Page 113 - Crisis in Higher Education

Understanding the Root Causes • 85

4.9 HOW EXPANDING STUDENT EXPECTATIONS (ROOT
CAUSE 7) AFFECT THE UNDERLYING PROBLEMS

Without concluding whether it is good or bad, part of the reason that
higher education costs more today is the high expectations among stu-
dents, which were caused, in part, by better living standards across
the United States. In the 1960s, dormitories tended not to have air
conditioning, and women were not allowed in men’s dormitories and
vice versa. The only phone was the pay phone in the hall that cost a
nickel to use; the toilets and showers were down the hall and shared
by 30 people; and dining was worse than hospital food and limited
to traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours. There was one TV
for the entire dorm, and it was located in the basement and usually
did not work. The bunk beds were uncomfortable and the furnishing
stark. There were no significant recreation facilities save for a couple of
tennis courts, two or three pool tables in the student union, and a six-
lane bowling alley that was always crowded. This seemed like utopia to
a recent high school graduate who shared a room in his or her parent’s
home with one or two siblings and shared a phone with the entire fam-
ily. If he or she was lucky, there was an extension in the basement for
privacy. A car was out of the question. A trip home meant hitchhiking,
a bus or train ride, or a parent coming to get the student. Today, this
would not pass muster.
For most students, smartphones, tablet devices or computers, pri-
vacy, entertainment, organic and GMO-free foods, and vacations are
important. Some part of these expectations is the result of better liv-
ing standards and smaller families than two or three generations ago.
Universities did not create these expectations, but they have responded
with enticements to recruit students. Universities are investing in sports
teams and their practice and playing facilities, palatial new buildings,
elegant dining options and dormitories, fancy student unions, and rec-
reational facilities that rival country clubs. Usually, students pay for
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part of the sports teams, which are important to alumni and commu-
nities, as well as for student unions and recreational facilities through
their student activity fee. It is unclear how much value these activities
deliver to students. They also pay for dining facilities and dormitories
through usage fees.