Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Esther Christodoss
ENGL 1302.08
30 April 2017
In the last few years, many reforms have been made to improve the state of our nation.
U.S leaders have made legislative moves to better institutions like health, the effects of poverty,
and other large issues. However, a problem that has not been as addressed as it should be is the
high college tuition costs that trouble college students today. According to a study on the aspects
of college tuition, public tuition is driven by the availability of grants, the level of state
appropriations, and is negatively related to enrollment (Doyle 4). Though presidents like former
President Obama have wanted to lower college tuition costs with reform, the critical situation
college students have been enduring for decades has always been drowned out by issues deemed
more prominent and important by society. When the future of Americas workforce and society is
at risk of being lowered in quality, it is crucial to make reforms before it is too late. U.S
Legislators should pass a bill that addresses the need for alleviation of the costs of college tuition
because these costs cause students to lower their academic expectations, negatively affecting the
Most of the history of the U.S has involved leaders passing bills that would, hopefully,
lead up to a positive change in the issue they regard. The issue of college tuition costs is no
different; it can eventually be solved by methodically writing and passing a bill. Former
President Obama had wanted to pass a bill regarding the issue of college tuition, laying down a
goal that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in
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the world ("College Tuition and Student Debt). Though it may not be possible for a bill to
make a change immediately, over time the costs of college tuition could be alleviated and the
If the bill were to be made, it would have to address several different issues. For example,
in some colleges, college tuition prices rise 3.5 percent higher than the rate of inflation
(Ehrenberg 3). Also, because of the high costs of college, about two-thirds of graduates take out
loans with an average student debt of over $23,000. This debt is particularly burdensome for
graduates who choose to enter lower-paying public service careers, suffer setbacks such as
unemployment or serious illness, or fail to complete their degree (College Tuition and Student
Debt). There are many large financial issues surrounding college tuition costs such as the rate it
is rising, the way spending is allocated toward it, and other issues that are associated with a lack
of organization and reform. Writing even a decent bill that would bring immediate aid to this
issue would be difficult, as having economic issues resolved speedily could potentially have
negative repercussions in the future. Legislators would have to come up with a bill that slowly
but surely lowers the cost of college tuition and brings help to students who struggle with loans
Something that could bring this issue to light and make U.S leaders look at the issue more
closely would be college students themselves making a public statement, such as a protest or
petition signing. If the people going through the issues surrounding high college tuition could
make a mark on the nation, U.S leaders will have to at least have some greater acknowledgement
for the issue and make further strides to create a bill that will help solve the issue. While over the
years there have been legislators and leaders bringing the issue up, without a large-scale
movement, the issue will continue to drown in the pool of different problems society faces in this
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day and age. The severity of this problem will only increase over time, so it is up to students to
take hold of their own futures and the futures of generations to come.
A boundary to passing this bill would be the long process involved in getting even a
single bill passed. Bills in the branches of government have to go through a lengthy process of
being proposed, revised through different sections of the legislative branch, etc. in order to be put
into effect. With this long process and the low exposure for the issues surrounding high college
tuition, it will be difficult for a tuition-alleviating bill to be passed. However, if the importance of
the lowering of college tuition costs is more publicized, there will be more incentive to have a
proper bill written and put through the process of getting it passed. The government will be
pressured by societal outcries to make a change, and since the U.S government will have to
eventually respond to the issues concerning its people, it will eventually take action. It may take
years and years for the issue to finally be put at ease, but time cannot be wasted when it comes to
Some argue that the reason college tuition is so high relates to the way institutions of
higher education allocate their funding, and change should be focused on this area of the
problem. Colleges may direct their funding to acquire useful material to assist students in their
learning endeavors, paying salary to staff members, maintenance costs, and many other
important parts of a colleges budget. However, it is debatable whether colleges are allocating all
their funding to the right places. It is stated in an article regarding financial allocation of
institutions of higher education that academic institutions have changed how they allocate their
resources. The share of institutional expenditures going to faculty salaries and benefits in both
public and private institutions has fallen (Ehrenberg 5). Rather than financing more pressing
matters, some of their money goes toward competitive student activities, and competition for
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the best students means increased spending on nonacademic budget items, such as lifestyle
amenities and high-profile sports programs. These, in turn, drive up tuition rates (Ciment).
Though getting rid of these programs would help alleviate college tuition costs, it would also
reduce the morale of colleges. There are students who are striving to achieve the very best in
what they do, and it is important for colleges to support these students in their goals. Without
these programs, many students would be neglected and deprived of what they enjoy.
A portion of people may also argue that the U.S should look at other countries that do not
have their college students pay as much as they would have to if they were in this country. In
some countries, higher education is financed by the state, thus relieving students of the financial
burden (Jagesic). However, a system like this comes with its problems. Due to how accessible
to the public their higher education is, these countries will face overcrowding in their higher
education system, making students have to wait a significant amount of time before they are able
to finish their degrees (Jagesic). While this system may work to an extent in these countries, the
U.S is vastly different from them and may not adapt well to the changes that would be associated
In conclusion, alleviating college debt will be a difficult task. There are many other issues
that legislators will place above the importance of ensuring the success of Americas future.
However, with enough effort from U.S leaders and the college students going through the issues
surrounding college debt, moves will be made to save the U.S from collapse. Legislation in the
form of bills should be written in order to eventually solve this ongoing crisis, no matter how
lengthy and inconvenient the process may be. The nation needs to realize how important it is to
be able to afford higher education. If this issue is not addressed, the next generation of workers
will not be as strong as the generation that preceded it. There will continue to be a divide
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between what students and what the rest of the nation prioritizes (Khan 1). Our focus should be
not on current workers, but the ones who will take their place; without a change, there is no
telling what will become of this nation. The U.S leaders that will be responsible for the lower
quality of the next workforce should be the ones to take a stand for not only college students, but
Works Cited
Ciment, James. "College Tuition and Student Debt." Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia
of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, edited by Roger Chapman, and James Ciment,
http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpecw/college_tuition_and_student_de
"College Tuition and Student Debt: Primary Documents." Culture Wars in America: An
Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices, edited by Roger Chapman, and James
http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpecw/college_tuition_and_student_de
Doyle, William R. "The Politics of Public College Tuition and State Financial Aid." Journal of
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=78292119&site=ehost-live.
doi:10.1257/jep.26.1.193.
http://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/sharpesi/education_higher/0. Accessed 27
Feb 2017.
Khan, Salman. "What College Could Be Like." Communications of the ACM, vol. 56, no. 1, Jan.