A US university defended spending about $32,000 to bring reality television star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi to campus this week, despite several students questioning if it was a wise use of money.
The speaking fee Rutgers University in New Jersey paid to the star of the MTV reality television series The Jersey Shore is $2000 more than Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison will receive to speak at graduation on May 15.
"We have more than 200 events on our campus during the course of the year, everything from scholarly presentations to entertainment," Rutgers spokesman Steve Manas said. "The students canvassed for who they wanted here and had the funds available."
More than 1000 people came to the university to hear Snooki speak Thursday.
Student Hina Rehman, 20, said she found it disappointing her tuition money was going to fund the event.
"The fact that our school spent $32,000 to bring her is ridiculous," she said. "It's fine the money used here is meant for entertainment purposes, but I think we can get better entertainment than that."
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
If I was a student there I would be appalled at the waste of funds. I can't believe 1000 turned up to see her. I would have been far happier if they were protesting her presence.
I don't know oldr, I imagine the college would have to guarantee her fee (in case the gate is not enough), and then there is the cost of the facility (utilities, cleaning, etc.). Personally, a college using student fees to bring popular performers to the school doesn't bother me, except in cases like this where the performer has no talent whatsoever (and doesn't even purport to have any talent other than being a loudmouth and, often, a drunk).
Big RR wrote:I don't know oldr, I imagine the college would have to guarantee her fee (in case the gate is not enough), and then there is the cost of the facility (utilities, cleaning, etc.). Personally, a college using student fees to bring popular performers to the school doesn't bother me, except in cases like this where the performer has no talent whatsoever (and doesn't even purport to have any talent other than being a loudmouth and, often, a drunk).
Agreed but someone must have wanted her there. I just can't see what she could possibly talk about intelligently other than the proper use of the work "like" and even that is iffy.
