Curiosities

At a time when tuition costs are skyrocketing, for-profit universities are gaining traction, and approximately a third of U.S. students have already taken an online course, the future of higher education is unclear. March 4 - 7, RadioWest is focusing on issues facing America's colleges and of course America's students. We'll also explore innovations that are changing the way we learn.It's all part of the University of Utah Hinckley Institute of Politics' Sixteenth Annual Rocco C. and Marion S. Siciliano Forum, “Considerations on the Status of the American Society.” For details on the week's events, click here.

College and the "Party Path"

KUER 90.1 | By Doug Fabrizio

Published September 8, 2014 at 11:00 AM MDT

A troubling statistic has been making a lot of headlines recently: 20% of college women are sexually assaulted in the US. So Monday, we’re asking if there is something inherent in the structure of college life that puts students at risk. Sociologist Elizabeth Armstrong says many students think they deserve a social experience that’s more about partying than academics, and competition for tuition dollars has universities providing them with what they want over what they need. She'll join us to talk about what this means for women and men.

Elizabeth Armstrong teaches Sociology and Organizational Studies at the University of Michigan. She's co-author of the book Paying for the Party: How College Maintains Inequality [Indiebound|Amazon]
Also mentioned: Amy T. Schalet, Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex [Indiebound|Amazon]
On September 19 and 20, Westminster College is hosting a symposium to confront the problems of sexual violence on college campuses. There will be a track for students and a track for faculty and administrators. Click here for more information.