Morton 1

April 23, 2017

James Mountain Inhofe

302 N. Independence
Enid, Oklahoma 73701

Dear Senator Inhofe:

I hope you are having a great day. My name is Deanna Morton, I am a college student at
Northern Oklahoma College in Stillwater, Oklahoma. I am writing to you in regards to an issue,
that I am experiencing as well as the majority of other college students. I understand you have a
lot of control of how much college cost and how the rates go up. This problem is becoming
bigger and bigger throughout the years. Being able to afford college is now one of the top issues
while trying to maintain a higher education.

Obviously, college graduates have a lot more options opposed to high school graduates. We
should have more options, we practically paid for them. A website called The Economist, I used
while doing research over this issue claimed, A degree has always been considered the key to a
good job. But rising fees and increasing student debt, combined with shrinking financial and
educational returns, are undermining at least the perception that university is a good investment.
I completely agree with this statement. I have asked many people why they decided to not go to
college. You know what most of them said? It was too expensive or I didnt want to be
drowning in debt by the time I received my degree. The cost of college is the main reason why
most people decide college just isnt for them.

The statistics I researched prove this issue is bigger now, than it has ever has been. Other
countries have much higher graduation rates. Students in other countries like Australia and
Britain also graduate much faster. The Economist also stated, The chances of an American
student completing a four-year degree within six years stand at only around 57%. This is poor by
international standards: Australia and Britain, for instance, both do much better. With trying to
afford college, and not get into too much debt. A lot of students have to take breaks, so they can
work and save up to pay off loans or whatever they may owe. This extends their 4 year degree
into 6 or 10 years. I know my mother has been in and out of school since I was born. I am now
19, finishing my first year of college and she still hasnt finished. Due to she has 4 kids to take
care of, and pay for. So she works jobs that she can get with what college she has finished. If it
wasnt so expensive, maybe she could take a couple days off work to attend school. Yeah maybe
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we wouldnt have as much money, but it would be worth it in the long run. With how much
receiving a higher education cost, that dream is merely just a dream. She is already in debt from
school. She would just become more in debt, and in the long run it probably wouldnt even be
worth it.

Thankfully my grandma is helping me pay for college. A lot of people dont get that privilege
and have to pay for it themselves. Not all kids come from rich families that hand everything to
them. Universities dont tend to comprehend the fact that some people literally just cant drop
their fulltime job, to become a fulltime college student. They have to help provide for their
families. Mr. Porter from The New York Times argued, By the early 2000s the college
attendance rate for children from the richest fourth of American families was 15 to 30 percentage
points higher than that of the poorest fourth. This proves coming from a wealthier family
automatically makes it easier for that student to finish college. Which just isnt fair to the people
who worked just as hard, but simply cannot pay for it.

Another situation where money is a problem, is the actual Universities that we are attending.
Some of them are in more debt than we could even imagine. Another journalist Mr. Selingo from
the New York Times article claimed, Students piling on debt to go to college might attract all
the attention, but colleges have been on a borrowing spree as well, nearly doubling the amount of
debt theyve taken on in the last decade to fix aging campuses, keep up with competitors and lure
students with lavish amenities. Maybe if colleges spent more money trying to help their
students pay for tuition and fees, they would have more students. Instead of trying to be the
biggest campus, or the prettiest. What about the most helpful? I am not saying we shouldnt have
to pay for anything, but I mean some changes would be nice.

The government is one of the largest funders of colleges. OShaugnessy revealed that For the
2013-14 school year, the government sank $126 billion into undergraduate student aid. A lot of
people wonder where this money goes and if the students even see any of it. I am sure we do, but
how are we benefiting from that money? Maybe the school is getting remodeled, or technology
improves but I personally think it could go towards different things and have a much more
positive impact on students. Rather than buying more computers. Student aid is helpful, but
barely pays for anything. I get financial aid, and still have to pay for half of my tuition plus my
books. That doesnt include rent, food, gas money, car insurance, and many other things that also
come out of my pocket. So many college students are struggling to just eat a good meal 3 times a
day. When theyre the ones actually trying to become a wiser person and better the world we live
in, the world your children live in. I think making college more affordable could make a world of
difference.
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On The Huffington Post, Jacob tells his story of getting accepted into a college that he had
always dreamed of attending. He was scared of the cost of attending that school would be. Jacob,
and many other college students have a family to support while trying to attend classes. He came
up with three problems, as well as three solutions to those problems. One of them being, the
bachelors degree is just too long and expensive. We should eliminate the four year degree. Jacob
refers the first two years of college as A cash cow - and an expensive and time consuming
extension of high school. I agree with this opinion. I think this solution would help students
save a lot of time and money. Others think the first two years of college make graduates better
members of society. I can also somewhat agree with that, the last year of school I have matured a
lot.

College Confidential said, Elaborating briefly, it costs roughly three times as much to go to
college as it did, say, 30 years ago, adjusting for inflation. These statistics prove that cost is the
biggest issue while trying to maintain a high education. Therefore, something needs to be done.
And that is why I am writing to you. I want you to acknowledge how much us college students
are struggling. Something needs to be done. And it needs to be done soon.

Sincerely,

Deanna Morton
8317 Timber Creek Trails
Stillwater, Oklahoma
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Annotated Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography

"Not What It Used to Be." The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 01 Dec. 2012. Web. 21

Apr. 2017. <http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21567373-american-

universities- represent-declining-value-money-their-students-not-what-it>.

This source explains how higher education is becoming more and more expensive. It also

talks about the different things that are causing higher education to become so expensive. This

source does not tell me much about the author. The source has a lot of information and statistics.

It was published within the last decade. It also somewhat explains how universities have tried to

solve this problem. This source has a lot of statistics and information. I think it would definitely

benefit my paper.

Porter, Eduardo. "A Simple Equation: More Education = More Income." The New York Times.

The New York Times, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

<https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/business/economy/a-simple-equation-more-

education-more-income.html?_r=0>.

This source explains the difficulties while trying to obtain a higher education. It shows

statistics proving how education has changed throughout the years. Mr. Porter is a journalist for

the New York Times. The source is very popular and has many other reliable articles. It was

recently published. He is more one sided and explains the problems rather than solutions. I think
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this source is credible. It would make my paper a lot more statistical while showing numbers that

really mean something.

Selingo, Jeffrey J. "Colleges Struggling to Stay Afloat." The New York Times. The New York Times,

13 Apr. 2013. Web. 22 Apr. 2017.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/education/edlife/many-colleges-and-universities-face-

financial-problems.html>.

This source informs us on how much debt college students are facing. It also explains the

debt universities are accumulating while trying to remodel or improve learning strategies. The

author is a journalist who works for New York Times. The source is a very popular and credible

website, as well as magazine. It was recently published. It doesnt just explain the problems

students are in, but also the problems colleges are dealing with. This source is very

informational. It will help me prove how serious this problem is in my paper.

O'Shaughnessy, Lynn. "The Biggest Problems with America's Colleges." CBS News. CBS

Interactive, 13 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-

biggest-problems-with-americas-colleges/>.

This article tells us why so many people drop out of college. It also describes the

governments role in higher education. The author is an author, consultant and speaker who deals

with preparing kids and parents for college. The source is a popular, and reliable website with

lots of information. It is more one sided about the topic of higher education issues. It was
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published very recently. I think it has good statistics. It would help me while informing someoen

of this issue in my paper.

Ruytenbeek, Jacob. "The Problems (And Solutions) Of Higher Education." The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 Apr. 2017.

<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jacob-ruytenbeek/how-to-make-education-more-

affordable_b_3744356.html>.

This article tells a story from someone with the same problems a lot of other college

students are experiencing. It also list many other problems, as well as solutions. The author

teaches online classes to college students and is a licensed attorney. The source is a news website

with lots of information. It was recently published. It is mainly talks about the negative things

and how difficult finishing college can be. I think it has good information and shares a story of a

person struggling just like everyone else. It would benefit my paper.

CCAP Staff. "The Problem(s) with Higher Education." College Confidential. N.p., 10 Nov.

2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2017. <http://www.collegeconfidential.com/the-problems-with-

higher-education/>.

This article explains how the biggest issue in higher education is the cost. It list the other

problems college students experience. The authors are a group of people who work for the

website. The source is website who helps college students with any questions they might have.

The article was published recently. It is very against this problem and explains how serious it is. I

think this article will benefit my paper. It has a lot of relevant information.
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