At the beginning of August a very confused girl tried to sue her Alma Matter.
Not because harm was inflicted to her in any way, or because a professor made a pass at her, the health center misdiagnosed her, or cafeteria poisoned her, no, none of the above.
She was very troubled by the fact that upon graduation, she could not find a job. This, she blamed on the university.
The 27-year-old Monroe College graduate felt it was only fair that she receive a full refund (via lawsuit) of her $70,000 tuition that she dolled out to the college during her stint.
The information technology student felt that the college’s career center did not do enough to get her a job, and therefore failed its main objective of job placement for students.
This is a very hot-button issue with me. I do realize that after college, getting a job is what you do. But when did colleges and universities turn from further educators and enrichers to technical job training centers?
The primary job of a university in my opinion is to enrich students as human beings, to administer a well-rounded education and educate students for life, not for a job.
You go to college to find out who you are as a person, and to get a wholesome education that teaches one how to think, rather than what to think. The ability to think and reason is one of the greatest things a student can learn, and clearly it wasn’t by the IT student.
I will give her credit for thinking outside the box, but seriously she could not have missed the target further when planning her argument. A college education is a tool that can be a benchmark for obtaining a job, a job that requires complex thought and reasoning, a college degree would be required. But to believe a university’s sole responsibility to prep a student for a job is ignorant.
I think it is sad that more students than not go to school after high school merely to find a spouse, or just as a place-holder until you can take over Dad’s business. It lacks a greater feeling involvement by never learning of man’s past and achievements. You should go to university with the goal of one day contributing to society rather than just taking up space after four years of prep work for whatever job you get.
I hope the lawsuit does come to fruition so that when it is beaten down by a judge it will score a victory for education, thought, reasoning, and the human race in general. I do believe that students are still capable of attending college not for four years of partying and using the resulting sheepskin to get a job, but rather receiving a real education and being able to be a thoughtful member of society.
Monroe College clearly failed its mission with this girl.
