(from the Chronicle of Higher Education) Add the "lazy river" to the new high-end amenities appearing on college and university campuses in bids not only to attract students seeking escapes from academia, but also to keep them from wandering off campus in pursuit of them. At Louisiana State University, the new "river" is a 536-foot-long winding lounging pool at the recreation center, part of an $85 million renovation and expansion and the feature that students consistently said they wanted most.
What's behind schools' investments in such high-end non-academic amenities, which also include climbing walls, waterfalls and massive hot tubs? "[N]owadays you've got to have it," as one member of LSU's board noted. In spite of a growing list of fiscal restraints and cuts to essential programs, LSU and other schools continue to spend heavily on facilities to meet pent-up demand from students wanting to be entertained as well as educated. As for paying for such investments, many schools are bundling the costs into student-paid "fees" that can bring in revenue without the political baggage of tuition hikes.
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