Raise education standards by lowering costs
Michelle M. Valiukenas
The DePaulian
CHICAGO, Illinois
Fifteen thousand dollars — that's how much I figure I'll have to pay back to the federal government when I leave this fine institution (and that's not including the loans I'll have to take out for law school).
For the last two and half years, I've been able to convince myself that I was actually doing a good thing, that I was putting forth this extra money so that I could get a quality education at a school that was devoted to serving every individual's needs.
I chose DePaul University rather than any of the state schools because of its apparent commitment to the individual and for that, I was willing to live in debt for a few years after graduation.
But, as I read the news items this week touting University of Illinois's soaring tuition increases, I realized that it did not matter whether I went to a state school or not. College has gotten way too expensive.
According to a Credit World article, the average college student upon graduation has $12,000 in student loan debt. In this day and age, when it is required to have not only a bachelor's, but also a graduate degree to get a good job, this is ridiculous.
How can a college graduate with $12,000 in debt convince himself or herself that it is a good idea to go to graduate school, where they are going to be immersed in further debt?
Then, whether or not he or she goes to graduate school, can you honestly tell me that every college graduate is going to get a job where they will be able to pay off their loan right away? No, of course not.
Now, some will argue that there are programs like Bright Start and U-Promise that allow parents to put away money when their child is born or as they are growing up, and then use that money to send them to a state school free of charge or get the tuition equivalent at a private college or university.
While I agree that these are fantastic programs and that more parents should get involved with them, they were not around when I was young. So while I keep seeing commercials about them, I'm still stuck with a looming thought that in a few years, I will have to pay off my $15,000 in undergraduate debt (and still more in law school debt).
The problem is that as the cost of higher education continues to rise, less and less people will be able to afford college.
At the same time, this trend will continue to grow and the need for multiple degrees will rise, thereby increasing the number of people who will be left with no other option but to finish high school and find a job, a job that will provide little to no benefits and will most likely barely pay minimum wage.
So, I propose this idea: Let us look to our neighbors in Europe who do not have this dilemma because education, even in the form of colleges or universities, is free to all citizens.
Can you imagine what would happen if we were to significantly lower the cost of college in the United States?
More people from a variety of different backgrounds, not just the economically advantaged, would be able to attend college. Then, because more people would want to attend and because colleges and universities would not be so obsessed with profit, the level of education would improve because colleges and universities could afford to be selective.
That way, rather than finding the majority of your classmates from the same middle class areas, you would find your classmates from a variety of different locations, classes and backgrounds.
What an amazing thought that would be: to go to a college or university that would remain competitive and go to classes with a wide variety of students, all of whom you would learn from. Not to mention the fact that you wouldn't have to worry about selling your blood and organs to pay back those massive loans.
Oh, but I've often been called an idealist and I think that on this one, I'd have to agree with my skeptics. Since I don't see the United States deciding to give us free (or even cheap) higher education anytime in the near future, I suppose I'll have to go with other alternatives.
Today, I've decided to start playing the lottery. I hear there's a big jackpot this time around. See you in line!
This column first appeared in DePaul University's campus newspaper, The DePaulian, on Jan. 18, and is reprinted here courtesy of U-WIRE..
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Viewpoint Stories for Wednesday, January 23, 2002
