CLASS AND SPENDING THE MONEY OF OTHERS

Class seems to give rise to a sense of entitlement or a lack of one. It ran true to form at a faculty meeting at which the plight of faculty personal agendas were discussed. By personal agendas I mean pet programs for a handful of students or centers and institutes that have little connection with the quality of the school or those who support it. At issue at the faculty meeting was a committee report that included a cost benefit analysis of the programs. The committee began its work two years ago when money was tight. Now the report came to the faculty and the question was posed of whether we needed to even consider the report given that our money issues were now less pressing. It seemed lost on the faculty that the money we were spending is not ours and that each program should be under constant scrutiny regardless of whether money was tight not. This sense of entitlement to spend the money of others is one characteristic of the children of priviledge.