By: Julianne Culley Everybody would love to graduate college and say they didn’t have to pay a dime towards tuition. However, there are many tradeoffs to the general public, including enormous tax increases and potential for decreases in the overall quality of education that is being offered. To determine the right way to implement a solution for this civic issue, it is necessary to get down to the foundation of what problem this type of policy is trying to address. It seems the two main purposes of free tuition are: (1) to recruit top-tier talented minds from home and abroad to fill specialized careers that is or could be facing a shortage of workers and (2) to empower American students who are discouraged from continuing their education due to the high sticker price of attending college. With this in mind, I have! come to the conclusion that something must be done, although universal free tuition is not the answer.
There are two solutions that I think would work well in addressing the concerns that are coming from both sides. First, I think there needs to be economic incentive to enter fields that teach the skills for careers paths that are supposed to have shortages of workers. For example, geriatric care has been identified as a field that will have significant labor shortages in the coming years as the Baby Boomer generation ages. One way the government can ensure that there will be enough professionals providing care to the aging population is to subsidize students’s education bills after graduating with a degree that would properly train them for a career in geriatrics. This framework could be applied generally to many different fields. Additionally, the subsidized tuition would be a great incentive for students who are interested in the field, but don’t thi! nk they can afford the cost of attending school. It also could incentiv! ize bright students from other countries to study, and hopefully make a career, in the United States. The second solution I am proposing already exists to a certain extent. Federal student aid is not currently providing enough to meet financial need. At Penn State, I am likely to graduate with more debt than if I were graduating from an Ivy League school. This is hard to imagine when the sticker price at Penn State is nearly half that of most of the ivy schools. However, one thing that Ivy schools do differently then public schools is meet 100% of financial need. Since these schools have a more realistic interpretation then the government of how much of my education I can pay for, it can be less expensive for most Americans to go to the Ivy schools. If the government actually made an effort to meet students’ individual financial needs, students would be able to graduate with less debt. This would certainly cause an increase in taxes, but it would ! ;not cause nearly as drastic of an increase as universal free tuition. For that reason, I believe this is a viable compromise between the two sides of the debate on free tuition. Although free tuition is unfeasible, there are various other initiatives that can achieve the same goals, and require far fewer tax dollars. I am excited to see how this civic issue will affect the Presidential race in 2020.
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By: Julianne Culley The issue of making college tuition-free has recently come to the fore in American politics. The major argument for free public college and university education is the same as for free public education in general: like the free public elementary and high schools already existing in the United States, free public higher education provides educational opportunity for all and strengthens the American workforce.
Actually,! until fairly recently, the United States had a free or virtually free ! system of public higher education. In 1862, to provide educational opportunity for the “sons of toil,” the U.S. Congress passed the Morrill Act, establishing land-grant public colleges and universities on a tuition-free basis. For roughly a century thereafter, many American public colleges and universities either charged no tuition or a nominal fee for attendance. The State University of New York (SUNY) system—the largest in the nation—remained tuition-free until 1963. The University of California system, established in 1868, had free tuition until the 1980s. In recent decades, however, the situation has changed dramatically, with tuition costs soaring to dizzying heights at both public and private colleges. Between 1978 and 2013, American college tuition reportedly rose by 1,120 percent. This enormous hike in tuition has had a devastating impact upon educational opportunity. Unable to afford college, many young people never attend it or drop out along the way. S! tudies have found that the primary reason young people cite for not attending college is its enormous cost. Many other young people can afford to attend college only by working simultaneously at paying jobs (which takes time away from their studies) and/or by running up enormous debt. As recently as the early 1990s, most college students did not take out loans to finance their education. Now, however, nearly three out of four college graduates have borrowed to cover their college costs, running up a debt averaging $30,000 each. As a result, American student loan debt now totals $1.3 trillion. Paying off this debt at high interest rates constitutes a heavy burden for young Americans, and all too many of them either default on it or, to repay it, give up on their dreams and settle for working at jobs they dislike. The tuition squeeze on young Americans results largely from severe reductions in state and local funding for public colleges and universities, usually initiated ! by conservative, budget-cutting governments. Since 2008 alone, state fu! nding for public universities has dropped 16 percent. Indeed, there is considerable question as to whether public colleges and universities are still public institutions, for most of their costs—once covered by government funding—are now met by student tuition. Anxious to maintain or expand operations despite declining levels of government funding, college and university administrators cut campus costs by replacing tenured and tenure-line faculty with low-paid part-timers and underpaid full-timers in temporary positions. In 1969, tenured and tenure-track faculty held three out of four teaching positions. By 2013, this “regular” faculty held one out of five. Faculty morale and the quality of education have plummeted. In addition, campus administrators, faced with declining income, are increasingly inclined to accept funding from wealthy individuals and corporations that are reshaping higher education to serve their interests. From 2005 to 2013, two rightwing billi! onaires, Charles and David Koch, spent $68 million funding the kinds of programs they wanted on 308 U.S. college and university campuses. In New York, when Governor Andrew Cuomo initiated Start-Up NY, a scheme to provide a tax-free haven to businesses that moved onto or near public (and some private) college campuses, there was never any question about how SUNY’s chancellor and other administrators would respond. Instead of resisting this business takeover of university facilities and mission, they became leading cheerleaders for it. In these circumstances, free tuition would, at the least, restore educational opportunity to millions of Americans and lift the terrible burden of debt from the shoulders of young people. In addition, by bringing large numbers of new students and their funding to public colleges and universities, it would reduce the incentive for administrators to turn the faculty into less than sub-par. Furthermore, although private colleges might resent ! this enhanced funding of their public competitors, the resulting compet! ition for students might encourage them to decrease their astronomical tuition, thus providing them with a more economically diverse student body. By: Saran Polchan There is one thing you can be sure of in life: College tuition will rise every year. Prices rise and fall all around us, but tuition never seems to go down.Using the latest U.S. Department of Education data, from the 2003 to 2013 academic years, prices for undergraduate tuition, room, and board at public institutions rose 39 percent, and prices at private nonprofit institutions rose 27 percent, after adjustment for inflation.
According to Labor Department statistics, that is nearly twice as fast as growth in medical care. Tuition prices are still growing faster than household incomes. Even more disturbing, the annual cost of attending a private college can easily exceed the annual salaries that graduates earn during their first few years of work. Here’s why costs are going up so much:
David Hodge, president of Miami University of Ohio, attempted to explain in an interview with U.S. News. He pointed out that parents and students require more from a college today: increased security, accommodations for physical and emotional disabilities, career services and modern residence halls, fitness centers and food services. Meanwhile, insurance premiums for colleges have risen due to terrorist issues and active shooter concerns.
Any slippage in the rankings is extremely costly to the institution. In the educational marketplace, the costs to maintain these rankings will be passed on to the students in increased tuition.
Perhaps eventually the bubble will burst and when families can’t pay, the demand will decrease. When families are unable or unwilling to pay, colleges will be forced to reduce their prices. If you’re a parent of a college-bound teen, rising tuition should force you and your student to evaluate the benefits of each perspective college financially and make your decision accordingly. By: Saran Polchan Being a student that is out of state can be tough, you’re in a new environment that you never been to before it might be scary the first time and you might experience some culture shock. But the biggest shock of all is the big tuition cost you will have to pay compared to students that are from the state.
The differences are sometimes small, but some states add on a large price tag for out-of-state students. For example, out-of-state students at the University of California will pay $24,000 more per year than their classmates who are California residents. These higher price tags scare some students away from considering state schools in other states. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. While attending a state school as an out-of-state student isn’t right for every student, if price is what’s holding you back, then consider ways that you can lower your bill if the school has everything you want. Here are some tips that will help make going to an out-of-state college more affordable: 1. Attend a state school in an “academic common market”Some states have come together to offer lower tuition rates for out-of-state students. If you live in one of the states covered by the organization, you could pay a lower price to attend the institution. There are four academic common markets available for students to consider (note: not all schools in every included state offers in-state tuition to residents of every other state, so research carefully to see if you might be eligible for lower tuition):
Unfortunately, being in the state for one year as a college student does not count. If your family does move to the home of your dream school, make sure you have a paper trail to prove your residency such as getting a driver’s license in the state, registering to vote, and paying taxes. This may seem like a drastic move, but depending on your circumstances, it could make perfect sense. And, it could dramatically lower the cost of attendance. Though in the end you might have a change of heart and decide to not even want to go to that school as you would have enough time to think over it. Most students don’t tend to stick to their first choice when time comes to factor everything in such as, location, cost, campus environment, weather, size, study of interest, etc. 3. Seek waiversSome colleges offer scholarships and tuition waivers just to persuade top-performing out-of-state students to go to their school. When the opportunity arises, go for it what do you have to lose. Other schools provide waivers or scholarships to students who live in a neighboring state or students whose parent(s) attended the institution. Check with the state colleges you are considering to see if they have any special scholarships or waivers for you as an out-of-state student. 4. Military members and their dependents can attend state schools at the in-state tuition costPreviously, only some states offered in-state tuition to military members and their families. However, in 2014, H.R. 3230 was signed into law giving military members, veterans, and their dependents in-state status at public institutions throughout the United States. The military has a lot of benefits, it’s a great way to serve your country and reap the benefits the government can help you with. It may not be a luxury but you know what they say…… 5. Talk to the financial aid officeIf you really want to go to a particular college (it’s your dream school) and you’re worried about the cost for tuition just to attend your school as an out-of-state student, try reaching out to the financial aid office, they can help you. Many times, state schools have merit or need-based aid that they can award specifically to out-of-state students. Not every student will try to apply, but it could be a great opportunity to get a big chunk of your bill taken right off the top, this will take a lot of your shoulders. Aside from costs, there are a number of other factors that go into deciding if you should attend a state school as an out-of-state student. Check out our full list of things to consider to help you make the decision. Conclusion All in all, trying to go out of state with a lower tuition takes careful time to plan and have some considerations. It’s not always easy being away from home we all know that but if it is something you really wish to do and it’s your best opinion or dream school,then go for it. Nothing is stopping you except you yourself when you have all to the resources to do so. We have listed right here things you can do to help yourself lower that cost make it easier on to a out of state school really want to go to. And if you chose not to do an out of state education, wells that’s alright as it is not for everyone. Scholarship is also something can consider obtaining no matter if you’re a in-state student or out-of-state student. By: Saran Polchan During the 2016 Presidential election, one of the biggest issues that came up time and time again was the topic of higher education affordability. In the past, President Obama has tried to make community colleges free to eligible students a possibility, although we haven’t seen too much progress from that as of yet. Bernie Sanders advocated the issue the most in his campaign to making all public colleges free, and Hillary Clinton has proposed making it affordable to those that need the help. As with any political issue, there are pros and cons to it. PRO: More Lower-Income Family Students Might Be Able to Graduate CollegeSome students drop out because they don't have the ability or resources to pay for tuition all four years. Making college tuition-free would help these kids actually to be able to graduate. This would significantly improve college’s graduation rates around America, as students wouldn't feel the need to change to part-time status or be restricted from their education just because they are struggling for financial reasons. CON: Someone Will Need to Pay That MoneyIf America were to move to a tuition-free college policy, who is going to pay for it? The answer is taxes. Whose taxes are being increased seems to vary based on the situation, but it seems Bernie Sanders is pushing for the upper class in America are the target here. It's also a good possibility that it will affect the upper middle-class as well. Best case scenario is that it will be taxed mostly from Wall Street. The point is, someone has to pay for these fees to enable free college tuition in public institution. The uncertainty of who will do it scares the general public for the idea of free college tuition. PRO: Student Debt Won't Be a Concerning Problem That Millennials Have to Struggle WithIf a regular American college student can graduate with less than $10,000 in student loan debt, they are considered lucky. However, students from other countries that have tuition-free college have that luxury; most of their loans come from living expenses and books. Without the weight of student loan debt, more college graduates might buy houses rather than renting apartments. They might buy cars, spend more on healthy food, travel more: In essence, they could contribute more to the economy. CON: Younger Generations Won’t Know How to Handle FinancesCollege is full of learning experiences, one of which is learning how to work with a budget. College loans are often the first major financial dealing that people work with. Paying them off promptly proves you know how to budget your money, skills people use again and again when buying cars or houses. Without having to pay for school, that experience won’t exist, which might be trouble down the road for buying that house or car. Something that debt and financial trouble can teach you is the struggle and learn from your mistakes. PRO: Students Might Have More Freedom to Choose a Major They EnjoyWhether it is the influence of parents or knowing you need to pay loans back as quickly as possible, current students are often guided toward “practical” majors that have a more lucrative post-graduation income. If shelling out thousands upon thousands of dollars is no longer a factor, parents and students might feel more relaxed about studying for majors that don’t necessarily have a large paycheck associated with them. Interest and enjoyment from a field of study goes a long way in helping students stick with it and avoid burning out. This will allow more dreamers in our society be able to do what they want to pursue in life and make their own path without too much stress on their shoulder. CON: College Might Not Seem As ImportantIf higher education at public schools becomes free, it might appear to devalue a college diploma. It might also lead to students cutting more classes or not trying because they don’t have to “get their money’s worth” when they aren’t paying for anything. The current price of college drives students to complete their schooling as quickly as possible so as to reduce debt. Without that financial drive, we might see more laziness and lackadaisical behavior from our students. Top schools use their name and fame to raise the price of tuition which drive the demand and competition to get into the school. PRO: More People Would Go to CollegeBy negating the large bill of a college education, we could see an increase in the amount of students able to attend college. This then creates a more well-educated workforce and a population that has better critical thinking skills. This could lead to more innovation in all areas of society. CON: More People Would Have the Opportunity to Go to CollegeAs enrollment at public schools increases, so do the fees. Either more money would have to be given to the schools, or they would have to create waitlists. This means that the taxes for education-related purposes might go up, or funding for something else (such as military expenditures) might be diverted to pay the influx of fees. In addition to this, the large amount of graduates might oversaturate some areas of the workforce, leaving even more people with degrees working jobs that they are overqualified for. One Last Thought: What About Private Institutions? If all public colleges and universities are made tuition free, we could see the decline of private schools. Since these schools rely on tuition, endowments, and alumni donations for a good portion of their funding, competing with free public schools could force many private schools to close. This would reduce the amounts of job opportunities for professors and could result in the death of many fantastic programs. As of right now, the only state to have free public college tuition is New York which is a great step forward, but in other states, tuition is still very much a reality many college-seekers have to face. By: Saran Polchan According to a recent CNBC article, 24% of millennials expect to receive forgiveness for their outstanding student loan debt balances. It’s a good thing, then, that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimates that 25 percent of American workers could be eligible for student loan repayment forgiveness programs.
Here’s more good news: there are many ways of taking action to get a student loan forgiven. You can seek out programs that are career-based, meaning they provide aid for those in certain professions. Or you can look into plans based on your income level. Most of these are sponsored by the Federal government in one way or another (though some colleges do assist a select few of the students they graduate). Those suffering the burden of student loans may qualify for one (or more) of the nine types of forgiveness programs listed below. Public Service Student Loan ForgivenessThere are many programs available to help mitigate Federal student loan burdens — especially if you’re working in a public service position. Specifically, employees of the government, non-profit organizations, and other public workers may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. You need to be employed full-time by a public service organization. You also are required to make 120 payments on your loans before being eligible for forgiveness. Note that as long as you’re employed by an eligible public service organization, you’re covered. In other words, you probably qualify as a teacher — and you may also qualify if you work in a public school as an administrative staff member. Getting a Loan Forgiven Based on IncomeAnother way to get Federal student loans forgiven is to see if you qualify for an income-based program. According to Sophia Bera, CFP and founder of Gen Y Planning, there are three income-driven programs:
They’re also a little different from the public service programs. While those in public service positions can have student loan debt forgiven after 10 years, these programs forgive loans after 20 or 25 years. However, like the public service loan forgiveness program, these income-driven programs do require you to pay every payment on time – or you’ll be disqualified from the program. You also may need to pay taxes on the portion of your loans that are forgiven. Student Loan Forgiveness Programs for ProfessionalsMany student loan forgiveness programs are based on the career you choose after graduation. For those with professional degrees – think doctors, lawyers, and teachers – you have several options when it comes to shedding that student loan debt without paying it out-of-pocket and in full. Doctors can look into the NIH Loan Repayment Program. This can help repay 25% of a doctor’s student loan balance per year with a $35,000 maximum. That’s limited to doctors conducting research and who meet certain eligibility requirements. Lawyers can look into Equal Justice Works. This provides a list of law schools that offer loan repayment assistance programs. Afam Onyema graduated from Harvard University and Stanford Law School, and was able to decline corporate law job offers in order to establish a charitable organization thanks to repayment programs. “I can afford to do this work only because of Stanford Law School’s uniquely generous Loan Repayment Assistance Program (LRAP),” explains Onyema. “The school is systematically paying off and forgiving 85% of my $150,000+ debt.” Teachers can qualify for PSFL programs, they might also want to look into Teacher Loan Forgiveness. To get into this program, you need to teach at specifically designated elementary and secondary schools for five consecutive years to be eligible. If you began teaching after 2004, you’re eligible for up to $5,000 in loan forgiveness if you were a “highly qualified” teacher, and you can receive up to $17,500 if you’re a “highly qualified” math or science teacher in a secondary school, or special education teacher. By: Leila Ndebi Before:
On Tuesday, February 28 I attended a public deliberation at Webster’s Bookstore and Cafe on the topic of college tuition and if these high prices allowed people to pay for a brighter future after graduating from college. Out of all of the options I had for deliberations, I thought that this was an important one to go to because we are all college students, and not many of us have the privilege to pay our tuition without going into some type of debt. Many of us don’t know where our money goes, we pay $30,000 a year, some of us more, and are still swamped in other expenses. Sometimes it pushes you to think about if colleges dupe us out of money in order to make a profit. This was a topic that I found that I could relate to in every single way, and I was very comfortable talking to the other people attending because they all seemed to understand exactly where I was coming from. The deliberation started off with the group running the event on the stage introducing their topic and asking the attendees personal questions in order to cool the ice and open up discussion. After this we split up into three groups and began talking about their three approaches, Approach 1: Government We started off our group conversations by talking about if we thought that the government should play a bigger or smaller role in college tuition prices. The subcategories included: greater use of taxation, creation of policies to positively help students, and implementing universal public institution tuition collection systems. The first option for a greater use of taxation included “incentivizing companies and organizations to fund scholarships by creating tax write offs”. Our group agreed that yes, companies should fund scholarships but there should be programs in place to educate college students and high school students on the basics of scholarships like where to find them. The second option suggested actions like economic price floors on goods and services related to college, and price ceilings on necessities like textbooks, room and board, AP credits, credit hours. Our group agreed that prices should be constant, we noted that PSU seems to overcharge on textbooks compared to sites like Amazon and Cheggs. The third and final approach in this approach talked about implementation of universal public institution tuition collection, basically stating that tuition should be collected and calculated by dividing the number of students attending public institutions by the amount of money collected as a whole. Approach 2: Students/Family At the second approach our group talked about what they did to lower the cost of college for themselves and what they wish they would have done. Out group was in agreement that not many of us knew anything about applying for scholarships and we thought that classes or programs should be created to educate kids on how much money they could get and how to do it. We also talked about the importance of taking AP courses and knowing if your prospective institutions will take your credits before spending the money. We disagreed with the fact that students should have to sacrifice a good school or a dream school because of inability to pay tuition. Approach 3: University Lastly we talked about what the universities could do to help the students and their families out with costs. We all agreed that maybe schools should reduce all of the Gen Ed requirements that they make students fulfill in order to enter their major. We understood that it is very hard and very expensive to pay for these especially if you change your major and have to start over again. We also talked about alternative routes that people can take in order to graduate, like attending community college for two years which would allow students to lower the cost and enter these institutions with some credit. Conclusion: All in all, the deliberation was a positive experience and the topic was one that everyone seems to have a problem but nobody really tries to do anything about. It was interesting to hear the stories and opinions of the other students because I learned a lot from them. I think that the most important thing to take away from this is that we do have a voice as citizens. If we continue to host events like this, get the word out, and reach out to our local representatives we can make a difference. By: Kerriana Moore This was a very informational session. There was fairly good size of participants here. At first, it was set up so that all the approaches were done by one person at the front of the room. I believe that when they noticed they weren’t getting much crowd participation, they decided to switch it up. We split up into small groups with about two moderators at each table. There were about 5 participants at my table.
When we split up into smaller groups, you could immediately see the difference! It was a more comfortable setting and people started to open up. The first approach we discussed was the government’s role in lessening college tuition. What it came down to was as one participate put it, “What are we willing to sacrifice?” We suggested possibly having higher taxes or taking money from other areas such as Defense and Medicaid. We suggested these two areas because while they are definitely important, they receive lots of money that could be used to help students and it most likely wouldn’t hurt them. The second approach my group discussed was what students and families can do. A big aspect of this is scholarships. We talked about how we could’ve applied for more scholarships – but it was senior year. We had just finished applying and getting accepted into schools, getting through senioritis and we weren’t really worried about the cost of school once second semester of senior year came. So we came up with the idea about scholarship applications being released during our junior year when things aren’t quite as hectic yet. On the subject of AP courses, one participant suggested state schools having the same criteria for what they accept as scores on these tests because they vary from one school to the next. This way, we can know if spending the $90 to take a test is really worth it. The last approach my group covered was what the university can do to help. One way that we discussed was schools reducing the number of General Education requirements. A lot of times, the gen eds we take aren’t even things that can help us in our major. By taking these classes, we just spend unnecessary money and it might even take longer to graduate. We also came up with alternatives such as colleges being more lenient with the credits they accept from community colleges and AP classes, considering that everyone may not be able to afford college for four years. I brought up the fact that I had received a scholarship to Penn State based on merit and was blessed to receive this but knew that this was not the case for many other students. College is expensive and definitely a burden, especially for out of state students. I can’t recall their names, but our moderators were great! It was obvious that they were knowledgeable about this subject and that’s something every moderator should be. In the end, we concluded that although college is pricey, we are always grateful for the opportunity to obtain an education at such a great school. By: Anna Shamory Summarization
The deliberation, College Tuition: Can You Pay for a Brighter Future? focused on three different approaches to the issue. The event started off when those who attended were asked to stand up if they wanted to buy a car, house, have their own credit card, and more after they got out of college. Most, if not all, stood up. Then reality was brought up, that included talk about high rates of student debt and that, of course, in a perfect world college would be not cost. After more introduction and personal stake discussion, we transferred into approach one, still in a large group. First of all, approach one centered on how the government could help with college tuition, through ideas such as greater use of taxation, economic price ceilings, and change towards a more universal system for public college tuition. The idea of the government regulating more tax dollars towards education (and therefore tuition prices), instead of spending almost half their budget on military costs was discussed. We also touched on how FAFSA unequally awards money to students, underestimating how much they/their parents can afford to pay. Our last major point we weighed was how our American attitude against socialistic approaches to government hinders our ability to provide free community college or price ceilings for student college materials. Next, we broke up into three smaller groups for approach two, students and family. We conversed about our different experiences with scholarships, and in the end how it is often difficult to find or win enough to cover college expenses. A solution we came up with is for high schools to have a class on scholarships and help students to learn about resources earlier. Also, we agreed that AP and dual-enrollment courses are a great way to earn credits and save money. But low income students may have trouble paying the money for the exams/other expenses, so there should be reduced prices. For the third approach, university, we debated reducing gen. ed. requirements, have more accelerated degree programs, and prioritize where tuition money goes towards. Specifically, about Penn State, we discussed various Integrated Undergraduate/Graduate (IUG) programs that allow students to get advanced degrees quicker and cheaper. We agreed that more students should take advantage of said programs. We also thought the 2+2 Penn State programs would allow students to save money at a more community college level before going to University Park. The issue was that there is a stigma of going to a branch campus first, but in the end fear of debt should take precedence over pride. Analysis/Reflection In regards to how the event itself was run, I learned valuable insight for future moderating. Structure-wise, they started their first approach as one large group, and the conversation was more stop and go than a flow of conversation. We then broke into smaller groups for the last two approaches, which stimulated much better conversation. I definitely learned that more intimate groups make people feel more comfortable in discussing sensitive/controversial issues. Also, the format of two moderators per group allowed them to bounce ideas off each other, and think of effective questions. If I were to moderate again I believe having a co-moderator is helpful. Lastly, their mix of more open-ended questions and specific questions impacted the conversation well in that we could bring in new ideas, as well as those outlined in the issue map. The key issues discussed I believe were easier to talk about since college tuition is a topic directly relevant to my life as a paying college student. The approaches stimulated good conversation, but as a busy college student, in reality, the approach of students and family is the one I could make a change for. I can put it on myself and my family to search more diligently for scholarships or other ways to raise money. Structural changes of the government or university are more complex to discuss as the economic implications go beyond typical knowledge. By: Amanda Michael On Tuesday February 28th I attended one of my section’s other deliberations, “College Tuition: Can You Pay for a Brighter Future?” I enjoyed going to this deliberation and engaged in some good, insightful conversation even if the event itself was not absolutely perfect.
The deliberation started with the entire group talking as one unit with all of the students running the deliberation sitting on a small stage above us. This is where I had my greatest concerns since this large group meant only a few people spoke up readily. There were some good points brought up, but this method didn’t truly connect the attendees. I did like the discussion on the culture of the United States and how that impacts the taxes Americans might be willing to pay to support college students and pay some or all tuition fees. What it got down to was that many Americans are very fond of the free market system and suspicious of any similar to socialism or communism. Even though other countries in Europe pay for students to go to a university, Americans don’t want to spend that much in taxes. The benefit of providing college education does not outweigh the costs of a greater tax burden. Conversation picked up when everyone was broken down into smaller groups. I liked the choice of the moderators here to continue from one option to the next seamlessly rather than changing groups. I believe this allowed the shyer people to feel more comfortable. The moderators were also good at mostly staying out of the conversation, letting us as the participants take the possibilities of each option and explore wherever we liked. In these groups the roles of individual students as well as the university itself were discussed. What my small group talked about the most was using AP test scores to lessen a student’s time spent at a university and, consequently, the amount they have to spend. Everyone at our table had taken at least one AP class in high school, and felt that as long as you kept track of what credits your institution accepts, you are in much better shape. Next we tackled the university's role in controlling the cost of college. We did not spend much time on this option, since the last one was much more interesting to us, and something we all felt more connected to. Despite that, we gleaned some good information about where the university spends their money and how difficult it can be to cut back on that kind of spending. By the time all the small groups came together for the conclusion, a few good points about teacher salaries and frivolous spending were brought up, but the discussion here was not as productive as it was for other options. Coming together as one large group at the end was a good way to share everyone’s ideas and let people propose anything they felt was missing. The other groups had very similar thoughts to mine about the student’s role in reducing the cost of college, but they had more ideas on the university’s role. They decided that schools should reduce Gen Ed requirements so getting a degree is more efficient, and perhaps force students to stay on a single major track and not switch, so students can move through faster. I personally take issue with this, since it seems harsh to force teenagers to make a choice at the end of high school that they must stick to for the next four years of their life. Regardless, at the end of this deliberation I was glad to have come and came away with some new perspectives on the topic. I can carry them on into my adult life as I become more involved with my own finances, and eventually the college education of my own children. |
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