Recently, another Odyssey writer penned the original article here, where she described free education as a blight in our society. However, in a world where people are systematically oppressed based on many -isms, this is a little hard to swallow.
To quote Kanye West, "We got this new thing called classism. It's racism's cousin. This is what we do to hold people back. This is what we do." Without making any assumptions about the original writer's socioeconomic class, it is generally much easier to make the argument against free education when you are not personally paying for your college, or at least not in its entirety. The problem with colleges and universities now is that it cannot be (easily) afforded through just a part time job, or simply saving up, as the writer suggests. According to the College Board, college costs, on average, "$32,405 at private colleges, $9,410 for state residents at public colleges, and $23,893 for out-of-state residents attending public universities." These numbers do not include rent and board, transportation, books, and basic living costs. These amounts are a bit daunting to a full-time student; we aren't talking easy money.
Loans aren't something to scoff at, either. The average student who has graduated from college has $29,400 in debt and is increasing every single year. One fifth of graduates' debt comes from private loans, which include higher interest rates. Students are quite literally leaving the country and living abroad to escape student debt. It isn't something everyone can afford without going into serious debt or working a full-time job while trying to balance school.
Which brings me to the next point -- should everyone be able to go to college? Essentially, her argument suggests low-income students just become a plumber or something. If you can't afford education, according to the article, blue collar jobs are available and meant for you. To clarify, I believe every profession deserves respect, including those with college educations or on different technical tracts. However, I believe everyone should have the choice, at the very least. What a waste to ignore intelligent minds just because they were born into lower income families. A more educated workforce would decrease the unemployment rate by 2 million people. That means less people on unemployment and other government funded welfare programs, which is a benefit to all tax payers.
Having a free education system, or at least a highly regulated, government-capped tuition rate that makes it affordable students is so important to individual students as well as society as a whole. The strain of resources on students who can't afford college is real, but to lose these minds as a result of money-related issues is a shame. Everything that is free is not unwanted; your education prior to college is free and valuable. Associating being able to afford college with hard work is ignorant. A college degree is not simply bought. It is earned. Free education doesn't mean handing out diplomas without studying, interning, group projects, and endless all nighters. We shouldn't suppress those who can't afford college, getting rid of any chance of social mobility. We act like spending money on education is such a drain on our resources -- but when did education lose its priority? College education that is available to everyone is just an integral part of the American dream and it should be treated as such.
