I lived a short distance from the LSU campus when I worked in Baton Rouge. LSU had very cheap tuition at the time. But it was a marvel to see all the students driving late model, or new cars. You didn’t see many of the “beaters” that were common at the college I attended.
intercst
Rationing education by ability to pay? “all” the students have nice cars, because the one who would be driving beaters have been priced out of college? Interesting that the article noted the trend is most noticeable at southern universities.
Steve
I remember as an 18 year old visiting a couple of friends in their dorm rooms in Ann Arbor and in East Lansing. These rooms were not much bigger than closets,lol, and there were 2 students to a room. Decor was rummage sale chic,lol. Attended a few great parties in the East Lansing dorms.
Don’t think freshmen were “allowed” to have a car on campus ( didn’t stop some of them ).
I haven’t been back to those living areas at those large universities, but have been thru a smaller division-2 college in old hometown area, it is upscale, what would be considered “posh” by the standards we grew up with. Recreation activities like raquetball and swimming are done in high dollar modern facilities. Cafeterias are almost “fine dining”. It is no surprise that the cost of attending college has skyrocketed, it’s almost like a reality TV lifestyle at some of these places.
Watching how Whatsa Matta U keeps building new buildings, I am thinking that, with a shrinking student population, universities are competing to attract students with fancier facilities.
The “nice” dorms at Whatsa Matta U in the 70s were in Goldsworth Valley: concrete block walls, two to a room, share the bathroom with the room next door. One of the Valley dorms is now being torn down. The older dorms, built in the 50s, were torn down several years ago.
Steve
Well, they come with concierge service, no college student should be without that. #sarcasm