 |
|
| Don't raise tuition, use alternative measures |
 Every
year, my parents call to let me know how much I am costing them
to go to college, and every year the cost is more than it was the
year before.
I often wonder if I am paying for the new library, the new dorms
and the new recreation center, with a cute little juice bar, which
I will never be able to enjoy during my college career.
Of course, future students will enjoy these fine facilities, but
I have trouble understanding why I have to pay for it now.
Many middle-income families who are just above the level to receive
financial aid have difficulty paying tuition increases every year.
When students pick a college to attend, the cost of tuition is a
deciding factor in where they will go, and after enrollment and
tuition hikes, families have no choice but to pay the difference.
It does not help when the slow economy makes paying for college
more complicated for many families who have had significant decreases
in income.
Many colleges have trouble recruiting and retaining faculty, and
administrators must make the decision to either increase tuition
or decrease the quality of education.
Of course, decreasing the quality of education is not an option
because this is what students are paying for in the first place
so, administration raises tuition and fees in order to keep up with
the competitiveness of other schools.
But is it too much to ask taxpayers to fork out a little extra money
in an effort to support higher education for their future leaders
instead of increasing tuition?
I do not think it is too much to ask.
Tuition hikes discourage economically disadvantaged students from
applying to college.
Low-income students who apply for loans, grants and financial aid
have trouble paying for college costs in the first place.
When costs increase each year, it begins to take a toll on those
who are already struggling.
Each year I apply for student loans, and the money I receive pays
for part of my tuition and costs for living while my parents pay
the rest.
Without loans I would not be able to go to college because my parents
cannot afford to pay the cost on their income alone.
Tuition hikes increase my worries each year because higher tuition
means I need more loan money to cover the costs, and I know I will
have to pay back all the loans when I graduate.
One of my former roommates was not as lucky as I am to be able to
afford the high costs of college because her parents could not help
her pay for her college education.
She received financial aid and loans, but after being in school
for two years she realized that it was not enough money, even though
she was working two part-time jobs to help with expenses.
She soon realized that her only choice was to drop out of college,
move back home with her parents and get a job in the “real”
world.
Not only did my former roommate not finish college, she is still
paying back all the loans she received.
One alternative to raising tuition is a sliding tuition scale, which
bases each student’s tuition amount on each individual family’s
income.
The sliding tuition scale would require students from high-income
families to pay more than students from low-income families.
There are many alternatives to tuition hikes, but it seems administrators
do not take forceful measures to develop alternatives into working
plans of action.
I am against increasing tuition because there are alternative measures
that can be taken, but, until then, good luck to all those who need
to rob a bank to pay for college.
|
|
 |
 |
