Students do you ever feel exploited by your University ?

[MAJOR METAL]

To the fine students of www.talkbass.com do you ever feel exploited by your University ? I at times feel like I am. For example I feel the University exploits Students as cheap labor without any compensating benifits like reduced tuition or paying down of you student loans. As a Graduate Student with a college degree with about 21 Graduate credits I can only make $8 an hour working for the University Police , prior work expirence (substitute teacher public school system) and education has no bearing in the student pay. Academic exploitation some may say is just part of the game but I have some issues with Students quarterly research being utilized and directed to further the research of Professors. I can not say for certain if the research we have done that is used to further these Academics research is even cited as such.

[Bad Brains]

I like how Universities give the impression they care about your education when in reality all they care about is getting your money.

[fenderhutz]

Originally Posted by Bad Brains

I like how Universities give the impression they care about your education when in reality all they care about is getting your money.

+1

[iamlowsound]

Originally Posted by Bad Brains

I like how Universities give the impression they care about your education when in reality all they care about is getting your money.

Then you find out that the degree that you end up with is useless.

lowsound

[*smb]

Yeah I'm pretty sick of being milked for every penny. They've also totally screwed me around about my disability allowance (I'm in my third year and still yet to see anything) and are endlessly cancelling or moving classes without any notice. Meanwhile the tutors are using students on minimum wage to research stuff then setting up their own business to sell their inventions as a result of this work done on the uni's time. They'll pass anyone just to keep the money coming in. Recently they blew a very large part of a new research grant on champagne so I had a day of classes with very drunk professors. I'd leave if I knew what I'd do instead.

[Benjamin Strange]

Originally Posted by Bad Brains

I like how Universities give the impression they care about your education when in reality all they care about is getting your money.

Agreed 100%. Especially when you look at university endowments... it's sickening:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_by_endowment

[LiquidMidnight]

Excellent thread.

I'm a graduate assistant. My duties range from really mundane stuff - for exampe, I rearranged the department laptops in a cabinet a few weeks ago - to what I feel is more important stuff - for example, research and class prepping. I also work in the department office and do light administrative assistant duties. The state system of universities that my university is a part of forbids GAs to teach classes. There's something in the professors' contracts that doesn't allow students to teach classes. If I were teaching classes plus doing research, then I think I would feel exploited, since I'd essentially be doing the duties of the average professor but not getting the compensation that goes with the job description. I probably wouldn't teach anyways, because only one of my professors teaches undergraduate level classes. I don't feel exploited for what I'm doing right now, because I'm getting a full tuition waiver, plus a stipend. I'm not getting rich with the stipend, but my first paycheck was probably the biggest paycheck I've seen in the past six years since I worked in the private sector. LOL Granted, I do feel that some of my tasks are asinine, but I just view it as being paying dues. My department awards 12 assitanceships, which is pretty amazing considering that it's a Master's program, so I feel pretty fortunate.

I do work for most of my professors and department secretary, but the department chair is my official supervisor. She really makes it known to everyone that she likes the work that I do. I'm not going to put the arranging laptops on my resume or CV, but I've done tasks that I can really use as a resume-booster for the field I'm going into. Then again, I've always been an "A situation is what you make of it," type of guy.

However, I do know people who have had negative experiences with their assistanceship positions. They were exploited as a means of cheap academic labor. I've heard horror stories of students getting caught up in department politics as grad students. I think that's easier, because you're almost a part of the department as a grad student, especially if you're a GA. My biggest concern about starting grad school was whether the faculty in my department got along. Luckily, they do, so that was a big relief for me.

I was a student worker as an undergrad, and it was a really cool experience too.

[MAJOR METAL]

With the vast bureaucracy of most Universities there should be a stronger mechanism of protection for students from it. Students really need a strong advocate within process to protect them from a system that holds all the cards regarding their academic prospects at the Institution.

[MAJOR METAL]

Originally Posted by LiquidMidnight

Excellent thread.

I'm a graduate assistant. My duties range from really mundane stuff - for exampe, I rearranged the department laptops in a cabinet a few weeks ago - to what I feel is more important stuff - for example, research and class prepping. I also work in the department office and do light administrative assistant duties. The state system of universities that my university is a part of forbids GAs to teach classes. There's something in the professors' contracts that doesn't allow students to teach classes. If I were teaching classes plus doing research, then I think I would feel exploited, since I'd essentially be doing the duties of the average professor but not getting the compensation that goes with the job description. I probably wouldn't teach anyways, because only one of my professors teaches undergraduate level classes. I don't feel exploited for what I'm doing right now, because I'm getting a full tuition waiver, plus a stipend. I'm not getting rich with the stipend, but my first paycheck was probably the biggest paycheck I've seen in the past six years since I worked in the private sector. LOL Granted, I do feel that some of my tasks are asinine, but I just view it as being paying dues. My department awards 12 assitanceships, which is pretty amazing considering that it's a Master's program, so I feel pretty fortunate.

I do work for most of my professors and department secretary, but the department chair is my official supervisor. She really makes it known to everyone that she likes the work that I do. I'm not going to put the arranging laptops on my resume or CV, but I've done tasks that I can really use as a resume-booster for the field I'm going into. Then again, I've always been an "A situation is what you make of it," type of guy.

However, I do know people who have had negative experiences with their assistanceship positions. They were exploited as a means of cheap academic labor. I've heard horror stories of students getting caught up in department politics as grad students. I think that's easier, because you're almost a part of the department as a grad student, especially if you're a GA. My biggest concern about starting grad school was whether the faculty in my department got along. Luckily, they do, so that was a big relief for me.

I was a student worker as an undergrad, and it was a really cool experience too.

Glad to hear your doing well ! Whats your major ?

[i_got_a_mohawk]

They take advantage because they can (from research perspective here).

They know that students, especially grad students, are so desperate for relevant experience, that the universities don't need to pay much to keep you on. They know that there is always going to be someone willing to take minimal pay just to gain the experience. And it blows!

[20db pad]

I really think that when it comes to weddings, funerals, and college educations, it's socially acceptable to gouge those who seek these services. Doesn't make it right, but we seem to just lay down and take it.

[Baryonyx]

I think Universities are disgraceful. When I was at University they would do anything they could to cajole a few extra coins out of your pocket, but when it came to giving back, they wern't much help at all.

Now that my brother is at Uni, he feels the same. He was recently annoyed about one of his lecturers being lazy and not putting a lot of effort in, and he told the lecturer so, with a statement along the lines of "Don't act like I owe you to be here, you owe me because me and the other saps here are paying your damn wages."

I found it the same, and made it clear I didn't agree with it. The university makes out like you owe them, and you're at their beck and call, which is ridiculous.

[Armueller2001]

Yes.

One of the reasons I'm not planning on donating after graduation.

[Benjamin Strange]

If anything, I find that the current idea that college is something one must do in order to get a good job is one of the biggest scams perpetuated on the American public. People spend tens of thousands of dollars, plus four years or more of their life, to get them a piece of paper that guarantees them absolutely nothing. Worse, these universities require students to take classes which have absolutely NOTHING to do with their interests or course of study, under the auspices that they want to create "well rounded students".

This is not to say that college can't be useful. Methinks it is only truly good for those who have a clear idea of what career they want, and gear their courses accordingly.

It's especially disturbing to look at larger university endowments in relation to tuition fees. Sickening, man.

[Baryonyx]

Universites are one of the most corrupt institutions around. I hate them with a passion and I never even got my degree (which would have been worthless anyway). Luckily for me, I saw a shot at my dream job fly past me, and my aim was true!

[Eric Perry]

I agree with Universities exploiting students when possible.

I'll be going back for my Doctorate probably fall of '08, and I know there's some hard-core exploitation going on at that level. I take it for what it is, and recognize it's part of the program. My hope is to teach at the University level when I finish my Ph.D., so I'll be on the other end of that coin some day!

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Originally Posted by Eric618

I agree with Universities exploiting students when possible.

I'll be going back for my Doctorate probably fall of '08, and I know there's some hard-core exploitation going on at that level. I take it for what it is, and recognize it's part of the program. My hope is to teach at the University level when I finish my Ph.D., so I'll be on the other end of that coin some day!

Good luck with your PhD

Though trying to get a lectureship is apparently a nightmare, I do wish you the best of luck

I've been getting in about sending applications off for PhDs, it's been a bit of a pain, currently doing an MSc because I wanted a bit of buffer space to figure out what I wanted, now, at least partially because of the credit crunch, trying to get funding is even harder

[ADbassman]

Exploited by the administration of the university, perhaps, but the large majority of my teachers have a passion for their work and do deliver a quality education.

[Eric Perry]

Originally Posted by i_got_a_mohawk

Good luck with your PhD

Though trying to get a lectureship is apparently a nightmare, I do wish you the best of luck

I've been getting in about sending applications off for PhDs, it's been a bit of a pain, currently doing an MSc because I wanted a bit of buffer space to figure out what I wanted, now, at least partially because of the credit crunch, trying to get funding is even harder

Thanks! I had almost eight years off between my undergrad and my Masters, so I was pretty positive about going through with my Ph.D. I don't want to wait too long between grad and post-grad. I finished Masters in May, so it was about six months ago. I'm still in school mode, and don't want to lose that!

Credit costs aren't as bad as I initially expected. It's expensive, but cheaper than I thought. It will be roughly $800 a credit. I was afraid it would have been more along the lines of $1k / credit. My Masters was $650-ish / credit.

[getfunky]

My university now requires every commuting student to spend $500 a year on a "meal plan" which is basically a debit card only valid at on-campus restaurants. There's like six restaurants on campus, none of which I would prefer to eat at every day. Most of them are fast-food, and a few are outright disgusting.