1912–13 Volume 37 No 1–5 - Phi Delta Theta Scroll Archive

422 THE SCROLLTHE EXPENSES OP A COLLEGE COURSETo increase Cornell's income by about $22,000, and thus virtually to cover theannual deficit, the trustees have decided to raise the tuition in arts and sciencesand in law from $100 to $125, and in the summer session from $30 to $40,and to increase annual fees in Sibley and civil engineering to $25. This changeis to take effect in 1914-15. The following is clipped from the Boston Transcript:Cornell's sudden discovery that the college expenses of the student of today are32 per cent more than those of the student of sixteen yedrs ago has promoted anation-wide inquiry into the pleasant field of the cost of college living. This mquiryhas had some interesting results, has disclosed that in nearly every institution theprice of tuition has steadily risen—on an average of 40 per cent—and that Cornell'sfigures are neither peculiar to herself nor exaggerated. In fact, the statement ismade by at least two colleges that it req_uires fully 50 per cent more money to passcomfortably through college today than it required in 1892.Thus does this business of higher education take from the people's pockets a continuallygrowing amount of wealth. And the advance is not only absolute but reactive.The old economic theory of "the greater the demand the higher the price"finds its academic counterpart in "the more students, the greater the cost to each."For years and years, for centuries in fact, it has been impressed upon a slowlearningpeople that the 'tuition fee does not begin to represent the amount of moneythat the college expends in the education of the individual student, the annual loss tothe institution in each case running from $200 to $400. Now it becomes someone's duty to lay public stress upon the self-evident fact that the greater the enrollmentthe greater the college's annual loss. So common is the impression that increasedbusiness means increased profits and theoretically lower prices that the differencebetween the academic mill and the industrial mill must be clearly set forth. Otherwisecampaigns for larger endowment and advances in tuition will, find little popularsupport.A club has been formed by Cornell undergraduates who are dependent upontheir own efforts to pay their way through college. The membership isrestricted to juniors and seniors who have demonstrated their independence bycompleting at least two years of the university course entirely by their ownwork. The organizers believe that through the club the members can helpone another and give help to self-supporting freshmen and sophomores. Thefollowing also is clipped from the Boston Transcript:Because it follows close upon the heels of President Luther's suggestion of shortervacations in the public schools, a compilation of the number of holidays enjoyed inseven larger eastern colleges merits considerable attention. It seems that Harvard'sacademic year is the longest of all and that its recesses embrace 32.5 per centof the whole fifty-two weeks. Other institutions follow in the order named: Dartmouth,32.33; Yale, 33.15; Prmceton, 33.83; Brown, 33.97; Pennsylvania. 34.52;Columbia, 35,07. In other wor3s, the number of days ofi a year at the various collegesis as follows: Harvard, 117; Dartmouth, 118; Yale, 121; Princeton, 123; Brown,124; Pennsylvania, 126; Columoia, 128. On the face' of the returns and at firstthought it would appear that our colleges, just like our grade schools, are wasting alarge amount of time, but it must not be forgotten that college functions serve onepurpose which school vacations never serve. They give students an opportunity toearn money, and' many a man would never have been able to complete his highereducation without the financial aid rendered by his summer's labors.CARNEGIE INCREASES HIS EDUCATIONAL FUNDA gift of $1,250,000 from Andrew Carnegie, in addition to $15,000,000 previouslyreceived from him, was announced by the Carnegie Foundation for theAdvancement of Teaching, at a meeting of its executive committee on February10. The new gift has been conveyed to the Foundation as a special supplementaryfund to help it carry out the purposes of the earlier fund.Mr. Carnegie gave his earlier contribution of $15,000,000 as an endowmentfund of the Foundation, to be used as pensions for college professors of theUnited States, Canada, and Newfoundland. That gift was announced by himon April 16, 1905, but it was not until July i, 1906, that the Carnegie Foundationfor the Advancement of Teaching, which he thus established, started itswork. In the first year of its existence it spent $158,000 in pensions. Last yearthe sum thus expended had grown to $570,600, with the prospects of rapidlyincreased expenditures of fhe sort as the work of the Foundation was exteiided.For the purpose of administering the pension fund for college professors