket. Every penny I paid for my education came out of my own pocket, not my parents. I worked a minimum of 20 hour weeks while doing 16 plus credits per semester. I would have resented paying another kids beer money while I worked just to try attend.

And you knew every line item in the bill you paid if the bill went up a bit?

 

[Dave H]

From whose pocket cometh loan payments?

And I don't disagree that there is horrific bloat in higher ed. I've seen statistics that show that while academic faculty suites have remained relatively static, administration growth has been almost exponential, similar to to health care, where patient care is the equivalent to static academic programs while administration has grown. If we were in the OT forum, I'd point out the common link.

Back on topic, though. I guess I don't see rampant waste as an excuse to condone any fractional part of that waste.

Its not condoning...I dont think any of us like this in any way. Its just not the problem people are making it out to be either. Where is all this discussion for the housing costs at the U for students? How about the price of books? ($200 didn't cover that in 1998) There are a much bigger fiscal issues than a fee no one would even notice if they weren't told about it.

All we hear on boards like this is that high end athletics are important to schools (to some more important than academics) well someone has to pay the tab. [sarcasm coming] Students should consider the privilege they have being able to go to a Big Ten University and be willing to sacrifice a few extra shekels for it.

(there is some irony in here that now many in the "The Academics Are Trying to Destroy College Sports" crowd now seem to care about how the U is an Academic Institution first.)

 

[Dave H]

At least in terms of the student services fee and other things the kids are paying for, I fixed your sentence for you. The U isn't "making money" they are "taking money".

Making money comes from putting out a product or service people will pay for willingly. This isn't that.

So college education and athletics is not a product or service people are paying for? Ooof you might want to reword that.

 

[Goldmember]

The colleges are greedy they said. The NCAA makes all the money and the athletes get none of it they said.