The ice-cream truck that circles the campus doling out free frozen treats (more than 500 to choose from!) is but one example. Another is live music in the cafeteria.According to the article, the faculty received 2% bonuses and new office chairs, and so they are okay with the transformation of their university into a high class resort where the administration is obsessed with making undergrads feel special.
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The chief concierge, Leslie Smith, takes care of maintenance requests, gives restaurant recommendations, and sends out dry cleaning, among other services.
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Each undergraduate . . . receives a birthday card from the university, signed by the president, with a Starbucks gift card tucked inside. Plus balloons.
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Snack kiosks are located strategically around the campus offering free bananas, pretzels, and drinks. Gifts await students in their dorms when they return from breaks. That's on top of the gifts they receive for no reason. The university keeps track of each student's preferences (movies, candy bars, sodas, etc.) so all of them get exactly what they want.
A university that has been less successful at pleasing the undergrads is East Tennessee State University which accidentally went over budget by spending $692,000 for Carrie Underwood and the Goo Goo Dolls to play concerts at the university. Seriously, the Goo Goo Dolls. Remember how in the 90s they had those three songs that sounded all deep and dramatic and emo (when you were 15)? Then you lost track of them for the next 10 years, and it's news to you that they haven't broken up or retired? That band.
The moral of this week's Chronicle is that if you are going to blow a fuckload of money on entertainment, at least ask the students what they like first... and make sure you throw a few bucks and a chair to any professors who might think this money might somehow be better spent.
