As part of its contribution to Campus Equity Week 2013, the Campaign for the Future of Higher Education has sponsored the videotaping of a one-act play, “For Profit,” to be offered for viewing on college campuses around the country during the week of October 28-November 2.
The play provides a wonderful opportunity for students, faculty, staff, and community members to discuss a wide range of current issues in higher education—not just the for-profit college industry, but also the broader “for profit” mindset towards higher education today that is behind so many problems facing us, our students, and our society’s educational future.
CFHE is proud to sponsor this play and the rich discussions it will engender about student debt, the defunding of public higher education, the employment practices in our colleges, and many other issues. We believe these events will help us all learn more about what is happening in higher education today; it is our hope they will also inspire us to work for change.
About the Artist
Aaron Calafato is a performing artist and activist who creates theater for social change and a Cofounder of Student Debt Crisis (a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to reforming funding for higher education in America). Aaron is a recipient of a 2012 Emerging Artist Grant from The Puffin Foundation for his Solo-Theater for Social Change.
About The Play
“For Profit” is a vibrant solo-portrayal of “the exploitation of the American college student,” told through the lens of an unwilling admission adviser at a for-profit institution.
Summary:
Months into his job as an admissions counselor at a for-profit college somewhere in the Midwest, Aaron Calafato began to grow increasingly conflicted. Responding to the college's pressure, he says, he was signing up poorly prepared students for expensive degree programs that would leave them heavily in debt, all so he could make sure he himself had money he needed to keep paying off his own student loans.
Aaron Calafato's “For Profit” is an inside look at the for-profit educational industry and a
vibrant portrayal of the exploitation of the American student.
In addition to being accepted to the NYC Fringe Festival, “For Profit” has been featured in:
WKYC Channel 3, NPR (wcpn), Cleveland.com, The Nation; The Huffington Post; The Chronicle; Campus Progress; International Political Forum; NPR; (NPR) MPBN; NPR (WYSO); WEWS ABC Channel 5; Mobilize.org; Portland Press Herald; WCPN; Washington Monthly ; and the Digital Journal. Aaron’s work has even caught the attention of CNN's Van Jones, whom Aaron will be collaborating with in the 2013/14 academic year.
You can see an overview of the play (with some key scenes) here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ag5LX051q9Y
Another clip is available here: http://digitaljournal.com/article/346547.
Sponsoring the Event on Your Campus
The fee for a viewing of the filmed performance is $250. It runs roughly 60 minutes.
For viewing, you will need an internet connection to access the link to the filmed performance.
In addition to the play itself, the artist has taped a segment to open a discussion among the audience. A “study guide” and supporting materials will also be provided to the event organizer for possible use in the discussion session.
We will also provide a template poster/flyer you can use (with space for you to add details about time and place, sponsoring organization, etc).
For more information on sponsoring this event on your campus, contact: info@futureofhighered.org.
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