Students vote more money for teachers

Times Dispatch ^ | 12/5/03 | Tyler Whitley

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

College of William and Mary students have voted to put their money where their minds are.

They voted Wednesday to raise their student activity fees to try to keep three professors from leaving for higher-paying teaching jobs elsewhere.

A $5-per-student fee increase would raise $30,000 to augment the salaries of three professors, student body president Brian Cannon said yesterday. The current student activity fee is $77 per full-time student.

[Naspino]

This is hilarious. I wonder if my kid will one day vote in his 3rd grade class to raise the cost of lunch by $5 a day to keep his teacher from crying.

[anniegetyourgun]

Wow....fee for service....what a novel concept....

[Hodar]

Just one major difference. Your 3rd grade class isn't paying to go to school with THEIR money; college students are.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Do you REALLY believe that students in a private college are paying the tuition and fees with their own money?

[Blood of Tyrants]

If they don't mind just $5 more, then they won't mind just five more termites in the foundation of their house.
What damage could 5 termites do to a huge house?

[Hodar]

Do you REALLY believe that students in a private college are paying the tuition and fees with their own money?

Having gone to college, and with 3 step-kids in a private college, I can categorically state that quite a few do. There are probably a few students with rich parents, who are footing all of the bills. But by and large, from personal experience, there is a substancial number of students who finance their own way.

[helena919]

Thanks to those of you that agree with me on this! I'm a student from WM very supportive of the referendum, and I'm glad that there are a few people like you that support us, too! Really, $5 to me for three teachers, that's less than $1.75 per teacher, and only slightly less than the cost of a pizza, that I can give up easily to keep some AWESOME profs here. Whether I take their classes or not, I feel like I'm pitching in my little bit and doing what's right. Maybe Richmond will learn that cutting higher education funding just doesn't work.

And did I mention, Blood of Tyrants, that WM is a PUBLIC university? ;-)

Posted by: Christina

[maluka23]

Great Helena! Would you mind paying my 5$ fee increase because it's just slightly less than the cost of a pizza! Maybe you can pay for everyone else too. It's only a couple pizzas!

In all seriousness, the way the program stands now is in fact illegal because it's not viewpoint neutral and doesn't offer an opt out option.