Campus Leisure World

In a bizarre twist of fate, many college students may be living even better than their parents while at school. And these days schools are not only competing for students, but also for luxurious perks to lure those students, ranging from free skiing to free laundry service, free computers, and personalized birthday cakes.

Ohio University’s Richard Vedder calls it the “country-clubization of the American university,” adding that “a lot of it is for great athletic centers and spectacular student union buildings. In their zeal to get students, they are going after them on the basis of recreational amenities.” Dr. Vedder is a professor who studies the economics of higher education.

We’re not talking small potatoes here.

Case in point:: the $45 million dollar Campus Recreation Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology, described as an “architectural marvel,” used part of the 1996 Olympic Games structure, and expanded it into a 300,000 square foot, five-level facility featuring a 184-foot water slide, a three-story climbing wall, a café overlooking the leisure pool, a roller hockey rink and other amenities.

The question is, now that nearly 400 universities have completed an estimated $4.3 billion in recreational facilities over the past several years, can this kind of spending continue?

Absolutely not.

In fact, budget constraints mean that recruiting efforts are already taking a major hit.

Meanwhile, today’s graduates are also taking a hit. After four or more years of living in splendor, it all comes to an abrupt halt after graduation when their access to resort-style amenities is cut off, and they could suddenly be reduced to pounding the pavement, flipping burgers or doing street theater, saddled with up to $100,000 in debt and living in their parents’ basement.

Deborah Lambert writes the Squeaky Chalk column for Accuracy in Academia.