"Bollinger: Rich bully is getting his way" (NY Post)

slicedbread21
Sat, 18 Dec 2010 13:09:55 +0000

“the sons and daughters of the powerful, the wealthy and the connected”?
First off, its really uninformed people who continue to make these stereotypes because while there are definitely rich, legacy and wealthy kids out there, the majority of the kids are ones who’ve worked their asses of for most of their lives and whose parents have worked very hard to save enough money to afford their kids’ education.
I say this as an international student whose parents come from a very humble background and knows the kind of hard work you have to put in to get into a place like Columbia. Putting a label on Columbia as an institution for the “rich, powerful wtvr” is pretty upsetting to a lot of people.
Columbia2002 - what point are you trying to prove by putting that in quotes?

Secondly, Columbia has produced several distinguished alumni where in their influence lies. Its not like Bollinger is the Chief Justice whose making the decisions here. Columbia’s campus plan in West Harlem is supposed to comprise several initiatives to promote and support local businesses in west-harlem and even a public school for local kids. The property was given to Columbia using eminent-domain but through a legitimate and long drawn legal procedure. And in the long run, the fact that Columbia’s campus in West Harlem will do the local community a lot of good is something most people probably know and expect. (Look at what Morningside Heights was like 20 years ago).

Seriously,
The bitterness in this article is ridiculous.