Dipietro 1
Sophia Dipietro
Professor Henken
ENC 1102
17 February 2014
College: A Consumers Market
The article “On the Uses of Liberal Education” written by Mark Edmundson was published in
Harpers in September of 1997. This article evaluates college student’s lack of enthusiasm and motivation
towards education and claims that both students and teachers focus less on the education factor and
view college from more of a consumerist's angle. Edmundson is a highly disappointed teacher whose
claims are correct, but a college education has morphed into something different than it once was and
not all of the things he brings up are problems.
Edmundson claims that "Colleges look like retirement spreads for the young." He's not too far
off the money with this statement. When you look around a typical University Campus, you may see
things such as beautiful fountains, flawless landscaping, and marvelously designed buildings. If you were
to wander around even more you would find state of the art gyms and practice facilities for students
and athletes alike. You may even find yourself in the center of a football stadium that was worth no less
than $50 million. You could venture further to see the no less costly arena or swimming pools, or the
Student Union's; which are much like city halls where students congregate for all sorts of activities and
meetings. These campuses may appear somewhat like small cities to you with multiple brand name food
service chains, bookstores, and small businesses. Just like a city these campuses also have student body
governments, student run financial departments, and student run discipline centers. If you were there
on a busy day you would see students with backpacks all hunched over and briskly making their way to
class. Some may be riding bikes, skateboards, or scooters; and still others are stopped at certain areas
advocating what they believe in most while calling out loudly upon other students to take action, or
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handing out flyers that later get littered all over the campus. Later in the day the campus would still be
filled with students attending events put on by the school or school clubs. This seems to be no different
around the University of Central Florida. According to a small survey conducted on the UCF campus and
filled out by current students, no less than 80% of them claim to use these facilities and attend events
regularly. But these facilities spark creativity and curiosity, the gyms and exercise facilities promote
healthy living, and the rest of it is no different than the commotion of daily life. Students shouldn't go
into a shell when they attend college, but they should get to experience the world as it is.
One more thing he claims is, "When they get here, flattery and non-stop entertainment are
available, if that’s what they want." This holds true when comparing it to UCF and probably many other
campuses. This first week here was nothing short of a week-long festival. There were concerts or shows
every night which featured big names like Capital Cities and comedian/television host Keenan
Thompson. There is even Homecoming in which UCF hosts the largest school tradition in the United
States. It is known as Spirit Splash; an event where thousands of students gather around the symbolic
reflection pond awaiting their only opportunity to run and jump in. The students race to scoop up an
infamous rubber ducky, there is a DJ booming music, and a mile long line for t-shirts. In fall of 2013 the
school even had its own Pink party put on by Victoria's Secret with fashion models, giveaways, and much
more. These events are typical to something that would happen in the city of Orlando, Florida anyway.
The fact that students choose to attend them does not make them any less of students; and when you
are paying steep prices for tuition you expect them to be free of charge.
In 1997 he says there was "a new emphasis on group projects and computer generated
exchanges." That was true back then, and you bet your bottom that it is even truer today. Group
projects are encountered in nearly every class. Giving the students what Edmundson assumes they
want: to talk to one another. This can't be as bad as Edmundson makes it out to be. Students learn in a
think tank environment, it is just different than traditional schooling. The web based classes are a large
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part of the UCF culture and even more so, of world culture today. At UCF a program called web courses
is used to help students keep track of what is going on in their classes, to check their grades, and to
interact with teachers and other students. This is helpful for many reasons. Because of this students are
able to interact with one another at any moment in time, similar to texting or email. It would be
absolutely impossible for the teacher to have one on one time with every student. So, Webcourses is
able to help with that. The system is even more complex when you take math classes into consideration.
Here, a program called mylabsplus is meant to teach students math. The teacher takes a more laissez
faire approach and allows students to learn almost entirely from their own trial and error with help from
the teacher if they need it. This may be a different teaching style than Edmundson sees fit, but it still
gets the job done.
An article called 10 Ways Liberal Education Fails Students--and Society from Real Clear Politics,
an independent non-partisan news company that is a trusted source for news, analysis, and
commentary, backs up some of Edmundson’s claims. Particularly his claim on grade inflation. In his
article he refers to another professor at Stanford who explained grade inflation by observing that "the
Undergraduates were getting smarter every year." Concordantly, the article from Real Clear Politics
asserts that "grade inflation is widespread" Teachers often prefer to put less effort into grading and
choose to boost their students’ self-esteem by comforting them with higher marks than they deserve. A
factor to this is most likely that teachers and students approach school with a consumer’s mindset and
believe that they paid for what they are getting. But teachers, too, understand that a student’s life is not
just school. Many students work, volunteer in the community, and are responsible for many things
around campus. The grades are not lies, but Edmundson and Real Clear Politics seem to think that
teachers should be tougher graders.
A rationale as to why teachers are easier on students than they should be has been given up by
Edmundson. He says he has seen other teachers go through "hot embarrassment" at showing up to an
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empty classroom because students won't enroll in a class with a teacher they think will be too harsh.
This could be very true considering the results of the questionnaire in which 100% of students said they
look up teachers online or get second opinions before deciding their fate when enrolling. A student’s
consumerist vantage point on the whole ordeal of college is what justifies them to do so.
Higher Education facilities are run like businesses. It is a very competitive thing, to get accepted
to a University, and it is also very pricey. That makes this a consumers market. Justifying the ways in
which these Universities market themselves to students. Further justifying their marketing departments
that Edmundson so dislikes. College isn't just about academics anymore, it is entirely different. Students
look for real world experience and hands on practice for the things they will be doing in the field.
Students are able to join clubs, fraternities, sororities, and get co-ops or internships that will give them
an advantage. If they don’t, they know that they have very poor chances of getting a job that will keep
them well enough to pay off their debts and live the life they imagined before college. Being a part of
the most socially connected generation to ever walk the Earth changes the way we do things. In this job
market it is not about your grades, or even who you know, it is about who knows you. That is what
makes the other aspects of the University life equally as important as the academics.
There shouldn't be a problem with viewing college as something we buy, and therefore
possessing the right to treat it as we please because it is something we buy. A four year college degree
can cost more than the cars we drive or the houses we live in. The observations that Edmundson
presents to us are very real, and very legitimate. He is pointing out the ways in which things were
changing in 1997, and when comparing them to today’s world we can see the ways in which those
changes have fully manifested themselves.
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Works Cited
Mark, Edmundson. "On The Uses of Liberal Education." As Lite Entertainment for Bored College
Students. 09 1997: 39-45. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Berkowitz, peter. "10 Ways Liberal Education Fails Students and Society." Real Clear Politics. 02 02 2013.
Web. 25 Feb 2014.