College students in Boston losing money while in the snow?
Summary: In the article Frequent snow days costing Boston students cash by Megan Raposa, there has clearly been a dreadful winter in New England. The
Boston area is home to many college and universities. While dealing with this
snow the students are beginning to realize that it is actually costing them
money to have these snow days. Students at Emerson College began to measure the
snow days while using a uncommon metric. This uncommon metric would be known as
cost of missed classes. The student newspaper at Emerson, known as, The Berkely
Beacon, established a snow calculator. Using this calculator students could
calculate how much money the missed classes were denting their bank account.
The calculator was first published as a joke, but then students became curious,
and responded quickly. The calculator stated that one missed class period can
cost between $76.33 and $152.67 and the estimated cost for the missed classes
ranges from $600 to $1600. School are providing make-up days for missed
classes. The creators of the calculator say that the point was not to point out
the lost money entirely, but to show how long and dreadful the winter was for
residents/students in Boston.
Analysis: I actually have somewhat of a personal connection
to this. My brother who graduated from college and then moved to Boston for his
job has seen these affects, mainly through his friends. He has a couple friends
who attend Harvard University and Tufts. His friend who attends Harvard has
been stuck in his dorm, missing out on his classes. While him and some of his
friends who attend graduate school in Boston have been enjoying the fun that
comes from the mass amount of snow, his friends have realized the damper it
causes on the money they spend to pay for the classes. Stress has set in from
some of them, and the material and money through their classes, that they have
missed. I believe the snow calculator was a blessing and a curse, not only so
students can keep in mind the money they have lost in the process possibly
allowing them to be a little more frugal for some time, but there can also be
the stress caused with the actual amount they have lost. It emphasized the fact
that Boston has been to hell and back due to their abundant amount of snow
piling their streets. I believe this was a great to see who something like
weather can, to some degree, affect ones education.
Discussion Questions:
Would you use the snow ccalculator?
Like Hinsdale Central, do you think these schools should set
up some sort of “emergency day?”
Wow! That's crazy that it is affecting students. They are losing money because of these snow days, when really some students want the snow days!
ReplyDeleteYes, as much as I hate the emergency days they do make a lot of sense. By using the emergency days it prevents school from going into late June. I'm sure students will appreciate it when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteI believe that schools should maybe set up some emergency days for colleges but most likely will not. You already pay to go to college and choose to attend classes so they will not add emergency days into the schedule. Also, a big part of college is independent study so teachers and other school members will rely on students to do most of the work in their dorm room if they miss class or cannot attend. It does suck that they will have to pay for the days they miss regardless if they can or cannot attend. College is expensive as is so I can understand the frustration coming from many students.
ReplyDeleteI believe that there definitely be a make up day for the missed classes. Students should not be taking a loss just because of crummy weather. Students should be able to receive the education that they are paying for.
ReplyDeleteI think that for a high school like Hinsdale Central a snow calculator would not really be a thing because this a public school where it is free to go to and the the only way you could say it is being paid is from the taxes of the taxpayers. I do believe that Hinsdale Central should be able to give their students more emergency days that they would not have to make up, being that we do live in the Chicago area where there is tons of weather that causes problems
ReplyDeleteI would maybe use the snow calculator. It would depend on the conditions and how much snow there is. I think having emergency days would be a safe idea for schools to do. Even though people do not want to go to school for that long, it would be nice for kids to have the accurate amount of school days.
ReplyDeleteI imagine this would stress college students out a lot; even their parents who could be providing money for their education. The snow calculator was a great idea because it informs these students about the amount they could potentially losing due to the weather. Colleges and universities should set up make up days because it's not fair to the students to have to lose a great deal of money from something they can't control.
ReplyDelete