The link to the first story I’ve looked at for the blog proj can be found here. This article is discussing the differences in the amount of debt Columbia students acquire over their time at the school versus what their earnings are during their first year graduated. The goal of this article is to compare a bunch of data in order to see if the debt acquired at Columbia is worth it for students when looking towards their future earnings. Many different programs are compared to one another within the college based on this difference. These numbers are also compared to those of other schools with similar programs. Generally, the research found that majors focused around the arts (both bachelor and master degrees) make a lot less in profits after graduation than similar degrees at other schools because of the large sum of debt that students accumulate. This story really caught my eye because I feel like many of the students at UNE are facing a similar issue; espeically those working towards degrees in the arts.
In order to access the second article I’ve looked at from the Columbia Spectator, click here. This article is informing readers about a new meal plan becoming available to a number of eligible General Studies students at Columbia University. The meal plan was created in response to a pressing issue that most of the students in the General Studies program reported that they are significantly financially insecure. Many of them have too many educational expenses that cause them to seek disbursements from the Columbia food pantry on top of their meal plan. Students in this program are reported to have the most disbursements from the pantry. So, the university decided to provide a more supplemental meal plan for students that qualify. Many hope that this program will be a huge step in combating student food insecurity by taking care of one expense to allow more focus on other educational expenses.
