Justin Behunin Jamie McBeth-Smith English 1010-028 December 6th, 2012 Rising Tuition Costs With it being an election

year many topics get debated. One of these topics usually is education reform. When it comes to the topic of college expenses one of the discussions is how to make college tuition more affordable. Some say the federal government should cut back on student financial aid. That it isnt worth the cost to us as a nation especially with the increasing debt our government has. President Obama had increased federal spending on financial aid and has moved to having loans issued by the government instead of financial institutions. Mitt Romney says it should be the states that provide more aid and student loans should be issued by financial institutions reducing the amount of loans the federal government issues. Both believe that having a degree is necessary to become financially successful and its key to Americas long term economic future. Does having a degree provide more job opportunity and a higher level of income? Will having more American with a higher education help economic growth and reduce the number of Americans living in poverty? This is a topic of importance to me be because I currently rely on financial aid to attend college to hopefully benefit my financial future by obtaining a degree. With a degree I hope to open up more job opportunities to me with a higher paying salary. For Americans to be able to obtain a degree it needs to be affordable and the debate is on how best to help pay for students tuition while keeping the rate tuition has been increasing annually from rising.

Graham, Donald E. Avoiding Disaster for Low-Income Students. Wall Street Journal. 14 Jan 2011: A.15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 01 Nov 2012.

Donald Grahams article, Avoiding Disaster for Low-Income Students discusses the need for regulations to be fair for both public institutions, and private for profit colleges like Kaplan Inc., University of Phoenix and other similar schools, so low-income students have

more options available to obtain a higher education. Graham is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Washington Post Company, which owns Kaplan Inc. Graham, is a proponent of federal aid being available for lower income higher risk students to be able to go to for profit private colleges if they dont have the option of going to public institutions. He argues that private institutions have a higher growth in student capacity than public institutions and that the graduation rates are higher. He claims that at Kaplan the graduation rate is 32% versus 17% at 4 year public institutions making it almost twice the graduation rate. By limiting the assistance to private institutions he states it will be more difficult to reach the goal proposed by President Obama for the U.S. to become the world leader in the percentage of adults with a degree.

Donald Graham is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of the Washington Post Company. Its a news company thats been in business for over 90 years and is well known. This lends to his credibility as a writer. He provides well-reasoned responses to objections people may have to financial assistance for students who choose to go to for profit private institutions. With other countries focusing on having an educated workforce to have a long term economic Advantage he reason that to meet Obamas goal to be the leader again with the highest percentage of adults with a higher education that we will need the assistance of all our private and public schools combined.

This article makes a good argument to allow more students the opportunity to attend college and get a degree even if its by going to a private school instead of a public one. It brings up good arguments about the higher cost of private schools versus the cost of public schools. This relates to the other articles because they note the high cost of private schools and the possibility that private schools whos student receive federal aid are paying increased tuition because they feel students can afford to pay more when part of the students tuition is being paid for by federal aid.

Mitchell, Josh. New Course in College Costs. Wall Street Journal. 11 Jun 2012: A.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 06 Nov 2012.

In Josh Mitchells article, New Course in College Costs, he questions if the increase in federal aid has had an adverse effect of some colleges increasing tuition because they feel students can afford higher tuition costs because they are receiving aid to help pay for tuition. He reports on studies that have been conducted showing a possible link to private schools raising tuition costs to maximize the amount of federal aid thats given to their students. The study states that tuition is about 75% higher at private for profit schools that receive a lot of aid over comparable for-profit schools where students dont receive financial aid. He list several views on this subject which vary from the belief that less federal aid would lower tuition costs, and more assistance from states would also help. There is also the view that federal aid isnt the cause for rising cost, its caused by states cutting funding and rising labor costs.

Mitchells article was published in the Wall Street Journal. As a well-known financial publication this lends to his credibility. This article contributes to the ongoing discussion of how best to keep tuition affordable and increasing the number of adults with a higher education. He uses statistics from studies discussing the percentage tuition costs have increased since 1990 and the percentage federal aid has increased in the same timeframe, which lends to the logic of his article. He also offers opposing views on why tuition costs have risen and what can be done to help combat the rate tuition has increased since 1990.

This article brings up the question of whether or not the federal aid that is supposed to help students afford tuition has actually had the effect of some private for profit schools increasing tuition. Because of the additional aid students receive to help cover tuition costs, it has led to the assumption students can afford higher tuition since part of it is being paid for by federal aid. Its important to consider different causes that are affecting increased

tuition costs and how to reduce the rate at which tuition costs have increased. This article relates to the other articles because it adds to the views of those that are proponents for more federal aid and those that feel states should do more and that the federal government provide less aid. It also brings up the fact that school expenses have increased and state assistance has decreased, which is more of a probable cause of why tuition rates have been increasing, rather than the increased amount being spent by the federal government in financial aid.

Parsons, Christi, and Kathleen Hennessey. Obama Tells Colleges to Hold Down Rising Tuition. McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau. 27 Jan 2012: n.p. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 01 Nov 2012.

Christi Parsons and Kathleen Hennessey are reporters for the Washington DC News Bureau. In their article, Obama Tell colleges to Hold Down Rising Tuition, they report on a speech given by President Obama given at the University of Michigan, January, 27th, 2012. Obama proposed the idea that if colleges and universities didnt do more to combat the rapidly increasing annual tuition costs that theyd risk losing some of the federal aid they currently receive. Obama also argued against the scheduled increase in the interest rates on student loans. Rates will double on Stafford loans from 3.4 percent to 6.9 percent. Parsons and Hennessey report that tuition increases have outpaced inflation for years, and that Obamas proposal to create federal incentives for institutions that keep tuition costs down caught education expert attention because institutions that increase tuition beyond what the government deemed acceptable could lose funding in campus-based financial aid awarded by the government. They report that Obama wants to give Americans the same opportunity he had to get a degree by being able to receive federal financial aid so they can afford the increasing tuition costs.

Christi Parsons and Kathleen Hennessey are reporters for McClatchy Washington DC News

Bureau, McClatchy operates 30 daily newspapers across the country including Tribune Washington Bureau where this article was published. This lends to the credibility of these reporters along with accurately reporting on President Obamas proposal for colleges to hold down the rising costs of tuition. They also provide responses to Obamas proposal from President Mark G Yudof of the University of California system, Rep. John Kline, chairman of the House of education committee, and William Tierney, director of the Center for Higher Education. By reporting the varying views it lends to the credibility of the article.

In this article Parson and Hennessey reported that Obama proposed to give colleges incentive to keep tuition costs down. It also provided me with some response of concerns to his proposal. Its important to look for ways to keep tuition costs down other than by increasing federal financial aid available to students. If incentives help meet this goal it will help reduce the amount of money needed to be provided by the federal government to help pay for tuition. Its important to keep tuition affordable and to reduce the rate that tuition is increasing annually so more adults can get a higher education. The other articles relate to this one by questioning if keeping the interest rate on student loans down if it benefits us as a county when the current rate barely keeps up with inflation. They also question if increased federal financial aid should be the solution or if the states need to be providing more funding for institutions within each state.

Schoof, Renee, Romney, Obama Have Competing Ideas on How to bring School Quality McClatchy Washington DC New Bureau. 25 Sep 2012: n.p. Sirs Issues Researcher, Web. 01 Nov 2012.

Renee Schoof, a reporter for McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau reports in her article, Romney, Obama Have competing Ideas on How to Bring School Quality Up, College Tuition Down, reports on the differing views of both presidential candidates. Schoof questions if the amount of funding for Pell grants should be reduced? Schoof claims the only

thing the candidate do agree on is that all Americans having a good education is good for the economy, democracy, and personal income. After that she says they disagree on their views of what should be done to help American achieve their goal of obtaining a degree. She reports that Obama wants greater access and more federal aid to help Americans go to college. She states that during Obamas time in office the amount spent on Pell Grants has increased to $36 billion by 2011, up from $16 billion in 2088. She also reports that Obama backed an effort to remove student loans from commercial banks into federal loans, which congress passed. On the other hand she states Romney is for student loans being lent by commercial banks. Aid should come from the states and the federal government should have less of an overall role in providing aide for college tuition. That Pell Grants should be reserved only for the lowest income levels and the amount of money spent on grants needs to be reduced.

Renee Schoof is a correspondent for McClatchy Newspapers, which owns and operates 30 daily newspapers nation wide. This article was published in McClatchy Washington DC News Bureau. Her reporting on the differing views of both candidates for president and her position add to her credibility. She effectively compares President Obamas views on federal aid against those of Mitt Romney. She lists what they both agree on, higher education is essential for all America. From there they disagree on how it should be funded to help more Americans to obtain a degree. This information is relevant to today with the election this year and the rising costs of tuition with the ever increasing debt of our government.

This article has shown me opposing views on how assistance with tuition should be handled to keep tuition costs down and give students the aid they need. Instead of the federal government taking on the bulk of aid given to colleges and universities, costs can also be kept down by better funding by states for their own colleges and universities. With the federal deficit increasing annually it might not be wise to continue increasing spending on federal aid even though it might be important to out countries long term future to have

more adults with higher education.

Vedder, Richard. Federal Student Aid Triggers the Law of Unintended Consequences. USA Today (Farmingdale). Sep 2012: 30-31. SIRS Issue Researcher. Web. 01 Nov 2012.

Richard Vedder is a professor at Ohio University. His article, Federal Student Aid Triggers the Law of Unintended Consequences, was published in USA Today. Vedder argues that federal aid programs arent worth the cost. He claims that they fail in meeting the objectives of why the aid is offered and costly. He claims that there should be less federal spending on financial aid and that financial institutions should provide student loans. He disagrees with the current student loan rate of 3.4% , which he states after you consider inflation its equal to 0% interest so the government doesnt see a return on the money lent out. Vedder argues that with the increase in federal aid spending it has led to more college graduates than professional, managerial and technical jobs available. He states this has led to 107,000 janitors and 16,000 parking lot attendants with a bachelors degree, plus many other workers in lower income jobs that have degrees. Vedder claims that without having stricter regulations on those who qualify for aid its led to a lot of mediocre students to benefit more than hard working students because it doesnt provide incentive to pass classes and graduate in a timely manner. He asserts that there should be more restrictions on aid to provide incentive to excel in college and obtain a degree.

Richard Vedders article was published in USA Today. He is a professor of economy at Ohio University. This lends to his credibility. His strongest appeal is with logic and statistics. He outlines eight main problems he sees with financial aid and backs up his position with well-reasoned arguments. By pointing out the flaws he sees in federal financial aid he gives will reasoned arguments to support his position that the federal government needs to rethink its current position on federal aid because of the increasing national debt. He uses statics from a survey my Northeastern University that estimates 54% of graduates are

underemployed or unemployed. By looking only at the short term he fails to consider that as the economy continues to grow that there will be a demand for employees with a degree.

Vedder makes effective arguments in his article and his arguments make you consider that if many adults with degrees are only able to get low paying jobs that they are overqualified for after graduation if current students might end up in the same situation. In the future as the economy improves there is likely to be more positions available that require a degree and underemployed or unemployed graduates will be able to obtain a job the field their degree is for. In order to make it possible for more adults to get a degree its important to slow tuition increases and have aid available for students that need it. This articles relates to the other articles because it provides objections to the increased amount of federal spending on financial aid that has occurred during Obamas time in office and if the benefit is really going to meet the goal of an improved American economy.

From my research of these articles I have learned there are several concerns to offering financial aid and if it helps make tuition more affordable and worth the cost. Ive learned that several states dont even contribute funds to public colleges and university and by having the states step in and help they can keep tuition costs more affordable. Its been helpful that under President Obama more aid has become available and has helped needy students be able to afford tuition costs. However its also contributing to our countrys deficit. With Obama stating that a degree is essential to a middle class life its important for us to find a way to keep tuition affordable, but we also need to consider with our governments increasing deficit if we can afford to spend $36 billion annually on federal aid which is a $20 billion increase from before Obama took office.