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hahaa, I love it! That's right there is engineering and true work and dedication. Can hear the frustration and it's 100% warranted.

I wish universities were better equipped for what you pay. Where is all that money going anyways? Leaking like free electrons?

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hermannj314 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

The 2023 education and general fund budget for Penn State allocated 5.7% to equipment and maintenance and repairs of approx $2.5 billion in use. I assume that would include thing other than just lab equipment.

Overwhelmingly, most education fund use goes to salary, benefits and student aid (~$2 billion, 81%).

Interestingly the amount of money raised by tuition and fees almost exactly matches the amount spent on salaries, benefits and student aid. So one way of viewing it is that things like lab equipment are basically funded by grants, gifts, and state appropriations.

I assume this would be similar at Wisconsin in the late 90s, I doubt universities have changed much.

Maybe research budgets offer more flexibility and better equipment but I doubt the undergrads get to touch that stuff.

Source: budgetandfinance.psu.edu

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ALLTaken 2 days ago | parent [-]

Wow, you went down the rabbit-hole, much appreciated! Do I understand correctly, that your analysis boils down to the money is indeed being pocketed rather than used for equipment or improving anything at all at the university?

	▲	staunton 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		> money is indeed being pocketed No. What amount (if any) is being pocketed is not apparent from such data. Perhaps contrary to your expectation, it's basically impossible to pocket money allocated for salaries (people would complain they don't get what they're owed). It's much easier to pocket equipment. In any case, the referenced data is quite independent of that. Instead, it shows that the universities do not allocate money on equipment (because that's what grants are for). Of course, spending grant money on lab equipment for undergrads directly competes with equipment for research, which puts a group at a competitive disadvantage in their field of research.

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abakker 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

The gym, I think. Usually the brand new buildings, too.

	▲	ninetyninenine 3 days ago \| parent \| next [-]
		It’s going to the salaries of a few elite people in the university system. It’s not that far off from the wealth inequality of the real world.
	▲	3 days ago \| parent \| prev [-]
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