Wanna Fix UNLV’s Budget Problems? Start With the Football Team
The UNLV athletics department is facing scrutiny for its pampered employees: “27 six figure earners are from the department of Intercollegiate Athletics, including 11 assistant football coaches who combined earn over $1.2 million.”
So, what is UNLV getting for its assistant football coaches? In 2009, the Rebels had a losing record of 5-7. Their all-time record is average: 205-217. Meh. Is it really worth it to pour that much money into salaries if they can’t even win? If the argument is that athletics help boost admissions, then it doesn’t seem to be working for UNLV.
Slashing the academic budget might help the school in a totally unexpected way. Let the football team become tremendous losers, and then the school will get a nerdy, cult reputation, a la Northwestern, and the school might still attract applicants. With this plan, everyone’s a winner.
As Legislature Considers Higher Education Cuts, Assembly Members Weigh In On Six Figure Salaries at UNLV [Nevada News Bureau]
Protests at UC Berkeley: Dance Party Runs Riot
The protest days returned over at the University of California Berkeley. On Thursday night, what was supposed to be a dance turned into a riot over rising fees and slashed budgets. The riot involved tipped porta-potties and a flaming Dumpster.
Some of the rioting seemed misguided. One student explained that a Subway sandwich shop sustained damage because of the proximity of another Subway: “There will be two Subways within 100 feet of each other.” Wasn’t this supposed to be about budget cuts? What did Jared do to you?
Hatred of Subway aside, this riot shows just how tense campuses have become under the budget strain. Students know that they aren’t getting their money’s worth, especially if they pay a premium for a diploma and can’t get a job with it. Unless the students are taken seriously by the administration and the legislature, these incidents will continue. Alas, violence like this means the students are less likely to be taken seriously, period.
UC Berkeley fee protest turns rowdy [SF Gate]
Late-night protest at UC Berkeley turns violent [Washington Post/AP]
Businesses banged up when UC Berkeley protest party turns violent [San Jose Mercury News]
Raising Funds for the Post Academic Life
A law school grad fed up with the lawyerly life has decided to scrounge up some escape-hatch cash by selling his diploma. If you always wanted to hang a diploma from “from one of those elitist BS institutions that accept people like George W. Bush cause their daddy donated $20 million” you can get the diploma for a song–$59,250.
How much do you think your degree might be worth if you sold it today? The Craigslist poster is selling his diploma at the degree of his student loan balance, which seems like a good place to start.
My Law Degree (Seriously) [Craigslist]
