VCU balances responsibilities to students well

Shane Wade
Opinion Editor

What first brought you here to VCU?

Was it our diverse population of students and faculty? Our highly acclaimed arts program? Our strong commitment to academics and student success?

Or was it something more tangible, like the impressive Cary Street Gym facilities, promising upcoming construction projects, the open city campus, our athletic programs and recreational opportunities?

According to the latest paper by the National Bureau of Economic Research, it might be the latter.

The paper, titled “College as Country Club: Do Colleges Cater to Students’ Preferences for Consumption,” by University of Michigan professors Brian Jacob, Brian McCall and Kevin Stange, found that “most students do appear to value college consumption amenities, including spending on student activities, sports and dormitories.”

Schools that pander to the vast base of incoming students by investing in these auxiliary expenses (excluding the necessity of dormitories) can remain competitive while attracting a higher applicant pool. If these schools are among the less selective, the study finds, their focus on amenities enables them to attract wealthier, less academically inclined students.

Almost like a country club.

But they shouldn’t be persecuted; increased demand, higher labor cost and cuts from federal and state governments have made this a viable, lucrative option. Furthermore, Hollywood has successfully branded college as less of a studious, educational experience and into more of an extension of high school. That image has been successfully sold to high school students to the tune of multi-million dollars.

Now, universities have responded by playing on that image, sending potential applicants colorful advertisements of college students playing sports, swimming in pools and generally relaxing.

That’s not to say college should be a rigid, spartan environment. It’s important to make it a comfortable, inviting living environment, but it’s equally important to know the distinction. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, but sloppy work and excess play makes Jack an unmarketable loser.

Instead of telling students that college is fun, universities need to instead send the message that college can be fun.

Even if college-bound high school seniors and current college students lobby for more luxurious residence halls and booming recreational centers, administrations should be prioritizing their focus, whether that be educating students or helping them become marketable adults. The wants of a crowd, no matter how alluring the payoff, should not be taken as a mandate.

VCU’s administration has done a masterful job in accomplishing that task by pairing luxury with purpose. The upcoming residence hall plans include meditation rooms, lounges and game rooms, but with the ratio in favor of functional study spaces. However many game rooms there are in West Grace South, there are three times as many study lounges. A similer ratio is reflected  in the university’s budget plans; while just over $500,000 was budgeted for educational and general use in the 2011-2012 budget, only about $105,000 was budgeted for auxiliary enterprise.

It should also be noted, however, that VCU isn’t completely immune to the “country club” effect. The same plan shows that the 2012-2013 budget decreases the amount shelved for educational and general use to around $480,000, while increasing the auxiliary budget to almost $116,000.

Homecoming concerts, basketball games and large equipment banks are nice, but we too often forget the purpose of our time here. The success of the self-entitlement ethos is a fast-reacting poison, beginning with jokes on Twitter about turning in assignments late and ending with a 2.0 GPA and a long overdue talk with your parents. We’ve managed to balance responsibility and relaxation well, but we should be wary of inviting students by using less-than truthful advertisements.

University life is first and foremost academic, but has a high potential to be fun. That sentiment must be echoed more strongly now than at any other time, with our campus fresh from Homecoming and Open House and preparing to welcome swarms of high-school seniors whose heads are full of misplaced expectations.