<p>I was reading some topic on * out of control college costs * and, as one could expect, expenditure toward lavish facilities, luxury cafeterias, unneeded climbing walls and superfluous lounges appears here and there as one of main causes of college cost inflation.</p>
<p>Regardless of the validity of this claim (I personally agree with that), I went just curious: in your college, what are, if any, the* student-oriented * facilities (professors lounges and administration covered parking lot dont count) with low number of users, high costs and overrated status. In other words, I mean the facility every walking tour of your campus stops by and get a whoo from parents and applicants, but few real students use…</p>
<p>In my university, Id pick an outdoor rendezvous area in which University spent $ 105K (original cost estimations were lower) to set up. Its small place, with Oak trees around, creative landscaping and decent lawn. They used fair trade lumber imported from a Third World country (and announced it loudly), and built trendy benches in what was supposed to be the outside of a new snack bar. Problem is: catering contractor was changed soon after the rendezvous opening, and new contractor did not make any provision for that snack bar. Faculty occupying the building managed to divert the snack bar area into an advanced lab, with no direct access to the external rendezvous. They also build a covered passage linking the lab with the main Faculty building cutting the rendezvous from the plaza.</p>
<p>As result, the only way to access the area is walking a long way back into the docks. Everyone can see through the glass covered passage the rendezvous, but it is quite far to go there just for a short chatting or rest between classes. The Faculty which occupies the building uses all adjacent rooms at floor level as labs, with no access there.</p>
<p>Huge lack of coordination inside Uni. Admin.</p>
<p>Anyway, I really think that rendezvous is a quite strange word.</p>
<p>Well my school spent a lot of money on this peforming arts center. millions maybe? not sure. maybe there was some private funding but still. Its rarely used throughout the school year. And its architecture is not appealing to the eyes imho.</p>
<p>At my previous school there were fountains that really didn’t serve any purpose. Freshman were impressed by them, sure, but they spend most of the time off due to freezing conditions or being repaired. It was kind of ridiculous because they’d basically turn them on in the spring when admitted students tours were going on, but they would be off the rest of the time. False advertising in my book.</p>
<p>The Student Center has been voted in the Top 10 ugliest buildings in Manhattan, and I must agree - it’s in a beautiful touristy area which makes it worse. It’s definitely underused and could have been planned much better. Locals hate my college because they build buildings too high and waste space becaue of inefficient design. The main library is also REALLY poorly planned and inefficient, because there’s a lobby that’s 12 stories high so it wastes all the space inside (in Manhattan wasting space is a huge deal). It’s also extremely ugly and there’s plexiglass on the stairs to stop suicides. Of course both these projects were expensive.</p>
<p>We also have multiple fountains on campus that serve little purpose. The other building that is “useless” is that place they call the library Who goes there? :)</p>
<p>Am I the only person who thinks that’s actually not a lot of money in regards to setting up a new area/facility…? My school spends millions on stuff.</p>
<p>At our school, there’s this tutoring program that hires student tutors and pays them over $10/hour. They only tutor two classes in one subject, and the several tutors I’ve asked haven’t had a single student go to them in the past three semesters. Each “works” 40 hours a week… sitting there.</p>
Where is the student center? And I like that empty space in the library, it allows me to look at most of the desks in the library and see which ones are empty in the rare time there are actually NYU students in there.</p>
<p>I have to wait a week to see the new Cooper Building and determine how bad it is, but from what I have heard the doors are 12’ tall and there is a grand staircase inside the building that takes up about 1/3 of three floors of the building. Btw, there are routine complaints from various people about how little space there will be in the building. And then we have something called the Hecht Viewing Gardens, nobody knows where they are.</p>
<p>^ they knocked down a historic church to build that hideous dorm! then they kept the church facade attached to the dorm…yeah a lot of locals are still PO’d over that.</p>
<p>@Smilodon - the student center is the big concrete and glass monstrosity to the right of the library…and Bobst is always full, what are you talking about? It is a depressing place to study though, I prefer the student center. If I went to Cooper or New School I would just use those facilities, Bobst sucks.</p>
<p>@Alix, are Cooper students allowed in the student Center? Also are you talking about the building directly west of Bobst? Cuz, I like the look of that building. Also if you only go into Bobst when its full, of course you will only ever think it is full.</p>
Who goes there? :)</p>