Kevin Huynh

Professor Murray Sperber presents some compelling arguments in his book, Beer and Circus,
and having a PhD from Berkley in American studies he is competent in being able to analyze the
collegiate life and also having done undergrad in Purdue and taught at the University of Indiana until
retirement. Having also been in Greek life while in his undergrad along with being a sports writer and
playing both college sports and semi-professional sports, he is qualified to speak of such. However, with
his age these achievements are of the past, time has changed the undergrad to be different than what it
was 30 years ago, also being an English and American Studies focus limits the amount of economics he
can propose, as well as different policies on Greek life from his time of being in part.
I also disagree with the general premise of the book that students go to college for beer and
circus. Unfortunately, I think we live in an era where liquor, and other drugs, is increasingly readily
available and there is no need for one to travel to college to get that. Ive known peers who would
choose not to go to a college because of the idea of a party school but never the reverse. I think that
enrollments are largely due to the economics. The largest population of any large university is its in-
state students.
I disagree that the partying and college sports are the reason for the lack of undergraduate
education. Education, by large, is done independently. It isnt the job of the university to spoon feed the
information, but rather to give you the opportunity to learn the material with a guide who is more than
knowledgeable on the subject. One of his solutions is for smaller classes, however, I dont think class size
really matters compared to the ability of the professor to teach. I think one of the problems with the
University of Iowa is some of the professors inability to teach a course in an effective manner for the
group they have. Large lectures often have a disproportionate amount of students going to office hours
and it wouldnt matter if there were smaller classes, if the professor cannot actively engage as Sperber
proposes they would, and then the only cause would be increasing faculty and tuition rates.
I think some of the problems with the arguments, however, are the difference between
correlation and causation. As Sperber proposes, there is a definite correlation between college sports
and partying, but he lacks defining how that is the cause of some of the other problems he states like
the poor quality of teaching and lack of undergraduate education.
Sperbers proposal for the GRE needing a minimum score has some flaws not addressed. He
lacked describing why it is less racially biased than the SAT and also the consequences of not passing the
GRE minimum score if implemented. The degree is earned through the courses undergraduates have
taken whether or not they are at an average level, and the GRE should serve its original purpose.
My biggest problem with Sperbers book is his solutions are infeasible and there is no significant
evidence to back up these solutions would cause the kind of change he envisioned. He spoke of how
larger universities should emulate smaller ones, like Rice University, with an overall lower enrollment
rates. However, large universities are often given subsidies through the state and rely on tax-payer
support. If a large population of in-state students were to be declined, the taxpayers would feel as if
their money is being wasted. I think there is a place for both private and public universities and that
public universities accept the position they are given. The universities simply cannot slim down.