From recreation centers to athletic programs, colleges across the nation are fighting for higher enrollment, with student services that shift the focus of college away from education, and toward leisure activities and clubs. Many argue that student activities and university facilities are an integral part of the overall college experience, but with tuition costs on the rise, students are beginning to consider the real price of some “country club,” amenities that are driving up their (or their parents’) bills.
Americans as a whole currently owe $1.2 trillion to their debtors for attending their colleges and universities. An overwhelming majority of these tuition dollars go to athletic organizations, recreation centers, and the growing salaries of administrators and professors. In fact, at public institutions, academic instruction earns a mere 28 percent of these monies. Educational institutions often mask this statistic, and information about the allocation of tuition funds can be difficult to find.
Upon searching, Janine Milan, a freshman at Shenandoah University, noted that while she was able to find, “a breakdown of the fees,” that her school carries, she could not find where these, “$15,000 of fees go, nor…how athletics, clubs, and other student organizations are funded.” This is frustrating, as students are paying big bucks, and deserve to know where their money is going.
Despite colleges’ lack of transparency, extensive searching reveals the hefty price of student services. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) reports that a mere 20 schools nationwide make a profit from their sports programs — the rest are funded by students, many of whom do not even participate in athletics.
Other amenities driving up student fees include school Jacuzzis, climbing walls, and other services that, while may make colleges more appealing to future students, put an unnecessarily larger dent in their wallets. Even Hillary Clinton criticized schools for the many facilities, encouraging colleges to “think twice about a new rec center.”
Students also pay for instructors who are not even teaching them: tenured professors on sabbatical still receive pay, and their courses, taught by graduate students or other visitors, are still charged at the full amount to students.
University research also contributes to student fees: government grants may cover only half of research costs — the rest is charged to students.
College students are torn over the value of these abundant student services. Milan enjoys the resources, not being “willing to give up…any [student resources] in order to lower the tuition cost,” as they have become, “important…to the overall culture of [her] school.” She commends her university for their scholarship awards that attempt to keep costs down, despite the many amenities.
“[School] becomes your home,” Milan says, “and many students need places to spend time or unwind during and after their instructional time.”
University of Virginia freshman Collin Goss agrees, saying, “College degrees are not only essential for today’s competitive job market, but the college experience also allow[s] you to explore your interests.”
However, although Goss supports a, “good balance between academics and student services,” he feels that even his in-state tuition price is “a bit hefty.”
It is clear that his and other American students’ tuition costs, which are 80 percent higher than a decade ago, do not pay for better instruction, but rather for amenities that can arguably take away from learning.
