Back from “vacation,” part 3: on the cost of college

Last updated on: August 3, 2014 at 10:37 pm by Jane the Actuary

Back from “vacation,” part 3: on the cost of college 2014-08-03T22:37:00-06:00 Jane the Actuary

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

My husband and I met at the University of Notre Dame, and a couple years ago, we detoured there on our way to visit my parents in the Detroit area. Lots had changed — the university, which quite readily attracts donors happy to have their names on buildings (though less willing to endow their upkeep costs), has been on a building spree lately, and has also bought up a lot of land just south of campus, which had been a fairly poor and declining area of small homes, to create a “college town”-type shopping/restaurant district that the university lacked, along with some additional housing.

But this weekend, for the first time since before the kids were born, we went back to Michigan State, where I was an undergrad.

To be sure, there weren’t the same changes as at Notre Dame. Most of the buildings were still the way they always were, though the stadium had grown, they’d gotten rid of the traffic circle, the football practice building had a shiny new atrium, and the like. But here are some of the changes, each of which points to a reason for the relentless tuition increases:

We stepped into my old dorm, and saw that the utilitarian cafeteria (a salad bar, three hot entrees and a couple side dishes, some desserts, soft-serve ice cream and cold cereal all day long, plus basic tables and chairs) was radically different, with a massively-widened variety of food choices, upscale tables and chairs, some in a coffeehouse-style, and an addition to accommodate it all — and that’s just what we could see from looking in through the glass walls.

Then we went up to my old dorm floor, 3 North Case. The first thing we saw was that all individual wings were now accessible only by keycard. (I don’t quite know the logistics of this — can you no longer visit friends without scheduling it and being met by them at the entrance to the wing? Or does a student ID provide access to any door at any dorm floor?) But the door to my old dorm wing was open — because the dorm was also the home to “James Madison College” and contained professors’ and administrators’ offices, as, in line with the general increase in staff, even though the student body hasn’t grown, this wing had been turned into professors’ offices.

And in the elevator lobby was a stack of yearbooks! There-for-the-taking yearbooks, and at the library was a shelf, marked “Yearbook – FREE” in the same way as the student paper is given away free. Now, maybe your college experience was different, but back in my day, yearbooks were available for purchase, but no one I knew bought one, and I had a general impression that it mostly featured the fraternities and sororities (though the Greek system was comparatively modest at MSU). It appears that a “free” yearbook is now yet another item that has been bundled into the tuition.

After looking around at the dorm, we did a quick circle through the center of campus. No major changes, just little things, like the fact that the intramural playing fields now included an astroturf football field.

But here’s the final, “bonus,” change: I noticed that several of the dorms (or, in one case, the central cafeteria surrounded by a dorm complex) had what was labelled an “Engagement Center,” so I looked this up on the MSU website. An Engagement Center appears to be a extensive set of student services: academic advising, extensive tutoring, a health clinic, space for student diversity groups, assistance with disability accommodations, and career advising. Now, some of this has always existed, but I don’t remember these extensive offers of tutoring, nor locating these services in every dorm grouping for “one-stop shopping.”

All of which adds up to a growing price tag. How much of the growing tuition and Room and Board bill is due to all these “enhancements,” I don’t know, but as a future tuition-paying parent, I’d much rather opt for a no-frills version.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 3, 2014

Back from "vacation," part 2: Detroit, the suburbs, and gentrification

Next Post

August 5, 2014 Has the University of Illinois gone too far?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Actuarial/Retirement Issues Politics Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 December 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 August 2021 June 2021 April 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who were the first man and woman according to Genesis?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Abram and Sarai Cain and Abel Noah and his wife Adam and Eve