Recently there has been a well-publicized struggle among the student body stemming from administrative decision. The argument focuses on decisions that are being made and that directly affect students without student input. But really, the issue is deeper than that.
Who is the Institute really here to serve? In theory, students are customers, paying as much as $35,000 per year, in the hope of getting an education. Therefore, it should follow that student’s opinions are important to the administration. If students are not satisfied, then they can choose to leave the school; and the administration will be in trouble if that happens.
Fortunately for them, this is very unlikely to occur, because upon entering the school as freshmen, the students are trapped. The hassles associated with transferring to another school often outweigh the benefits.
The administration of Rensselaer has exploited this situation time and time again. The new commencement policy is only the latest example. How many seniors are going to transfer or drop out because of this policy change? Probably none. It’s too late. Seniors are the perfect group of students to exploit. I am eagerly anticipating a chance to be a senior to see what will happen then.
One of the best-executed scams on campus is meal plans. All freshmen are required to spend about $4,000 for a meal plan (except for those living at home). Since meal plans are prepaid, the dining halls have no incentive to serve quality food. In fact, they make more money by serving lousy food because fewer students dining means less food that needs to be cooked. By making the last day to cancel a dining contract in August, the scam is sure to be successful.
Likewise, students pay tuition up front. As a result, student input is oftentimes trivial. The only case where the administration would care is if customers left, by dropping out or transferring to another college. Small decisions, like whether or not December graduates participate in commencement, are not likely to even be known by future customers. My suggestion is to start a protest in front of admissions. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time to face the truth—that the administration does not care about students’ opinions.
