Currently back at Uni for another go (sort of, it's complicated), and it's amazing to see how much the place has declined, after Covid, but even since the start of the year...
This particular Uni keeps scrapping student amenities and aspects of the student "experience", from free stuff at O Week through to removing the last remaining ATM on campus (!!), through to killing off most campus food vendors, and then, most importantly, massively reducing staffing numbers and quality, which affects everything from course offerings through to, of course, teaching quality. Hell, they've even sacked most of their "student interface" staff, which means that if we need to, say, sort out an enrolment issue, it is nearly impossible to get seen in person to have it dealt with... It's fucked.
The University in my home city (which is, for the most part, much better than the one I am currently at. Or at least it used to be) is even worse. They've unironically scrapped most of the food vendors and the University textbook shop entirely, from their main campuses, with view to forcibly closing all their main campuses in five years or so, and moving the student body into the city centre, against the wishes of students, the community, and even local businesses. But the Uni doesn't give a fuck.
What are students meant to do in the meantime? Lol, get fucked, essentially. Like, quite literally, they've hollowed out the campus, and left them with nowhere to go, and yet still the international students flood in...
I've been around these campuses, across Australia and elsewhere, for long enough now to know that this shit is not sustainable. Like, how long until (domestic) student bodies wake up and realise that they are being taken for a complete ride? Student fees haven't declined, they've only increased, as more and more facilities are scrapped, and as the teaching becomes little more than Youtube videos. And yet, because we are continually told "a degree is the only way to get a good-paying, middle class job", still the kids stream in.
I honestly just wonder how long it will be before people finally realise what a fucking Ponzi scheme this all is, if ever...
"Expensive day care for middle class adults" while also functioning as a degree mill for immigrants is a complete fucking joke, even compared to what this "system" was like a decade ago...
Of course, this varies by country, and Australia is worse than most, but the US system is at least equally fucked, if for different reasons...
Funny thing is, I have to pass two "transgender flag" road crossings, to leave the campus tonight. Because that's what this University spends money on. Rubbing that shit in your face at every possible opportunity.
Try speaking up, though? Yeah, you're gonna face some pretty severe consequences...
Lol, fuck this entire system.
Decades ago my father and I drove out-of-state to a private college campus I was applying to so that we could get the grand tour. The campus had everything students needed and more: Teaching facilities built with a semi-classical architecture, several bookstores, multiple food courts, a convenience store, laundromat, barber shop, several restaurants (and pizza delivery smartly placed across the street from the campus boundaries), and accommodations ranging from dorm rooms to student housing. All of it was in walking distance and connected with clean sidewalks lined with grass and lots of trees. By the time we left, I couldn't wait to sign up! And yes, I paid a lot of good money for the privilege; and you know what, I actually learned things because my teachers weren't woke!
If someone offered me the chance to go to a campus with almost none of those things for even higher tuition, I'd laugh in their face and walk away. And I'd tell everyone I know to do the same.