Views On Vassar | Attending Vassar is a privilege on which we should reflect

Tendai Musakwa Opinions Editor

Rushing to classes, catching up on a reading assignment, writing a thesis, studying for a midterm, working out at the gym, dancing in The Mug, Facebooking, socializing, eating, and sleeping—these are just a few of the many activities Vassar students do on a daily basis. Having such hectic days is characteristic of the lifestyle of a Vassar student, and it is easy to forget what an honor it is to attend Vassar. Attending the College is a privilege we should reflect on, even more so as we inaugurate the 10th president of this institution. Reflecting on our advantaged status as pupils of the College is crucial if we are to make the most of our college education and be responsible global citizens in the future.

At the most fundamental level, Vassar students are privileged in getting one of the best educations one can ever hope to obtain in this country. According to New York State law, the minimum requirement to be a full-time teacher in a college is to have a bachelor’s degree with three years of experience. Vassar’s entire academic faculty has a doctorate and considerable post-doctoral experience in each of their respective fields of instruction.

Furthermore, while at other colleges undergrads are frequently taught by grad students and teacher’s assistants, all classes at Vassar are taught exclusively by faculty. In addition, the student-faculty ratio in the College is a very low 9:1 as opposed to a national average of 16:1 at other private colleges and universities (nces.ed.gov). These favorable facts and figures have assured Vassar a place in the top tier of education institutions in this country—something all students should be proud of.

Vassar continually improves its financial aid policies in an effort to accommodate more students who would have otherwise been unable to attend the College. Despite the escalating costs of providing a higher-level education, Vassar has been doing a stellar job of actually increasing the amount of financial aid given to students who are deemed qualified to attend, but cannot afford it. Vassar provides 60 percent of its students with some form of financial aid as opposed to a 40.9 percent national average in other private, four-year colleges (nces.ed.gov), another uncommon statistic that we should be proud of.

One might, however, point out that a Vassar education is still a lot more expensive than that of other colleges. This is certainly true, as a Vassar education costs $20,000 dollars more than the $24,481 average at other four-year private institutions (stats.bls.gov). However, according to research by E. Eide et al. , attending an elite, highly selective college such as Vassar dramatically increases a student’s chance of entering a top graduate school and improves income by an average of $1,000,000 in lifetime earnings, compared to high school graduates who didn’t attend college (“Does It Pay to Attend an Elite Private College? Evidence on the Effects of Undergraduate College Quality,” nersp.nerdc.ufl.edu). Therefore, the cost of attending Vassar is far less when compared with the benefits one gains from attending the College.

All these statistics tell us something which is crucially important to realize: attending Vassar is something only a very few people are able to achieve. In that simple summation lies the point: The privilege of attending one of the foremost liberal arts colleges. Unfortunately, this privilege always comes with responsibility, in our case as Vassar students, the responsibility for social change. The social change we should foster as the educated elite is the progression of human development. Development in terms of educating more people, giving free choice and the basic human rights to all. The power to do all of this lies in what we are part of now, the hectic schedules, the stress: the acquisition of wisdom.

As we inaugurate our 10th president, I urge Vassar students to recognize our privileged status. May we make the most out of the advantaged college education we receive, so that we affect social change as responsible future leaders.