When I attended college, it embodied far more than chalking up credits towards a BA degree. Friendships developed and have endured. I was alive, wholly and completely. I think back with fondness about the campus, the classes, the students I spent time with, outings to the symphony, evenings spent in my professors' homes-in short, the opportunity to grow up and prepare to grow beyond my student days.
What follows is a summary of a provocative article "Collegiate Life: An Obituary," recently published in Change Magazine (May/June 1998) about today's college students in the United States. We invite you to read it and e-mail your responses to us at mclain+@pitt.edu. Carol A. Baker, from Pitt at Bradford has already responded in a Letter to the Editor.
Today's undergraduates, the authors Levine and Cureton tell us, are more racially diverse, and on average, older. "By 1995, 44 percent of all college students were over 25 years old; 54 percent were working; 56 percent were female; and 43 percent were attending part-time. Currently, fewer than one in six of all undergraduates fit the traditional stereotype of the American college student attending full-time, being 18 to 22 years of age, and living on campus." Work and family are more central to our students than academic life. They want education to be as convenient as a good bank: local, no lines, easy parking, no errors, no social services and no extra fees. They must use their time and money wisely.
At the same time the high incidence of eating disorders, classroom disruption, alcohol abuse and suicide attempts suggests that students are arriving at college more damaged than in the past. "Not only are counselors seeing students in record numbers, but the severity of the students' problems and the length of time needed to treat them are greater than in the past." Students report that they are frightened by world conditions (deteriorating environment, war) and their own future (getting jobs, having relationships). Although sexual activity has not declined, romantic relationships are shunned. Students are increasingly requesting single rooms, and tend to isolate themselves or spend time with small groups of people similar to themselves. Campus-wide social activities no longer attract students.
Levine and Cureton also report that "tension regarding diversity and difference runs high all across college life." Students don't want to talk about multiculturalism on their campuses-there is friction everywhere they turn. The authors conclude that today's campus is a "less hospitable place for all undergraduates, regardless of background."
Students pursue academic degrees in order to have a chance at a good job-perhaps a white collar instead of a blue collar career. They want concrete, linear instruction that they can readily apply; they are decreasingly interested in the less tangible educational goals of collaboration and values. Not only do they come wanting to do the minimal requirements, they often face academic hurdles that require over 60% to exceed four years in completing their undergraduate degree. They understand that a college degree does not guarantee employment. The majority believe they will be successful, but in focus groups students often mentioned their fears of financial and relationship failures. It is unclear to them whether they will do better than their parents.
In conclusion, Levine and Cureton suggest that these changes have gradually come upon us with the increasing democratization of education. They make the following suggestions to colleges attempting to respond to today's students:
o Focus. Have clear goals for the brief amount of time students are on your campuses.
o Use every opportunity to educate students: orientation, awards ceremonies, invited speakers, newsletters.
o Build on the strengths of this generation of students. Sixty-four percent of them participate in public service, so incorporate service learning into your curriculum.
o Work to make the campus more hospitable for more students. Go beyond the rhetoric of multiculturalism.
o Finally, use financial aid to meet needs so that students don't have to work so much while attending college.
[The findings taken from the studies Cureton & Levine conducted between 1992 and 1997 of a random sample of 9,100 undergraduate students, 270 student affairs officers, and focus groups at 28 diverse campuses are reported more fully in When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today's College Student.]