In our discussion we ended off asking questions such as what is the difference between how student and WSU professors use money?
To enlighten further discussion about the stock entry there are some substantial differences in how we use money and how professors use money. For example, students are not self sufficient. The money that most students receive are from the government that come in the forms of loans or if they’re lucky, their parents are funding their college experience. On the flip side, WSU professors are creating their own money source by working full time and are making money. In some way we’re betting our future by going in debt. To put it in simple terms: We’re spending money constantly, while professors are able to save money.
When it comes to regarding food; both students and teachers need for to live, but there are some differences. Students who live in dorms are paying essentially for service. They pay the Washington State University Dining Center for service to feed them with food that the school provides with a pe-paid budget. On the other hand, professors use their money to pay for ingredients and must service themselves. This doesn’t include those students who are living off campus that don’t need a RDA account. BUT majority of students regardless living in dorms or off campus are using their money to feed themselves. There are a couple exceptions for students that have families already. Most professors have family here and are paying to feed not only themselves, but their families as well.
Which brings me to the fact that students are most likely living away from home and family, while professors have created a family here. Professors are paying for insurance (Health, car, medical), paying for their home, etc. Students to some degree pay for medical and those that live in apartments and dorms are paying for where they live, but only TEMPORARILY. Most professors are paying for permanent and long term costs.
While both professors and students can pay for luxury expenses, professors can pay for themselves without going more in debt because they have their own form of revenue. Students have the potential to go on vacation like teachers to hawaii or cabo for breaks and such, but that isn’t money they just can use freely, eventually they’ll have to pay it back or it’s not originally theirs (maybe parents paid.
Another obvious difference is teachers spend money on funding the equipment for classes they plan on teaching or research they are conducting (such as a science teacher needing certain equipment to run lab tests), while students are paying for textbooks and things they need to pass the class.
One thing that is exclusive for students only that professors can’t get are discounts on technology such as laptops. Those are specifically for students, but I’m sure there are discounts that are targeted for professors. But they are slightly different.
Last Weeks Comments I made:
1.http://meganpetersonwsu.blogspot.com/2014/01/technology-has-rapidly-advanced-in-past.html#comment-form
2.http://shannonheric.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/blog-post-1-stock-entry
This Weeks Comments I made:
1. http://meganpetersonwsu.blogspot.com/2014/02/college-kids.html#comment-form/
2. http://dansmyname.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/blog-222014/
susancinderella 
Feb 03, 2014 @ 19:25:06
Susan,
I think you touched on a lot of really important differences between student and teacher spending. The thing you said that really made me think was that students are focused on spending that takes care of temporary needs while professors are focused on longer-term financial goals such as saving and investing. Day-to-day food purchases, short-term housing, and semester-long class materials cause students to think about their money and their strained sources of income in a different way than a teacher who is balancing a steady flow of money with more solid expenditures. Not only do the two categories spend on different items, but there is an overall theme to the spending patterns. (long-term vs short-term)
Feb 04, 2014 @ 03:12:06
I agree that you have presented some good facts and you went into detail with everything you touched on. However, when you mention that “professors can pay for themselves without going more in debt because they have their own form of revenue” did you think about students that pay for everything themselves? I know a lot of students here that stayed home after high school, got a job and saved up everything so that they could pay their way through and not have to take out loans or rely on their parents, and they were still able to live a pretty comfortable life here and not have problems. Also, I know a lot of my friends have gotten jobs here in Pullman so that they can support themselves and be able to buy things, or go on trips, and not have to go in debt.
Feb 05, 2014 @ 06:00:51
I agree, there are many differences between how we spend our money. Student’s vs Professors, and I too thought about professors spending money on their research and I think to some degree some professors do spend their own money on their research projects while others work to get grants to pay for their projects. While students don’t have this I find it similar to getting scholarships for books and things. The list goes on and on, doesn’t it?