College Shorts

College Debt Increases to Record Numbers (Huffington Post)

Nearly one out of five households in the U.S. suffers from student debt, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. Student debt most severely affects households with incomes of less than $21,044 a year, the poorest 20 percent of American families. However, the burden of student debt is not confined to the poorest households; 31 percent of student loans are made to the wealthiest quintile of U.S. households. After graduation, many students are having difficulty finding jobs, which places the burden of debt on the families of students as their children struggle to pay off their loans with part-time jobs, or abandon the job search and enroll in grad school. Some economists warn that the ever-increasing levels of college debt in the U.S. may not stop until college enrollment reaches its maximum capacity.

 

Ohio State University President Lives to Fight another Day despite Monetary Scandals (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, now in his second term, has been accused of costing Ohio State University  $7.7 million over the past five years. Gee’s expenses have supposedly included gatherings at his house that reportedly cost $895,000 and is said to have spent $64,000 on bow-ties and bow-tie-related paraphernalia. This is not the first time Gee has weathered a scandal, having muddled through other spending inquiries, athletics controversies and rumors regarding his ex-wife’s alleged marijuana use. Occasional gaffes have led to heartfelt apologies, and some believe this tactic has allowed him to remain in office. However, university officials point out that since the beginning of his second term, he has helped raise $1.6 billion in private funds, and have come to his defense in pointing out that many of expenditures are used for fundraising and the benefit of the university.

 

3-D Printers Gain New Uses and More Popularity (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

Colleges and universities are finding new ways to use 3-D printers to enhance their curricula, which has included projects such as making replicas of fossils at Drexel University to producing real edible cookies at the University of Virginia, and a student at the University of Washington is currently researching a way to create prosthetic body parts using the technology. 3-D printers have become more prevalent and less expensive in the past few years, allowing more than just engineering students to discover their capabilities. The printers in the past have used powdered plastic to make models, but material options are expanding allowing for my widespread use. Professor Mark Ganter at the University of Washington remarked that in the future 3-D printers may become a commonplace item in homes or may be limited to special companies like Kinko’s.