So there's this plan to create a "downtown" of sorts on Western's campus. If I was given the power to determine whether or not the plan made it to fruition, I'd vote no. I won't blog about it here (and bore you out of your mind, are you crazy??), but I'll certainly let someone else do it for me! :o)
Check out Ruminations from the Distant Hills.
There's a name for this. It's called "academic capitalism." It's defined by all of the activities that universities must do in order to stay afloat because the funding from the state continues to diminish. Taco Bell in your student union? Academic capitalism. Pay a fee to have your thesis bound? Academic capitalism. Research projects that have little to do with your university but interests a major grant holder? You got it. Strip Mall? Same thing.
ReplyDeleteThis will continue to happen until people realize that they must pay taxes to their state and states must fund public institutions. Stats are there, look at the NASCGLU report. Percentage of public funds to support the public universities continues to decrease.