UMass Boston Residence Hall 1 | Columbia Point | Dorchester

[Czervik.Construction]

Or they could be just trying to provide a housing option for their students. Other UMASS campuses have housing, why not UMB? Also, this building, while nice is no multi-billion dollar "starchitect" monstrosity. It is simple, quality housing for public Uni kids.

You are missing my point. With the construction of these dorms and recruitment of out of state and international students UMass Boston is trying to be one of the big boys and moving away from its founding purpose: to provide a good higher education experience for Boston area students.

 

[TomOfBoston]

Or they could be just trying to provide a housing option for their students. Other UMASS campuses have housing, why not UMB? Also, this building, while nice is no multi-billion dollar "starchitect" monstrosity. It is simple, quality housing for public Uni kids.

UMass Boston was established to serve students from metro Boston. They had a housing option in their parents home. But the current fad is to live on campus to achieve the "traditional college experience". Unfortunately that experience comes with a hefty price tag for room and board.

" Other UMASS campuses have housing, why not UMB?" Because UMass Boston's mission was to serve commuting students from metro Boston.

And any ROI from out of state and international students' tuition premiums will be used to hire more senior administrators, mostly out of work Massachusetts politicians. I hear that Stan Rosenberg is looking for work.

 

[JeffDowntown]

Most commuter schools have some (smallish) percentage of non-commuting students.

Boston has been pushing all colleges and universities to house any students who are not commuters from home in on-campus housing -- to take pressure off rental housing in their neighborhoods.

Having a few out-of-state and international students to rub elbows with will enrich the college experience for the commuter students.

Why exactly is this bad?

 

[TomOfBoston]

Most commuter schools have some (smallish) percentage of non-commuting students.

Boston has been pushing all colleges and universities to house any students who are not commuters from home in on-campus housing -- to take pressure off rental housing in their neighborhoods.

Having a few out-of-state and international students to rub elbows with will enrich the college experience for the commuter students.

Why exactly is this bad?

The key word is "few". International and out of state students who are denied at the more selective colleges and want to attend college in Boston will gravitate to UMB and UMB will welcome their tuition dollars.

 

[shmessy]

Northeastern is no longer a local college. 97% of freshmen live on campus. Most locals avoid Northeastern now in favor of UMass Boston due to cost, stats or not wanting to feel like an outsider.

Northeastern is now a great school. I get your cost argument, but "not wanting to feel like an outsider"???? Okeeeeee......'I'll choose the school where graduates start out at 30K per year instead of the school where they start out at 50K per year because I don't want to feel like an outsider"........

I get it, some people just like the former version of South Boston. Hey, one can always move to Flint, Michigan.

And, btw, dorms are EXACTLY what the city of Boston has been demanding its colleges build ever since Menino made it a priority to get the kids out of the rentals. There are multiple benefits to the city.

Your "not wanting to feel like an outsider at college" is a first world problem.

And your argument about how UMB was created to serve lower income commuter students ignores the simple fact that when UMB was created there was no such thing as the internet and online degrees.

Here ya go, Tom - - http://www.umassonline.net/home?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8-3Ztuv82gIVQySGCh00HQrYEAAYASAAEgL78_D_BwE - - problem solved. You never have to worry about commuting students having to feel out of place. They can all still live in their parents' homes and log in. Rejoice!

.

 

[shmessy]

Northeastern is no longer a local college. 97% of freshmen live on campus. ........

Which is a HUGE win for Boston.

Northeastern never used to attract out of state and international students. These kids now come here and spend lots of their parents' money. And that has a huge effect on the neighborhood.

Do you think the Ruggles area cleaned up and became a haven for growth over the past 20 years because of local activists? Think about that for a moment.

A similar win-win situation for UMass Boston and Columbia Point would be great. Get the big bucks out of staters to subsidize the lower income students. A rising tide to lift all boats - - not a Luddite's social jealousy to keep 'em all down on the farm.

 

[TomOfBoston]

Which is a HUGE win for Boston.

Northeastern never used to attract out of state and international students. These kids now come here and spend lots of their parents' money. And that has a huge effect on the neighborhood.

Do you think the Ruggles area cleaned up and became a haven for growth over the past 20 years because of local activists? Think about that for a moment.

A similar win-win situation for UMass Boston and Columbia Point would be great. Get the big bucks out of staters to subsidize the lower income students. A rising tide to lift all boats - - not a Luddite's social jealousy to keep 'em all down on the farm.

And the locals are pretty much excluded from Northeastern today due to academic qualifications and/or cost. A beautiful campus for out of staters and internationals.

It will be a win-lose situation for UMass Boston. A win for UMass Boston and a loss for local students.

 

[fattony]

And the locals are pretty much excluded from Northeastern today due to academic qualifications and/or cost. A beautiful campus for out of staters and internationals.

It will be a win-lose situation for UMass Boston. A win for UMass Boston and a loss for local students.

I don’t know where you are coming up with stuff. Umass is a public school. They aren’t going to stop taking locals and fill up with out of staters. They have a mandate to educate the people of Massachusetts. I’m sure you can do a little googling to find out the max percentage of non-Mass students they can take.

 

[TomOfBoston]

I don’t know where you are coming up with stuff. Umass is a public school. They aren’t going to stop taking locals and fill up with out of staters. They have a mandate to educate the people of Massachusetts. I’m sure you can do a little googling to find out the max percentage of non-Mass students they can take.

In addition to out of state and internationals there are MA students from beyond 495 who otherwise may have attended Amherst, Dartmouth or Lowell if no on campus housing was available.

 

[JumboBuc]

In addition to out of state and internationals there are MA students from beyond 495 who otherwise may have attended Amherst, Dartmouth or Lowell if no on campus housing was available.

I'd bet that the number of MA students from outside 495 who are accepted to both UMass Amherst and UMass Boston and choose to attend Boston is pretty damn close to zero.

 

[JeffDowntown]

I'd bet that the number of MA students from outside 495 who are accepted to both UMass Amherst and UMass Boston and choose to attend Boston is pretty damn close to zero.

Perhaps, but you might see student picking UMass Boston over UMass Dartmouth or UMass Lowell. Urban environment matters to some students.

 

[shmessy]

In addition to out of state and internationals there are MA students from beyond 495 who otherwise may have attended Amherst, Dartmouth or Lowell if no on campus housing was available.

You keep throwing all this socio-political stuff out there indiscriminately without any reliance on facts.

UMass Amherst is harder to get into than UMass Boston, has the #1 nationally ranked college food 2 years running according to the Princeton Review and houses over 14,000 in its dorms. By your reasoning it would be overrun with out of staters and international students.

Yet, UMass Amherst's student population is 81% in-state and the Massachusetts kids are being subsidized by the out of staters. ***Believe me, I know - - my son starts this fall at the Isenberg School of Mgt there for 48K/year. The in-staters are getting a pretty good deal at half cost. You're welcome.

Look, we get it, you want to keep city kids down and the bar for them low. How about RAISING the water level WHILE ALSO safeguarding local access as UMass did with its Commonwealth Honors College and out of staters paying up to subsidize the locals and improve the bottom line?

Tom, how about pushing the envelope of potential for these kids? UMass Boston has some great programs but is beset by crippling budget problems. Let it grow and shine to its potential.

If UMB did what Northeastern did 20 years ago, they wouldn't be crying over UM Amherst "crowding its turf" with the Mt Ida purchase- - UMass Boston would've been able to buy Mt Ida.

 

[DZH22]

In addition to out of state and internationals there are MA students from beyond 495 who otherwise may have attended Amherst, Dartmouth or Lowell if no on campus housing was available.

As jumbobuc said, these schools, particularly Amherst and Lowell, are absolutely ahead of UMB on the totem pole. An out of state person who couldn't get into Harvard, BU, or BC is not going to suddenly look at UMass Boston. It's not a good enough school if their aspirations were to go to the former!

Also, the difference in costs for out of state vs in state is pretty stark. Most states have state schools that are AT LEAST on par with UMB. It's not going to suddenly become an out of state destination, because it doesn't have the reputation to do so.

However, if the reputation improves, that's not something to scoff at either. My dad went to BU, when you could "be dumb" and still get in, as he likes to put it. As BU rose through the ranks, it only helped the alums. For myself, UMass Lowell has had an ever improving reputation since I graduated, and it only makes my degree look better.

In short, I haven't read arguments on this site this ridiculous since Ned Flaherty himself used to haunt one specific thread.

 

[FK4]

I’d like to see less out of state and international students in all schools. Sorry, save your anti-nativist arguments for someone else, my concerns have nothing to do with current politics... but I’m furious with the state of Boston and it feels like it’s being surrendered to people from milllions of miles away. And all for profit. Not cool. Part of this is restrictive development whereby schools can’t build up to house their students. That probably makes it cheaper to just buy private buildings- the other major cancer eating at the city. Boston needs to act to prevent any further encroachment by schools on the neighborhoods, but they also need to allow a freer hand to let schools house these kids. Either way, academia is a microcosm for lots of the institutional world over the last four decades - massive expansion of administration and bureaucrats and very little change for the teachers on the ground. Board members and directors of X Y and Z who enact policies and rules making exorbitant salaries, all to attract the richest students... while the professors’ salaries stagnate and the local kids are crowded out. I totally agree with DZ that as for UMB, and as for any school, making the school better need not translate into turning it into a playground for rich people. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happened on the ground, right here. We’ve got vast swathes of the city now populated by college kids, and not just regular old college kids, but rich brats from jersey, New York, and beyond speeding around in range rovers. Before you accuse me of being an old fart, I’m not old, I grew up here, and I don’t like feeling the city sis being handed away to rich people who don’t care one whit about it other than some form of transactional yelp rating trendiness relationship. Part of this is directly anti-classist - id care less if the kids weren’t rich. That’s my opinion, disagree if you want.

 

[shmessy]

I’d like to see less out of state and international students in all schools. Sorry, save your anti-nativist arguments for someone else, my concerns have nothing to do with current politics... but I’m furious with the state of Boston and it feels like it’s being surrendered to people from milllions of miles away. And all for profit. Not cool. Part of this is restrictive development whereby schools can’t build up to house their students. That probably makes it cheaper to just buy private buildings- the other major cancer eating at the city. Boston needs to act to prevent any further encroachment by schools on the neighborhoods, but they also need to allow a freer hand to let schools house these kids. Either way, academia is a microcosm for lots of the institutional world over the last four decades - massive expansion of administration and bureaucrats and very little change for the teachers on the ground. Board members and directors of X Y and Z who enact policies and rules making exorbitant salaries, all to attract the richest students... while the professors’ salaries stagnate and the local kids are crowded out. I totally agree with DZ that as for UMB, and as for any school, making the school better need not translate into turning it into a playground for rich people. And yet, that’s exactly what’s happened on the ground, right here. We’ve got vast swathes of the city now populated by college kids, and not just regular old college kids, but rich brats from jersey, New York, and beyond speeding around in range rovers. Before you accuse me of being an old fart, I’m not old, I grew up here, and I don’t like feeling the city sis being handed away to rich people who don’t care one whit about it other than some form of transactional yelp rating trendiness relationship. Part of this is directly anti-classist - id care less if the kids weren’t rich. That’s my opinion, disagree if you want.

Once again. UMass Amherst is 81% in-state students.

UMass Boston doesn't have to attract a majority out of state/international student population to have competency and a healthy school budget. Building a dorm component is the first step towards survivability for the school and benefits the city.

Menino himself strong-armed Northeastern, BU, Simmons, etc to house more students in dorms instead of clogging the neighborhoods and shutting out/pricing out families, etc.

Remember Northeastern 35+ years ago? I do. Remember the Ruggles neighborhood 35 years ago? I do. Any questions?

UMass Boston building more dorms is good for the school, good for Columbia Point and good for the City and Commonwealth. Most importantly, it will be good for the students of UMass Boston if it gets 20-25% out of staters to subsidize improvements and budget stabilization- - we aren't talking BU/BC percentages here, just a healthy minority stake to fund improvements, more scholarships and perhaps raise the educational level.

I hope UMass Boston builds scores more of these dorms, gets 20-25% out of staters to pay up and subsidize the local kids who will be better off meeting some people from other places - - the very meaning of "University" is to broaden one's perspective.

 

[Jrubbs]

Yet, UMass Amherst's student population is 81% in-state and the Massachusetts kids are being subsidized by the out of staters. ***Believe me, I know - - my son starts this fall at the Isenberg School of Mgt there for 48K/year. The in-staters are getting a pretty good deal at half cost. You're welcome.

This is how most state schools work.

 

[Jrubbs]

Also UMAmherst having the #1 food in the country only matters because its pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There are not exactly alot of places to eat off campus.

 

[DominusNovus]

Also UMAmherst having the #1 food in the country only matters because its pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There are not exactly alot of places to eat off campus.

You’ve clearly never eaten at The Hangar, one of the best wing joints ever.

 

[FK4]

Once again. UMass Amherst is 81% in-state students.

UMass Boston doesn't have to attract a majority out of state/international student population to have competency and a healthy school budget. Building a dorm component is the first step towards survivability for the school and benefits the city.

Menino himself strong-armed Northeastern, BU, Simmons, etc to house more students in dorms instead of clogging the neighborhoods and shutting out/pricing out families, etc.

Remember Northeastern 35+ years ago? I do. Remember the Ruggles neighborhood 35 years ago? I do. Any questions?

UMass Boston building more dorms is good for the school, good for Columbia Point and good for the City and Commonwealth. Most importantly, it will be good for the students of UMass Boston if it gets 20-25% out of staters to subsidize improvements and budget stabilization- - we aren't talking BU/BC percentages here, just a healthy minority stake to fund improvements, more scholarships and perhaps raise the educational level.

I hope UMass Boston builds scores more of these dorms, gets 20-25% out of staters to pay up and subsidize the local kids who will be better off meeting some people from other places - - the very meaning of "University" is to broaden one's perspective.

Schmessy- to be clear, I want more dorms for UMB. No question about that.

And - you can point to many neighborhoods that are “cleaned up” - doesn’t mean it’s better for everybody, it just means the yuppies driving thru can feel safer in their cars (yes, a bit of hyperbole, but still, just looking nicer and reducing crime doesn’t mean the whole city actually benefits).

 

[shmessy]

Also UMAmherst having the #1 food in the country only matters because its pretty much in the middle of nowhere. There are not exactly alot of places to eat off campus.

You've evidently never been to Amherst.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/best-college-towns-in-america-for-food-and-drink

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g29510-Amherst_Hampshire_County_Massachusetts.html


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