Ivory Tower Looks at America's Struggling Colleges

Somebody gets a hand caught in a door during the takeover of a college president’s office in the documentary Ivory Tower, out in select cities on June 14. Shouting ensues. The administration of New York City’s 155-year-old Cooper Union has presided over chronic deficits, and the students are taking the line that they should continue paying nothing at the traditionally free school. It’s hard to say who comes across looking worse.

Ivory Tower, directed by Andrew Rossi, is a powerful film that limns the troubled world of higher education by depicting its extremes: best, worst, biggest, smallest, drunkest. It’s no surprise that the cost of college has soared, student loan debt exceeds $1 trillion, and more than a third of full-time students admit they study fewer than five hours a week. Rossi brings these familiar themes to life through vignettes of real people, such as Stefanie Gray, who has a graduate degree from Hunter College, $140,000 in student loans, and no clear prospects. “I couldn’t get a job cleaning toilets,” she tells the camera. “I feel bad talking about any of my dreams I have these days.”