Professor Rice's Feb. 22 Viewpoint column on the skyrocketing tuition at Notre Dame and the rapid expansion of the size of the campus raises many valid points, and I must admit that I agree with most of them.

Pricing a Notre Dame tuition out of the reach of most potential students seems elitist and un-Christian to me.

However, I feel more compelled to respond to his statement claiming the "primary form of financial aid remains the student loan."

Professor Rice should realize that successive Republican administrations in Washington — administrations that he has long demonstrated support for — have been hacking away at financial aid programs for American students for more than 30 years. Not only are tuitions at Notre Dame and other private colleges prohibitively expensive, but federal financial aid has just about whithered away to a few loans that burden students with debt years after graduation.

Then again, most Republicans have never had to worry about the high cost of college tution.

Jeff Jotz, '92

Jersey City, N.J.

February 22, 2000

• Dating standards can never be too high
  
• We are called to reconciliation
  
• Community thanks students
  
• Community thanks students pt2
  
• More federal funding needed
  
• Crowd mentality is pathetic