I wouldn’t have minded being part of that class. But I did manage to find a job after my graduation and work to pay my loans off. The problem with student loans is the interest rates but school needs to be more affordable. Right now it’s as affordable as an Escalade for a used Civic budget.
Billionaire's gift eliminates student loan debt for 396 students.
- Thread starter dennishoddy
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I would hate to be the guy that has to follow him next year.
Sorry, but I seriously disagree. What about people who WANT to major in subjects such as History, or English, or Art? There is value in a Liberal Arts Education beyond simply being trained to do a specific job. Where would we be as a society without great writers or artists? Besides, many with a degree in a subject like History go on to be quite successful in a wide variety of endeavors. As far as Technical, or Trade Schools, as you put it, Oklahoma already has one of the finest Career Tech Systems in the Country. The partnership between Higher Ed and Career Tech allows students to earn credits towards both, while the Partnership between Higher Ed and K-12 allows qualified juniors and seniors to earn college credits that contribute to both high school and college general education course requirements. Speaking as one who has worked, and retired from Higher Ed, I can unequivocally state that a major problem, one more serious than the mere fact that "life ain't always fair" as pertains to those who worked their way through college or whose parents scrimped and saved to help pay for it, is the dumbing down of America's High Schools. Way too many incoming freshmen require remedial English and Math upon entering college. These zero-level courses are not degree required courses, they are merely there to get students to a level where they can succeed in college level course work. I can't tell you how many students I had tell me, (and some parents too) that "college was too hard". (Suck it up Buttercup). The number of students who aren't prepared to do college level work is appalling to me, a guy who spent many years trying to help/get them to graduate. (But...but...I sometimes have to study almost every night for 3 or 4 hours, sniff sniff. The Professor is too hard, whine whine).
A second major problem is Administrative Bloat across the spectrum in Education. I'll cite one example and you can take it from there: It's a fact that the Greater Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area (Metro OKC) is one of the geographically largest in the country. Urban sprawl brings its own unique problems in infra-structure, such as roads and power. A city very similar in regards to size, population and geographic characteristics to Metro OKC is Jacksonville, Florida. Now, back to administrative bloat; Jacksonville has one school district. Metro OKC? 26. That's right; 26 school districts with 26 Superintendents and the associated staffs to do the job of ONE school district in Jacksonville. Can you see the issue here? Consolidation and the appropriate redistribution of available resources (mainly speaking; money) might help, an educated person might well think. But why don't we do it? I have no idea why, other than the supposition that people generally are resistant to change and that those in power are hard pressed to give it up.
I believe that a short study on how Metro OKC got to be the administrative behemoth it is today will show that early on, many of the area's first developers and financiers here, like Anton Classen and P.B. Odom competed and fought for land, and built the city to suit their own needs and goals, without regard or even perhaps advance knowledge to the effects of urban sprawl and what the result might look like in the future. One of those results is the complexity and burden of the 26 separate school districts which all compete for cash, tax dollars even, at least partially to ensure their own survival, and not student success in high school and college.
Bravo to the man who paid off the student loans. To those who made it through without the burden of debt? Well, good for you. Excellent, even. And remember; life ain't always fair. Some are born with money behind them and brains to boot. Others are born to poor or working-class parents and may also be lacking in talent. All can succeed, but in reality, only to the level of their capabilities. The myth that you can be whatever you set your mind to is just that; a myth. You can be what your capabilities will let you, if you work really hard and exploit them to the fullest. The rest is fantasy.
i'm confused. Why are we worried about whether this was 'fair' or not? This doesn't lessen the accomplishment of those who paid their own way (save for maybe removing some sense or moral superiority, i guess), but it certainly could make a big difference for those that took out student loans trying to better the chances for themselves or their children.
And the 'get them jobs' argument is ********, frankly. Being educated has value unto itself and can provide a good foundation for vocation training from an employer. And yes, not everyone should go to college and trade schools are woefully undervalued right now. But saying that a background in history isn't worth getting because it 'wont get a job' is disingenuous and undervalues skills that you learn and knowledge you acquire (some of which may not be beneficial to your first job out of college, mind you, but could be of value down the road if you change jobs, etc).
If we want to talk about debt vs payoff then we need to look at things like state funding for education, predatory lending, for-profit colleges, administrative bloat (as was noted) and maybe other factors.
Hear! Hear! Many For-Profit or even some classified as Not-for-Profit, such as a few of those that went belly-up in Oklahoma, are usually nothing but money makers and dream breakers for the poor kids that get/got fooled into taking out huge student loans to pay ridiculously high tuition and fees for sub-par training that usually leads to nothing but debt. The Oklahoma Board of Private Vocational Schools can be thanked in part for allowing such predators to exist. Those who attended some of those low-life institutions found themselves saddled with debt and credits that were meaningless in terms of transfer to legitimate colleges and universities. What a scam. I’m ashamed that our State even allows such a thing to exist. All I can say is Caveat Emptor.
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A good point. But, it wasn't totally free; there is still the individual investment made in terms of individual work to get the degree. They had no idea this was going to happen; it was unexpected. I do think that changes the picture a bit, and probably for the better. But your point remains a valid one.
Interesting...some of the posts here are very similar to the comments made by AOC. I believe they are beginning to win...
People (including employers) need to stop treating college education as just a step down the path to a job. Do third-graders learn history because it will help them get a job when they’re 22? The same kind of value exists in higher education, only greater. Trying to turn colleges and universities into career-generating machines is one of the things ruining higher education in the US.
And if we want tuition and other costs to go back down, we have to stop guaranteeing student loans. Government-guaranteed loans cause artificially high demand which outstrips the supply of higher education which requires prices to be very high.
The market says you can only choose two:
And if we want tuition and other costs to go back down, we have to stop guaranteeing student loans. Government-guaranteed loans cause artificially high demand which outstrips the supply of higher education which requires prices to be very high.
The market says you can only choose two:
- Majority of Americans obtain a college education
- College education is affordable for many Americans
- College education is high-quality on average
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