After spending eight months living in the library basement, a New York college student was given a free room by New York University officials, according to a CNN.com article.
The student, Steve Stanzak, could not afford the $1,000 housing deposit, despite working four jobs and having student loans, because the school’s tuition of about $31,000 a year was too high. He recorded his adventures of sleeping on library chairs and showering occasionally at a friend’s house in his online journal with his laptop, which was how university officials discovered the situation.
This is all fairly ridiculous. If Stanzak was so strapped for money, he should have gone to a less expensive college. In comparison, UW-Eau Claire, even with its increased tuition, is about $3,700 a year. He could have at least sold the laptop, instead of using it to bemoan his plight. The situation smacks of a desire for attention and lack of common sense.
It’s also unfair to other students, who probably are struggling financially as well. Those students manage to scrape together money instead of living in the library basement and do not receive a free room for their pains.
| The issue: A New York college student who couldn’t afford housing lived in the library for eight months and later got a free room. |
At most, Stanzak deserves credit for a creative solution and for working a society that at times seems to benefit the irresponsible.
In 2002, a rather silly young woman racked up more than $20,000 in credit card debt and started a Web site called savekaryn.com so that people would donate money to the noble cause of paying off her credit card. It worked for her; she even got a book deal. Perhaps Stanzak will make it to the reality television circuit with his stunt. “Who Wants to Live in a Library?” may be the next big thing.
To reward someone who obviously needs to reprioritize his finances may have every student sleeping in the library to try to get the same deal.
