How to Make College More Affordable Essay

many an(prenominal) of the protesters occupying breakwater Street and other places say they atomic number 18 upset about the acclivitous price of going to college. There is small(a) dispute today that the spot of assimilators who have debt has increased, and that the amount of money they have borrowed has gone up (Billitteri). Many scholarly persons incur large amounts of debt that will never s much dividends in high wages or greater job satis pointion, and they graduate into a earth with weak employment prospects. Its a betrayal of the American amicable contract that says if you work hard and invest in yourself through tuition, youll be able to build a better life. The current system is badly in take aim of an overhaul, and this paper will present several ship counsel to bring about this needed change.The seriousness of the current situation has worsened during the last few decades. Since 1982, the average cost of college reading and fees has increased by 439 perce nt, while the typical familys income has increased by a untarnished 147 percent (_Measuring_, 8). later adjustment for inflation, students are borrowing twice what they did a decade ago, and total higher-education debt has surpassed credit-card debt for the first time, rising to $1 trillion at the end of 2011 and continuing to climb (Cauchon).And its no wonder students are feeling the pinch, when one understands the diminishing role federal official gifts have in providing education dollars for todays students. Today a federal Pell parcel out covers only about one-third of what it costs for a universal four-year college in-state, says Lauren Asher, chair of The Institute for College Access and Success in California. In the 1980s it cover about half in the 1970s it covered more than 70 percent. (Abramson).The reality is that for young people today, it is harder to educate ones way into the middle class, and college costs are leaving many in this propagation without the credent ials they need to thrive in the 21st century economy. peerlessradical solution that recently has been proposed is that the federal regime should completely grade void student add debt to stimulate the economy (Caffentzis, 31). However, history has shown that in the typesetters case of tax rebate checks, people tend to spend any rebates to pay off other existing debt, or they merely save them. This does little to stimulate the economy, and one suspects that the same would happen with across-the-board loan mercy (_Harris_).However, thither are several measures that can be taken to make college more affordable. Lets start with the student loan and grant system. The government should increase the number of need-based Pell Grants awarded to students, but there should in like manner be more grant money given to the students willing to chose a cheaper public college or start their academic career by attending companionship college. Most colleges would consequently want to keep th eir tuition costs humiliated to remain attractive to prospective students. This goes hand in hand with the fact that administration costs at colleges could be cut. One reason tuition never seems to drop is that universities are non getting more high-octane the way other industries are.Today, administrators and staffers safely outnumber full-time faculty members on campus. College administrations frequently tout the fiscal advantages of using part-time, adjunct faculty to hear courses. They fail, however, to apply the same logic to their own ranks. Unlike businesses, which cut losing operations, colleges simply hike their tuitions (Ginsberg). In addition, private student loans could require school certification, be abolished outright, or private loans could be required to offer the same amuse rates and quittance options as federal student loans. There should also be an increase in the income limits for student loan deductibility, and changes in the repayment rules.Second, we co uld move the countrys tax rates back to mid-fifties levels. This would increase the tax burden on the wealthy, which would help to fund student grants. According to the Tax Policy Center (a joint venture of the urban Institute and Brookings Institution), from 1950 to 1963 individuals paid 91% or 92% of their income above $200,000 to the federal government. The current rate is just about 35%, where it has been for the last decade.(_Historical_).Our current American business model is based upon short-term gains by building capital, and sedulousness has successfully lobbied Washington for lower tax rates for years. However, this is arguably non sustainable in the long term because technology-based business ventures will be forced to shift back to more industrial ones if they dont have a readily available educated workforce. Corporations that do not pay their share of taxes will eventually suffer the consequences as their readiness to hire a tech-savvy, educated workforce diminishes .Third, we currently have a unsuccessful person system that does not allow student loans to be discharged, and there is no statute of limitations on collections of student debt. The government can legally garnish money from a low-income student borrowers Social security department benefits and Earned Income Tax Credit. Garnishing money from low-income students contradicts the stated U.S. policy goal of reduction poverty, and is therefore hypocritical. Most other kinds of debts can be discharged, but not student loans. Since the beginning of the federal student loan program in 1965, the freedom to change lenders in order to find better sake terms for a loan has also been denied (Caffentzis, 35).To single out education loans as the one type of debt that our system specifically prohibits from standard bankruptcy is wrong. Unless education debt can be forgiven through bankruptcy proceedings, as nearly other debt can, the system will never be fair to student borrowers. Theres no rea son to treat student loan debt differently from other types of debt, other than as a gift to the banks. After all, how many other loans carry a guarantee from the federal government for payment and restrict the borrowers options in the way student loans do?Lastly, colleges need to use their resources more efficiently. This includes outsourcing resources such as food operations, IT services, building maintenance, student bookstores, and recreation centers. Collaborative purchasing could be used as well. orphic companies like Wal-Mart already use their enormous purchasing power to discuss low prices from suppliers. Colleges that band together to buy goods and services can often obtain lower prices on goods and services used, than if they buy separately.On the training front, more classes could be taught online. Not all instruction canbe offered effectively on-line, but large numbers of students can benefit from the savings by reduced commuting and room-and-board costs. In addition, libraries could be encouraged to modify their holdings, and professors could be required to select textbooks that are also available in e-book format and are usually cheaper (_25_).We need to re-evaluate our countrys spend priorities, and recognize that world-wide competiveness will be increasingly based around our ability as a nation to compete in a technologically advancing world. The current cost of higher education puts our early prosperity as a nation at risk. If our populace is not educated, we will not remain competitive in an increasingly global marketplace. Many other countries already provide free or intemperately subsidized inexpensive university education. In order to be competitive in a global economy, the US must do the same.Works CitedAbramson, Larry. why Is College So Expensive? _NPR.org_. National Public Radio, 25 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.Billitteri, Thomas. student Debt, _CQ Researcher_ 21 Oct. 2011 877-900. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.Caffentzis, George. The Stude nt Loan Debt Abolition Movement in the United States. _Reclamations Journal_ Aug/Sept. 2011 31-41. Web 27 Nov. 2011.Cauchon, Dennis. Student Loans Outstanding Will scale $1 Trillion This Year. _USA Today_ 25 Oct. 2011 B1. Web. 26 Nov. 2011.Ginsberg, Benjamin. Administrators Ate My Tuition. _Washington Monthly_ Sept/Oct. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2011._The Harris Poll_ September 10, 2008, Rebate Checks No Economic Stimulus Web. 2 Dec. 2011._Historical Top Tax Rate_. Chart. Tax Policy Center. 31 Jan. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2011._Measuring Up 2008_. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education_._ Web. 26 Nov. 2011._25 slipway to Reduce the Cost of College_. The Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Web. 1 Dec. 2011.