Should New Mexicos government provide free higher

education?
It is no secret that New Mexico and specifically Albuquerque have an unsettling
amount of individuals that are living in poverty. Sociologist, economist, and political
offices, such as the Board of Education, have done countless hours of research to find
some of the reasons behind this. There are many variables that come into play, but I
believe that providing citizens with free higher education we can advance towards
prosperity and more importantly a better future. As citizens of New Mexico, I urge you to
take a stance for our future. We are a community, a team, and a society that can make a
difference by focusing on the next generation of scholars. During this short essay, I will
address this stance from a sociological, economic, scientific and political aspect.
I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einsteins
brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton
fields and sweatshops, Gould, Stephen said, a response from a scientist and historian
provoked by Albert Einsteins brain being studied for scientific advancement. I believe
this quote reveals the hidden truth that through slavery communities inevitably cause
harm toward advancement. Is it possible we are still limiting our beautiful land of
enchantment with a new type of slavery, one where students are shackled to an imaginary
chain called debt. From the early years of grade school through high school, we are
taught the social structures and equations for success such as: go to school and get a
degree, drop outs make less, knowledge is power, make a change in the world with
education. These are a few remarks I recall from various teachers. We are drilled with the
notion and idea that we should strive to reach educational standards and titles such as:

doctor, scientist, lawyer, and teacher. Undoubtedly, these are all roles in society that are
essential for the success of a community, but at what cost?
A recent article Why UNM tuition is critical to supporting our facility and
research, (Doe), claims the fee associated with attendance at the university are necessary
to continuing on our education. However, I have a different stance that can allow for free
education, while actually increasing university-spending budget. In his article, he sheds
light on the UNM budget costs and distributions. He states, 2015 federal funding
provided our students with $305.5 million dollars of financial aid, while our tuition, fees
and costs are $211 million, (Doe). I believe he means that student grants are not being
used for tuition costs. After speaking with many UNM students regarding this issue, I
asked them two simple questions. How much a semester do you typically make in student
grants? The answers averaged around $2000 dollars. Also, how much of that grant would
you say goes towards tuition? After speaking with a few students about this the average
of them came to less than a third. It seems absurd that money the government gives for
students to attend school is not being used for school. After speaking with one student
veteran, I asked where the money is typically spent and why. Between my wife and I,
money can be tight. She works full time while I go to school. It doesnt change the fact
that I still need to contribute. With the grant money, I can use that for our bills and taking
care of her needs as well, (Joaquin, Barela). Lets look at one more variable in this
equation. UNM is known for its veterans using GI benefits and other VA benefits. Most
of these students have earned the privilege of having school paid for yet still qualify for
federal grants. When a student has all of his or her tuition paid for as well as living
allowances, the grant money is free to be used as needed. Time and time again it is shown

that most grants awarded are not typically used to pay the tuition. Instead, they are used
for supporting families, rent, food, and other needs.
A full-time UNM student will spend about $3,000 a semester on average if they
take 15 credit hours. If they are enrolled full time but with less than 15 credit hours, the
price increases depending on the field. This cost doesnt include fees for books, parking,
or time lost not working. In New Mexico, the average income per capita is $25,786
(citydata.com). By standards, this is well below middle class and into poverty ranges.
With the average rent at $700 dollars, according to the same site, that automatically takes
$8,400 away from income. Once you subtract food, utilities, transportation costs,
clothing, health care, taxes, and possibly caring for a child, it seems almost impossible to
fathom finding around $7,000-$10,000 dollars for yearly education. Luckily, we have
student loans or is it lucky? Many student loans hold a compounding interest, which
adds up quickly effecting attendance rates of those in poverty. But how is this possible
when the right to equal education opportunity is a stance our government fights for,
(Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974)? This begs the question that education is
unintentionally being provided to those coming from backgrounds of wealth. This is a
very similar issue that was fought in the human rights movements when education was
reserved for a specific race, gender, and economic classes. An individual who is living in
poverty ranges will be forced into larger amounts of debt. By following the educational
social structures for success, it inadvertently causes oppression. It also creates a growing
economic gap with uneven distribution of wealth. The rich get richer and the poor get
poorer. So how can we fix this? The answer is simple really; the money used and
distributed from federal grants to individuals should instead go directly to the university,

as its intended. If tuition costs for 2015 were $211 million and grants equaled $305.5
million (UNM budget), then if that money went directly to the school in reality we would
have $94 million left over for UNM facilities, staff or even possibly free parking and
books. On an individual basis, this will change the income that is seen for enrolled
students; however, in opposition without the stress of tuition debt, our students will have
the freedom to continue working while attending school. It will ensure those graduating
with degrees have equal class advancement as those coming from wealth.
Let's switch gears and talk about something else. Theory of deviance is a
sociology theory that states social structures create an opposition for equal economic
class advancement. In some situations when an individual follows the guidelines and
laws set for advancement their chances decrease, causing some to go outside of the law in
acts of deviance. Most nonviolent, deviant behaviors stem from the financial motivation
for class advancement. Some deviant acts for profit include, but are not limited to,
robbery, selling of narcotics, prostitution, and many more. New Mexico is known for an
abundance of criminal activity. The majority of nonviolent crimes committed boil down
to financial motivation. Once a person is convicted or incarcerated for a nonviolent
crime, employment opportunities decrease from having a criminal background. This
causes re-occurrences in crimes provoked by a term known as self fulfilling prophecy.
When an individual recognizes their social status as criminal, they accept it and
continue to act in deviance. Their motivation, same as before, is to create profit for
survival with decreased availability in jobs. As pointed out in the article by Doe, not all
students of UNM fall into this category. In fact, most students attending the university are
likely law-abiding citizens. It is hard to determine the amount of students participating in

deviant acts for profit, but to rule it out completely is illogical and a bias view from the
University. Unfortunately, there is no way to fully determine whether free higher
education will decrease the crime rates in New Mexico. However, we can compare like
situations. Sweden offers free education to their citizens and is rated 16th in total crimes
committed. The United States is ranked number one, (country vs country
nationalmaster.com). Not only is their crime rate down but also many of their crises have
been diminished. For example, Swedens recycling industry is so successful they import
trash from other countries. The one thing we do know is New Mexico has an increasing
rate in criminal activity and those living in poverty. As citizens of this great state, its time
to stop speculating and start making changes.
Our great state of New Mexico is known for many things including, a vast amount
of land and rural communities. Most citizens understand for a community to thrive we
must rely on each other. Our community encompasses many crisis that affect all of us
such as: lack of water, lack of health care in remote regions, addictions, homelessness,
crime, famine, and racism to name a few. These are indeed issues that are being
addressed by our states best scientists, lawyers, economists, doctors, and educators. The
one thing these all have in common is higher education. Which brings us back to the
issue, does our government and institutions financially support equal opportunity in
education? I believe that it does not. I believe as not only a student but also as someone
who has fought overseas, seeing first hand the effects of deviance and poverty we can
better our future. I believe if our state government allowed for free higher education
based on testing skills, GPA, and community based work we can decrease our crime
rates, increase our professionals in needed fields, and allow equal opportunity for class

advancement. After all, Americans are seen as equal regardless of race, gender, and
economic status. We owe this to our ancestors who endured hardship during our nations
human rights movements. Let's honor our ancestors efforts of equality towards a brighter
future, not just the capital gains inquired by institutions or bureaucracies exploiting
education in this new form of financial slavery.