Why Do Colleges Build Dormitories? And Teach Half-Time?

“The one thing that everyone who has studied college education can agree on is that students learn more when they work in groups. Yet colleges don’t build infrastructure to support this. A university will spend hundreds of $millions on dormitories, i.e., places for students to drink beer and sleep together. Why is there is no budget for cubicle farms where students in the same major could do their homework together, asking for help from the person at the next desk and, if necessary, raising their hands for help from roving teaching assistants?” Philip Greenspun —Why Do Colleges Build Dormitories? And Teach Half-Time?Philip Greenspun’s Weblog)