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Mail & Guardian
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Mail & Guardian
A super Cooper by Mini — but is it too expensive?
The fifth generation Mini Cooper I have blurred memories of the Mini 1275e that my parents owned back in the Nineties and the early 2000s. All I remember is that my mum piled up her students in the back to give them a lift to and from her tuition. To get an image of what that looks like, you might have to picture Mr Bean putting a few passengers in his Mini. That Mini cost my parents R2 500 back in 1991 and, when they eventually let go of it, they were able to sell the car for R6 000. If only we could buy cars for R2 500 now. If only we could make a profit on vehicles after piling on years of mileage. Thirty-five years on, it costs 238 times the price to get into a brand-new Mini Cooper. For those who are bad at maths, that means the new fifth-generation Mini Cooper starts at R595 000. If you need the five-door variant, it will set you back R617 000 and the Mini Cooper SE, which is electric, is rather reasonably priced at R802 000. At an entry price of just under R600 000, I was expecting big things from the little Mini. The exterior For starters, Mini has never lacked style. This one does not disappoint. The front has a striking grille that ties into the headlights well. The headlights also have a very cool animation and wink at you when you unlock the vehicle. The daytime running lights run around the oval-shaped headlights and it just looks distinctive in every aspect. The three-door Cooper sits on 17-inch black alloy wheels that add to the stylish exterior. The brand has also built itself by making vehicles customisable. For example, I had a bright yellow version on test with black alloy wheels, a white roof and white exterior mirrors. Mini is the one brand that could tie those colours together and make it look fun. The rear of the vehicle is just as exciting as Mini has brought a completely new design to it. The weirdly shaped triangular tail lights are connected by a black strip with the 'Cooper' lettering across it. Ultimately, the exterior of the vehicle embodies fun and gives you an idea of what the vehicle is about. The interior The interior of the fifth-generation Mini Cooper amplifies the message you are given on the outside. Once you jump in, you are greeted by a superb leather and cloth interior. Majority leather on the seats means that the driver and passenger are comfortable. For those wanting to squeeze into the back, the room is very limited — that's why I used the word passenger in the singular above. It is a three-door, so I did not expect much room for backseat passengers. The boot space is also very tight. After a short experiment, I realised this is not the vehicle to take on your monthly grocery shopping trip. The boot isn't able to take more than exactly three Checkers packets. The dashboard gets some lovely cloth which has ambient lighting projected through it. For me, this was aesthetically pleasing but also subtle enough to not be distracting. Unlike most vehicles with their large rectangular screens, the Mini Cooper has a circular screen that is 240mm in diameter. That screen has all your driving information, so you don't get an instrument cluster. It is a touch odd to not have an instrument cluster, because there's nothing behind your steering wheel, but Mini has taken a minimalist approach and decided to just push everything into that one screen. The infotainment system can be changed to different experiences: Core, Go-Kart, Green, Vivid and Timeless. The Timeless experience set the infotainment screen into an elegant and classic format with an analog clock that made me feel like I was back in that Mini 1275e again — but with some technology. The car just gets more unique as the stop-start button is shaped like a key that needs to be twisted to start the vehicle. The gear shifter is also tiny and placed under the infotainment screen next to the stop-start button. That timeless experience: The mode that took me back in time in the new Mini Cooper The drive I was surprised by the drive. For a small vehicle, on the poor roads we have, it was exceptionally smooth. Mini has given the Cooper a three-cylinder 1.5 litre turbocharged engine that delivers 115kW of power and 230Nm of torque. This was more than enough power to get you by. In a vehicle this small, those numbers are impressive. There was also no turbo lag and the car gave an instant kick whenever you needed the speed. Because the car is so tiny, and has a good amount of power, it is really fun to drive. Navigating bendy roads becomes exciting and it's the type of car that makes you want to drive it all the time. The new tailights really bring the back of the Mini together Safety The 2025 Mini Cooper E has earned a five-star safety rating from both the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) and its counterpart the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (Ancap). Euro NCAP tests show it achieved an 89% score for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 77% for pedestrian protection and 79% for its active safety systems. It also has safety features such as automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control and parking sensors. Blind-spot monitors, rear cross-traffic alerts, lane-departure warnings, rear automatic braking and an exit-warning system are optional. Verdict Easy to park, fun to drive and with great manoeuvrability, the Mini Cooper is a gem on the road. The exterior and interior both embody the fun nature of the car and it has a personality that very few manufacturers can match. And, while it is no longer the Nineties, where you could purchase a car for under R10 000, the hefty price tag of R595 000 is just about the only downside of this little vehicle.
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Trump's attack on Harvard's foreign students targets key revenue for US universities
May 22 (Reuters) - The Trump administration's latest blow against Harvard University – cutting off its ability to enroll foreign students – rippled throughout higher education Thursday, because it aims at a major source of revenue for hundreds of schools across the United States. Because international students are more likely to pay full tuition, they essentially subsidize other students who receive aid, said educational consultant Chuck Ambrose, former president of the University of Central Missouri. The administration's move to stop foreign enrollment is a huge blow to Harvard and sends a message to other universities: "You could be next,' said Robert Kelchen, a professor at the University of Tennessee who researches university finances. Kristi Noem, Trump's homeland security adviser, said as much Thursday during an appearance on "The Story with Martha MacCallum" on Fox News. Noem was asked if the administration was considering similar moves at other universities, including Columbia University in New York. "Absolutely, we are," she responded. "This should be a warning to every other university to get your act together." Harvard's 6,800 international students make up 27% of its total enrollment. In 2023, foreign students made up an even higher share at 43 other schools with at least 1,000 students, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. At Columbia University, which the Trump administration accuses of antisemitic policies, foreign students made up 39% of total enrollment in 2023, the NCES data shows. At 246 other schools with an enrollment of at least 1,000, at least 10% of students were from outside the U.S. Thursday's announcement comes as universities are already scrambling to make up for huge federal cuts in research funding. Harvard, which the Trump administration says has failed to address antisemitism and ethnic harassment on campus, has seen nearly $3 billion in federal contracts and research grants frozen or ended in recent weeks. Neither Harvard nor Columbia had comment on the financial impact of Thursday's move. 'It's just another financial hit on top of several hits that have already come for big research universities,' Kelchen said. 'At this point the only thing that hasn't been touched is student financial aid.'
CBC
20-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Student advocates outraged as MUN uses money set for tuition reduction elsewhere
Memorial University says it will continue increasing the cost of tuition despite budget cuts being put on hold — which two student advocates say shows a continued lack of financial responsibility. Rana Abuidris, the executive director of campaigns for MUN's student union, says the decision comes as students face heavy financial anxiety. "Students are skipping meals. I know students are currently working three jobs to be able to afford the tuition costs right now," Abuidris told CBC Radio's On the Go. In a post on Memorial's Gazette on Tuesday, president Jennifer Lokash outlined parts of the 2025-26 budget approved by the board of regents. Part of the budget includes a one-time pause in a tuition reduction grant given to the school by the provincial government totalling $13.68-million. The province has cut the fund yearly since 2022, when it was giving $68.4 million to the school to keep a tuition freeze in place. A cut of about $14-million per year led to the end of the tuition freeze. Costs skyrocketed from $2,550 to $6,000 per year for Canadians and reached $20,000 for international students, along with an annual four per cent increase until 2026. Lokash wrote that the $13.68-million aimed at tuition reduction was instead directed to "drive Memorial University's transformation to a more learner-centric, sustainable and efficient institution." The school will use $3.9-million to contract teachers, while using the rest to enhance efforts on student recruitment and retention, business transformation efforts and critical technological improvements among other items, Lokash wrote. Nicolas Keough, chair of the Canadian Federation of Students in Newfoundland and Labrador, said he had hoped the money would be used for its intended purpose. "The grant that is made to offset tuition, the money should be going toward that," he said. "This is not 'The money had to come from somewhere.' … That's what the operating grant is for." Tuition should be as low as possible: Education Minister Both Keough and Abuidris believe there was some support among the board of regents to move the freeze forward, but not enough. It's the latest example of financial mismanagement from the university, Abuidris added, highlighted by a scathing report from the auditor general in January that showed years of infrastructure neglect and overspending. "This was an opportunity for MUN to rebuild a relationship with the provincial government and rebuild their trust. And again, Memorial again have shown that they cannot be trusted with, like, money. Student's money. They're clearly not putting students as their main priority," Abuidris said. Asked about the decision on Tuesday afternoon, Education Minister Bernard Davis said MUN is an autonomous organization that can do what it wants with the money it receives from government. The province supports the school, Newfoundland and Labrador's only university, through more than $400 million, and accounts for about 70 per cent of the school's total operating grant. However, Davis added he knows the financial struggles students are facing and tuition costs are challenging. "I always would like to see as low a tuition as you possibly can for our students," Davis said. "The decision about tuition sits with the university and the administration of the university. We give them a very high level of support. We've looked at some of the cost pressures ... and we gave them more money. But as I've said many, many times, it is up to the university to determine where and how they spend that money."
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What private schools have the priciest tuition in central Ohio? Here's the top 15
What's the most expensive private school in central Ohio? A private school is a school that is not administered or funded by the government, in contrast to a public school or charter school. In Franklin County, approximately 14% of students are in private school, The Dispatch previously reported. Many of central Ohio's private schools have differing rates that get more expensive as the student gets older. The price tag doesn't account for factors like student aid offered by the school, state aid for special needs students or the state's expansion of its universal EdChoice voucher program. Many central Ohio private schools have a higher tuition rate than in-state tuition costs for Ohio public colleges and universities, with Ohio State University costing $13,244, Ohio University costing $14,158 and the University of Cincinnati costing $6,988. This list only includes ranges for high school-aged students from ninth grade to twelfth grade, although private schools typically have lower tuition rates for younger grades. This list was compiled by reviewing the tuition fees listed on the schools' websites. Here's the private high schools in central Ohio with the priciest tuition: Columbus Academy (Gahanna): $34,300 to $37,100 Columbus School for Girls (Columbus): $32,100 to $33,700 Marburn Academy (New Albany): $34,385 Wellington School (Columbus): $32,000 to $33,000 St. Charles Preparatory School (Columbus): $15,950 Worthington Christian (Westerville): Upper school (grades 7-9) $13,229 to upper school (grades 10-12) $14,699 St. Francis DeSales High School (Columbus): $13,600 Tree of Life Christian School (Columbus): $13,040 Bishop Watterson High School (Columbus): $12,000 Madison Christian School (Groveport): $11,325 Genoa Christian Academy (Westerville): $11,000 Liberty Christian Academy (Pataskala): $10,645 Northside Christian School (Westerville): $10,430 Bishop Ready High School (Columbus): $10,300 Shekinah Christian School (Plain CIty): $9,995 Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@ or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Top 15 private schools with the highest tuition in central Ohio
Bloomberg
16-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Progressive NYC Private School Fighting Foreclosure Files Bankruptcy
Manhattan Country School, an Upper West Side private school promoting social justice and a progressive academic curriculum that is battling possible foreclosure, has filed bankruptcy. MCS sought court protection Friday listing assets and liabilities of between $10 million and $50 million each on its Chapter 11 petition. The school, which operates on a sliding-scale tuition model based on families' ability to pay, has said it suffered losses during the Covid-19 pandemic from helping impacted parents by reducing prices. The maximum annual tuition is $59,000.
