Question Cost of going to Whateley...

Cost of going to Whateley...

What do we know?

From Ayla 3 :

Aries is really Arnold Harvey, son of Mildred and Clifford Harvey living on Old Mill Road just west of Fennimore, Wisconsin, with a $327,000 mortgage taken out on their dairy farm to pay your Whateley education and $73,457 remaining on their home mortgage

What does that mean, that Aries' education costs ~$327,000, presumably for all four years, and him being a Exemplar and Internal Energizer, one of the more simple powersets, compared to Workshoppers and Mages...

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But, I assume that students won't be booted out, if their financial situation changes, they'd just pay through moving onto Scholarship or something...

As Admissions work by power of plot as said before... *shrugs*

What I intended but didn't come out clearly in Shine 1 was that Mrs. Shugendo was kind of like giving Shine and his mom a test. Sure, he had money, and he didn't have a strong enough or dangerous enough power to require the special training at Whateley. But what he did have is character, a belief that his money by itself wasn't enough, and that he could use it to help others. Was he a selfish rich kid? Did he think he was special? Turns out no, and that he thought nothing of using some of his money to help out those who needed an extra bit of financial help. His character and values were the kind that would be beneficial to Whateley - both financially and as a possible influence (however small) on other students.

Now, I'm going to have to quit typing for a while as I try to get my pain level back down below 11. Been a rough day for the knee. PT therapist was pleased with today's check, but that always comes at a cost in terms of pain and suffering.

On the other end of the spectrum is the Whateley Alumni Association, which subtly, though actively contributes to a system of one-upmanship among the Alumni. The WAA is probably the most active such organization at the High School Level in the world. They put out a monthly newsletter, arrange regional yearly events and make very big deals about certain Alums giving the school money. While among the blend in and low level superhero crowd a yearly donation list is published, unless anonymity is specifically requested, among the most successful of the Alumni, there is a cutthroat competition in Chair sponsoring.

A number of the teachers at the school have their entire salary and benefits package, (no small thing!) paid for completely by a single Alumni; thus the Chair, or that teachers Job in the department would be known as The Gizmatic Chair of Mathematics or the Lord Paramount Chair of Literature. And the jockeying for who has endowed the most chairs is pretty fierce. About 80% of the faculty are paid in this manner. To become a 'Chair man' (or woman) in the Association is made into a VERY big deal and is basically arriving as a big time player on the world stage.

Fair point, though I would expect that the Brâncoveanu Chair would be more likely to be in European History or Political Science than Literature, not so much because he wouldn't appreciate supporting Literature as because one of those others would reinforce the association with himself. Admittedly, Chairs for specific topics tend to be at the University level.

But then, there are a number of ways in which Whateley operates more like an Ivy League university than like a typical New England boarding school.

It has been stated on a number of occasions that the majority of students get some level of Scholarship funding, and campus jobs are almost universal both as a way of 'building character' and to defray costs. The few who can afford to pay their way are treated very well by the administration, and given a lot of leeway on things such as the agreements with Security vis a vis the Golden Kids monthly parties, for example. The multiple lairs of the Bad Seeds also come to mind - while they may have managed to actually keep some secret, most of them are probably known of by the Administration, but allowed to operate both because of the Accords and because a lot of money comes from those parents.

Also, we know that a number are Sponsored by someone other than their parents. We've seen this most specifically with Tennyo (by the Mystic Foundation), Sahar (by the CIA), Tether and Lodestone (by the Syndicate, as Focus' 'apprentices'), Erzebet Novak and Konrad Radu (by Lord Paramount), and Invictus (by the River City Wardens).

Note that even sponsored and fully-paid students are encouraged to get campus jobs, though for those cases the emphasis seems less on 'paying your way' than on 'keeping you too busy to get in trouble'.

For many young mutants, the question should be 'what is the cost of NOT going to Whateley?'

Foreign governments are also willing to sponsor the tuition.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it equally a specialized facility to offload "problems" to until they are not a problem, as it is "education is always publicly funded" sort of thing?

Gen 2 made it clear that the education systems of some countries simply aren't set up to deal with mutants, or at least certain types.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: Note that even sponsored and fully-paid students are encouraged to get campus jobs, though for those cases the emphasis seems less on 'paying your way' than on 'keeping you too busy to get in trouble'.

However, it's fairly rare for students to ever need to schedule around those jobs. Some, like the ICC members, clearly aren't being kept busy enough by their academic requirements.

Katssun wrote: Foreign governments are also willing to sponsor the tuition.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it equally a specialized facility to offload "problems" to until they are not a problem, as it is "education is always publicly funded" sort of thing?

Gen 2 made it clear that the education systems of some countries simply aren't set up to deal with mutants, or at least certain types.

Actually for some countries its cheaper to pay for the small number of students who need Whateley-level facilities than to set them up themselves.

I suppose it doesn't hurt to mention that for my characters there's a variety of funding choices, from full scholarship (Smithy) to full support (Vapaat Taivas). Elve's not easily placed in a work-study position, and Abbie's waivered for the first term based on family circumstances.

Valravn, Metro, and Rorsmand are in the JROTC program, so there's a mix of government funding + NATO matching backing them. ( We don't see Lancer working work-study shifts, but I'm assuming that drill, scheduled bivouacs, and other program-specific activities likely count toward the work-study requirement. ) However, ARC has a vested interest in the mythos-exposed scrawny one. Valravn works astral security/Dream Team shifts to keep temptation away from the easily tempted, Metro works physical security where he's relatively safe, and Rorsmand's extra job is Mads.

I.e., funding/sponsorship makes for a very effective form of leverage.

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On a related note, the WU is a world in which the idea of a Fourth Reich has super-powered and magical support. I'd expect that Germans would be at least suspicious of a school for paranormals within their borders (They might be even more suspicious of anyone who'd want to attend.) For Poles, attendance to such an academy would be a "HELL, no!" proposition. Having one of their own, at the risk of another Katyn Massacre, makes sending the kids to the USA a much easier choice.

I always got the impression that most families paid something. It may have only been a few thousand, for someone like Marty, to say ten grand for Rhiannon, to most if not all of tuition. Obviously some like Jade are on full school scholarships, and others being paid by the DoD or CIA or KGB. I also suspect that at some time Ayla walked in and wrote a check for his tuition, then another for Jade's.

Jade and some others of Ayla's friends, such as Aquerna, are under full scholarships. But, thing is, they have their pride, and Ayla knows about it. Taking over their tuition (and putting them off their scholarships) might be a nice thought on the surface, but it would put them in the position of owing Ayla a bundle AND giving him the implicit power of cutting them off.
A much more subtle (and tax-deductible) approach would be to have a quiet meeting with Carson and donate the equivalent cost of their scholarships, with the understanding that those students' scholarships will NOT be EVER revoked without his OK. The school is effectively not paying those scholarships anymore, Jade and Anna are protected from any bureaucratic snafus, and they keep their pride.

Having more than one student in the family causes some problems for some.
Jade is technically on campus as 3 different identities, She has her job to help pay for her tuition, Ayla probably put in a grant or scholarship in secret to help, as well... but I'm not sure that the status of Jett's and Jinn's tuition have been addressed... or if Jett even attends classes. We do know Jinn does, effectively doubling Jade's learning.

For Kayda and Danny, their family is well off enough for them to cover tuition. Same went for Phobos and Deimos. Obviously Jobe and Belphoebe's tuition is covered rather easily. Same for Jadis and her brother.

Lanie's patents are paying for her brother and herself, for the most part.

When you have two attendees, and are a typical middle-class family, you'll surely need financial assistance. Alyss and Kaylie would certainly fall into this category,

Work-study is pretty popular, and getting more visibility recently:

• Alyss is work-study, and does a lot of the maintenance work that the other Gearheads aren't as interested in.
  Sphere works in the kitchens.
  Does Billie's library attendant work pay part of her way, or is she already completely covered? I forget.
  Fixx works with the maintenance folks everywhere they go.

Some sponsorship is relation(ship)-based:

• Tisi's parents picked up Nitro's tuition after his parents abandoned him.
  Maxine's tuition is paid for by Focus. Part investment, part honoring her father as a former associate of his.

I wonder if some of what Amy is doing as student den mother for the Thornies is getting her a few extra grants.

I still wonder how much Whateley pays in grants, or what value they put on student work. Work-study at universities isn't great...that said, maintenance work is hazard pay, no? And the kitchens are run by serious professional chefs and some very efficient line cooks.

Katssun wrote: Work-study is pretty popular, and getting more visibility recently:

• Alyss is work-study, and does a lot of the maintenance work that the other Gearheads aren't as interested in.
  Sphere works in the kitchens.
  Does Billie's library attendant work pay part of her way, or is she already completely covered? I forget.
  Fixx works with the maintenance folks everywhere they go.

Some sponsorship is relation(ship)-based:

• Tisi's parents picked up Nitro's tuition after his parents abandoned him.
  Maxine's tuition is paid for by Focus. Part investment, part honoring her father as a former associate of his.

I wonder if some of what Amy is doing as student den mother for the Thornies is getting her a few extra grants.

I still wonder how much Whateley pays in grants, or what value they put on student work. Work-study at universities isn't great...that said, maintenance work is hazard pay, no? And the kitchens are run by serious professional chefs and some very efficient line cooks.

I think that one of the students, the centaur that can shift between human form and centaur form, is doing her work/study in the kitchens as a way of learning from some of the best chefs that she can.

She was in some of the Ayla stories, and was getting Ayla to taste-test her recipes.

Mister D wrote: I think that one of the students, the centaur that can shift between human form and centaur form, is doing her work/study in the kitchens as a way of learning from some of the best chefs that she can.

She was in some of the Ayla stories, and was getting Ayla to taste-test her recipes.

Mezzo ?

I wonder if there is a discount for faculty, if their children attend. Imp may be wondering that before too long, in Gen 2...

Sir Lee wrote: Jade and some others of Ayla's friends, such as Aquerna, are under full scholarships. But, thing is, they have their pride, and Ayla knows about it. Taking over their tuition (and putting them off their scholarships) might be a nice thought on the surface, but it would put them in the position of owing Ayla a bundle AND giving him the implicit power of cutting them off.
A much more subtle (and tax-deductible) approach would be to have a quiet meeting with Carson and donate the equivalent cost of their scholarships, with the understanding that those students' scholarships will NOT be EVER revoked without his OK. The school is effectively not paying those scholarships anymore, Jade and Anna are protected from any bureaucratic snafus, and they keep their pride.

I should have continued, but I needed to rush out. Ayla wouldn't have them change anything for Jade, he would just be paying her scholarship. He's probably also working on a Trustfund to provide a permanent scholarship program at Whateley.

Re Mezzo: She's not a full scholarship student, but she's on a scholarship... sort of. Her family are not wealthy, but they are upper middle class and can swing a large part of the cost. The way I see it (and hope to show eventually in my origin story for her), there's a Brazilian business conglomerate funding scholarships for Brazilian mutants, and it's picking the rest of the tab. They are probably paying for Verdant and Força too -- Verdant really needs the scholarship, and as little as we know about Força, he might not come from an affluent enough background for his family to swing it. Why do I say "sort of"? Well, first because it's a Brazilian-specific scholarship fund, not the general Whateley scholarship; and second, because the fund was initially set up specially for her, although she does not know it.

Re the Nalleys: Lainie's parent's aren't spending a dime. Lainie originally went to Whateley on an academic scholarship, but after her Kevra patent started yielding big bucks, her scholarship was transferred to her brother and she's paying her own way out of her royalties. Or, the way Lainie likely sees it, she has a scholarship but is being forced to pay for her little brother. Which may be true or not, depending on who pays Stronghold's tuition after Lainie graduates.

It should also be noted that Elaine Nalley recently managed to recover nearly a billion dollars (maybe more) worth of 100yo whiskey made by her grandfather. With Ayla's help she will be marketing that! She isn't in the category of Ayla, but really she could (except that it is mostly her own money [one way or another]) be considered to be a candidate to become a member of the golden kids...

Katssun wrote: Foreign governments are also willing to sponsor the tuition.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is it equally a specialized facility to offload "problems" to until they are not a problem, as it is "education is always publicly funded" sort of thing?

Gen 2 made it clear that the education systems of some countries simply aren't set up to deal with mutants, or at least certain types.

Or that they want *specific* aspects that a Whateley Academy education can do. Islands and to an extent RtS, IIRC, do point out Japan's reasons.

Japan *can* (and note, almost *all* except telepaths are trained IN Japan, either at Yomi, or via the normal system with Mugens slated for them, if a juku isn't enough) afford it. But for several reasons, 'rich' (ie, more than able to cover their own tutions) mutants or from those families go to Whateley, and yes, Japan *pays* more than they should.

This is for several reasons. One of which is to avoid (and Japan intentionally did this, and Whateley's backers, and others are all in favor) the somewhat typical Japanese state of mind regarding the rest of the world. Second, is of course. Hatamoto and Ayla in G1 point it out *quite* nicely
Third: I'm not saying that the DOPS had a prophecy that they might need serious credit with Whateley to help push a student in, but I'm not saying they couldn't see the need possibly happening.

(TO be fair, that'd be more along the lines of Kenshin, than Hikaru)

I did some research and I trust Carson and Ayla more than Kristin. Sorry, but it fits more than your claims.

The only figures we have are the money borrowed by Aries' parents and Carson's claims about the costs. Aries' parents borrowed $327,000 to pay for his schooling and pay off their initial mortgage. Subtracting the amount of the remaining money mentioned and the cost to attend was $289,550 for the four years. Plus on top of that, he's rooming in Melville which has been pointed out countless times is more expensive than any of the other cottages. That comes to $73,400 a year.

Carson mentions that the school is on par with the costs of elite boarding schools, which for the US and UK is upwards of $60,000 a year at most. That's right on the money for what the base costs would be if you eliminate the Melville bump in Aries' costs. It could be anywhere from $60,000-$65,000 which is high but not astronomical to the point that the government sticks its nose into the school.

And to be blunt, the mention of being expensive due to gadgeteers, devisors, and the cost of feeding energizers, exemplars, and others with big appetites is comical as those special costs aren't anywhere near $10,000 or more that it would bump the costs per student to attend. And after reading through the stories, the school stands to make money from many of the students, particularly gadgeteers and those who have a marketable skill like Silver, thanks to their brokerage fees and their helping students achieve patents for their gadgets and possibly helping sell devises if there is interest from reputable parties.

So $60-65,000 a year isn't that hard to believe. And with so many alumnae who are giving back to the school it's likely the school isn't hurting for money but gladly accepts it for the chance to help students who are in need and in danger. There hasn't been one person who has been turned away from the school that I have read about so far, even people like Ribbon's granddaughter is likely to go to the school on a scholarship to help save her from others. So the costs really are simply a measure of pride if you think about it- if you can afford it, then good. If you can't, then the school helps you and you find a way of helping the school in the future.