In a Sept. 15 column for the Buffalo News, Charity Vogel describes "college life" as a little too comfortable nowadays. Unfortunately, Vogel, who is academic advisor to The Spectrum, did not paint an accurate picture of undergrads.
She wonders if first-class amenities such as wireless Internet in dorm rooms and private developments that offer "pools, fitness clubs and game rooms" are the reason less students are graduating in four years.
She also speculates that the college comfort factor is the reason why there are more 30-year-old men not doing the things they used to, like finding a good career, buying a house or getting married.
The truth is that college, at least at UB, is not that comfortable for most people. Students living at Sweet Home or University Apartments are not living in the lap of luxury.
They often complain that the amenities mentioned by Vogel are in need of repair. These places, they argue, cost more than sharing a bedroom and bathroom with several others in a dorm.
And if students living in private housing have something to complain about, then those living in the University Heights are that much more removed from "living in the lap of luxury."
Nowadays, a student in the Heights not only has to fear being mugged or assaulted while walking outdoors - they have to worry about their homes being burglarized or even robbed while they are inside. Perhaps even by someone wearing clown makeup and wielding a machete.
Students are not as hopeful for new upscale dining on campus than they are for a safer campus. They want eel sushi, but they will settle for security. Some would also argue against Vogel's stereotyping of raw fish - it is a better food value than the quality of food in dining halls, according to some.
And there are several major factors keeping students in school longer than four years nationwide.
One such factor is the economy. Experts say that staying in school longer is advantageous in a sluggish economy and tight job market - graduates end up with a better education that has them more prepared for the real world, and they stand a better chance of entering a healthier job market.
Another reason the five-year plan is more popular nowadays revolves around the actions of the university itself. From advisers who beg students to stay as long as they possibly can ("This is the best time in your life to be learning new things") to required classes whose prerequisites do not count towards a major, there is a lot stacked against graduating "on time."
More students are looking at minors or certifications. There are higher numbers of undergrads taking on double majors or creating one that suits them. And doesn't more education mean more knowledgeable, well-rounded people?
For every student taking an extra year because they slept in through a few classes, confident their parents' checkbooks could take the hit, there is one who will be going to every class, reading every book and studying until 3 a.m. just to get by, only to find out their senior year that there is just no way they can graduate on time.
Take, for instance, fourth-year students in the accounting program. A recent change in the program has required credits jumping from 120 to 150 hours for those who will not graduate by Aug. 2009.
That means a student who might need to stay an extra semester to finish up a few required courses could now end up stuck with two or three extra semesters.
These are the students who realize that however college life may have changed in the past few decades, the only real luxury on this campus is DC++.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
