Elite Universities Are Now Getting Hit with Yet Another Problem: Furious Parents
Photo credit : Mary Altaffer - pool / Getty Images© The Western Journal
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Parents of students at Columbia and other Ivy League colleges are demanding refunds on tuition and looking to transfer to other schools as Gaza protests continue on campuses.
The universities have locked down campuses, suspended in-person classes and threatened to pare down graduation ceremonies, leaving families questioning the value — and considerable price tag — of higher education.
The parents of pupils, including one British first-year at Columbia, are angry at the school’s handling of the protests. Some parents are calling for tuition refunds and rethinking future enrollments.
"They are not getting the education they expected and paid for," Zev Gewurz, a Boston real-estate lawyer whose daughter is a senior at New York City's Barnard College. Barnard was founded as a women’s college adjacent to Columbia University. The cost of attendance at Barnard tops $90,000
Gewurz said Barnard gave an “inadequate response” to hate speech.
“I try to tell her that this is not her fault, and that she is living in a moment in history and needs to keep her head high,” he told the Journal.
Debra Lynn Eden, whose daughter is a junior at Princeton, complained, "It's all a giant distraction to the students who are trying to complete their studies in a high-stress environment."
Christopher Rim, founder and CEO of Command Education, which helps students complete applications, said parents of Columbia and University of California - Los Angeles students are calling for refunds.
"Physically blocking their child from attending class or a lecture hall is 100 percent not what they signed up for," he said. "They are beyond upset at what's going on."
“I’ve had so many parents emailing, calling, asking me what they can do,” Rim told the London Times.
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The universities have locked down campuses, suspended in-person classes and threatened to pare down graduation ceremonies, leaving families questioning the value — and considerable price tag — of higher education.
What is happening at those schools would sure as hell have guided me when I was paying for my kids' university education.
Parents of students at Columbia and other Ivy League colleges are demanding refunds on tuition and looking to transfer to other schools as Gaza protests continue on campuses.
"They are not getting the education they expected and paid for," Zev Gewurz, a Boston real-estate lawyer whose daughter is a senior at New York City's Barnard College.
(Barnard was founded as a women’s college adjacent to Columbia University. The cost of attendance at Barnard tops $90,000).
I couldn't have afforded a tuition like that anyway.
You're an intelligent guy-- you would've probably been able to get a nice $$$ scholarship!
LOL. I was thinking about the tuition I had to cover for my kids. My son has a B.A. and a Master's degree. My daughter has a B.A. and 2 Masters' degrees. Back when I got my B.A. and LL.B. the cost was peanuts compared to today. My brother is the only one who got scholarships - he's Mensa.
So true.
I did my undergrad work at UNC Chapel Hill-- a state school. (Tuition for in state was very low-- but even for out of state (me) is was lower than some other schools. Also I got a merit scholarship from UNC.
I also applied to Duke (expensive) which was 9 miles away)but didn't get in. (They said they only would take me if I majored in engineering as they had a shortage of engineering students.
I appled to 2 schools in/near Durham as I had relatives in Durham and my parents thought they could keep an eye on me lol!
Also some courses and degrees from a few others later, but everything was so much cheaper then!
"Physically blocking their child from attending class or a lecture hall is 100 percent not what they signed up for," he said. "They are beyond upset at what's going on."
“I’ve had so many parents emailing, calling, asking me what they can do,” Rim told the London Times.
Sue!!! It's America's favourite pastime. The American lawyers should be scrambling to put together class action lawsuits. In this case it would really be "class action", because the students are missing too many classes that have been paid for.
I don't remember if I've mentioned it before here, but I had vocational counseling when I was in High School. One of their top recommendations for me? Law!
It's much more rewarding financially in America than in Canada. In America you can bring about a successful lawsuit if you pour a cup of hot coffee on your head, if you bought it from McDonalds. In Canada you'd be laughed out of court and even as a lawyer you'd be made personally liable to pay all the court costs and lawyer's fees paid by the defendant if you brought such a claim.
I was given an aptitude test later in life and it was recommended that I should have been a farmer. LOL
That says more about the state of psychological testing at the time then it says about you. (I actually ended up majoring in psych-- and did learn a lot about psychological tests.back then they were pretty inaccurate.
(I'm stil linterested in that-- for example the MBTI:
What Personality Type Are You? The MBTI ("Myers Briggs Typology Indicator") - PART I Of V
That's actually a fairly decent test (if you know how to interpret it). Lately Human Design is popular. A bit more complex but actually pretty good. (You can get some of the results for free-- then all you results,. usually at a too high fee).
I am fascinated by psychological typing systems (that's part of the reason I like Astrology-- its actually a personality typing system with 12 types: Aries, Taurus, etc.
I've also learned some Vedic (ancient Hindu system) Astrology. Its pretty good.
Yes, law can be very lucrative here.
(Actually IIRC, law firms salary for new hires isn't that great-- but as they advance the pay gets better...)
Well-- I suppose that would be the classy thing to do!
Thank God we have a great governor here in Florida that does not put up with this crap and makes sure it is quashed long before it comes close to being a problem. Too bad leftist governors have not learned these same lessons.
You are aware that peaceful protest is a constitutional right? I wouldn't be shocked at all if DuhSantis had no idea.
Is calling "death to America" peaceful?
I remember not that long ago when leftists would cry that language can be violence. I guess now they believe it depends on the words THEY use dictates what is "violence".
BTW.....show us where Desantis has stated that peaceful protests are not allowed.
Death to the Great Satan!
I believe these a legal principle* that sez that while people may have certain rights under the law (meaning the gov't must permit certain things) that does not mean the gov't can't regulate them.
*I don't remember what its called. (After all, not only am I not a lawyer but I also do not POOTV).
Of course they are entitled to their opinions! But regardless of what "leftists" say (or for that matter what "Rightists" say)--- what matters is what the Law says.
IIRC we have a lot of leeway, but the law draws the line at speech that actually advocates violence.
What about the Lesser Satan?
Does he,she,they deserve to live?
That’s up to our Arabian and university friends.
And let's not forget "Death to America!"
You are aware preventing people egress is not "peaceful protest", right? Neither is breaking windows or destroying property that isn't yours.
As it should.
The unanswered question . . . .
To be totally honest, I wasn't really expecting one.
More of a rhetorical question.
I wasn't clear in my comment, I wasn't criticizing the criticizing the question. I was just trying to point out that so far no one replied, that's all.
It's freedom of speech and Iran has been screaming it for 50 years....we're still here.
Like I said...leftists have been screaming for a couple of years now that speech can be violent. Calling for the death of America, and relatedly, the death of Americans, according to leftist standards, is violent speech.
If a conservative yelled "death to liberalism", leftists would deem that violent speech.
If you do not agree with this, then you are going against your party's mantra, and group think does not allow for that.
A suggestion: If you say "To be totally honest...." or "Honestly,...." or "To tell the truth....." once in a while, can you be believed when you DON'T say those things? LOL
Surely you don't think DeSantis is the Great Satan?
Oooops-- my bad! I', inadvertently mixing my metaphors!!!
(Actually, truth be told, I prefer my metaphors shaken, not stirred!)
I seeded that video because I remembered it from years ago-- when I found it on YouTube I was surprised to see that it was from 17 years ago!!!!
LOL.
I agree.
And I've always thought similar things-- why preface a statement by saying "to be perfectly honest" etc. When I hear that I wonder-- does the speaker think he (or she they them) feels they won't be believed?
Or maybe they are thinking of not telling the truth?
And I've always thought similar things-- why preface a statement by saying "to be perfectly honest" etc. When I hear that I wonder-- does the speaker think he (or she they them) feels they won't be believed?
Or maybe they are thinking of not telling the truth?
Here's another interesting one: I call it the "Yes, but..." (Asserting something is true--but then following with something that denies what you just said.) For example:
If someone says something like:
I'm not a racist but...
You know that what follows that will be...a racist statement!
With people like that I often wonder if they really don't know-- or are just pretending they don't know? IMO, in Desantis case when he was trying to get the nomination, was to try to "out-Trump" Trump. To mimic trump but to be that way even more than Trump.
(He probably should've just taken a puppy to a gravel pit and shot it-- that would've probably been more effective!
)
I see your point but not sure it applies to a rhetorical question.
These aren't "peaceful protests" by any stretch of the term and NOT covered by the constitution.
What is bound to hurt the universities if they don't protect the Jewish students from harm is that a lot of big donors to universities are Jewish, and they might say protect our kids from harm or you won't see another cent of my money. That actually happened at York University in Toronto, and it was the university that got hurt.
People who are in charge of universities, or any school, should be expected to make wise decisions but that is not happening and it is getting worse.