Letter to the Editor

Online companies turning education into a business

Yale University has recently joined the ranks of Harvard, Princeton, UCLA and several other universities that have successfully implemented policies against commercial notes companies.

Many colleges and universities across the country are now discussing appropriate policies to secure a respectful environment in which students and teachers can fulfill their educational goals. The latest developments in the world of commercial notes businesses, unfortunately, indicate it will not be an easy road, for the invasion of e-commerce in education has in many ways gained ground.

In recent months, notes companies have attracted millions of dollars in financing from Wall Street investors. Versity.com has received $11.2 million in financing, while StudentU.com operates on some $6 million. To secure revenue from Web site advertising, companies use mass mailings and various advertising strategies, touting attractive salaries and impressive job titles for notetakers. Freebies are given away and contests are held to win lucrative prizes. Marketing techniques even lead companies to dismiss professors' complaints. No wonder, the CEO of one notes company called education a commercial enterprise.

Most alarmingly, several notes companies are currently expanding and diversifying their businesses by acquiring other college-related enterprises, such as book-selling sites, college news sites and many more.

StudentU.com formed the Uzone and subsequently bought out the publisher of a college magazine. WhataboutU.com acquired two notes companies for an undisclosed amount of cash and equity stake in the new company and plans to launch an internationally oriented site of college notes across the world.

With all this, it seems clear, the essential question is whether as teachers and students we are still committed to a service oriented at learning and teaching, or whether we will become buyers and sellers dealing in product.

Mathieu Deflem
assistant professor of sociology, Purdue University