Community College Should Be Free Of Tuition
Imagine a world where the poor only become poorer and the wealthy become greedier, a world in which equality is only a figure of speech but no action is set to prove it. The United States has been dramatically declining in its system of education. We have high dropout rates due to burdened students who cannot afford school. President Obama, the nation’s leader, has come up with a proposal to help better the nation and the United States of America. This proposal states that community college shall be free of tuition for 2 years. This proposal is a great step forward for our country. I stand by the proposal that if community college were to be free of tuition, then it is a positive step forward because it is a way in boosting the growth of our
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economy; it would also make school more inexpensive for those who cannot afford community college.
The first reason for why community college education should be free is because it will help the economy by giving it a boost. We should not sit back and watch as our economy crumbles and falls. It is our duty and obligation to find a solution to this ever-withering economy. By making community college tuition-free, we are taking our first step to a better economy. Studies have been conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists which is a career building company that turns employment market data into a linking between economies, people and work that indicate that investments within the community college level pay themselves back many times (O'Connor). This only indicates the benefit of such a proposal. We will be investing in educating our nation, instead of having many jobs leave the United States due to lack of qualification; we will have a new generation of skilled workers and entrepreneurs. This results in a more sophisticated society in which knowledge and discipline will no longer be an excuse for poor social status. As of now community college plays a major role in our economy; according to the Economic Modeling Specialists community college has contributed an estimated $809 billion in 2012 (EMSI). Numerous studies conducted by The Economic Modeling Specialists have resulted in a recent evaluation showing that a 2 percent rise in individuals with an associate’s degree and a 1 percent rise in individuals with a bachelor’s degree produces $20 billion in additional economic input, $1.2 billion in additional state and local tax incomes every year and 174,000 new jobs (O'Connor). These numbers support a proposal in which if community colleges were tuition free for two years, it would be an economic boost for our Country.
The second reason community college should be tuition free is for the fact that many students cannot afford to pay for their education and thus drop out.
According to the Institute for College and Success, there are approximately a million students who cannot afford to pay for school and also are not accepted for federal loans (“What We DO”). The hardest hit by this dilemma are the low-income black, Native American and Latino students. In some areas like Alabama, around 64 percent of low income black students in the community college do not receive admission in federal loans. Community college students’ access to federal student loans is hindered by the individuals’ race and ethnicity. Native American, African-American, and Latino students who attend community college are more likely to lack access to federal loans (“At Chat Cost”). David Baime goes so far as to say that tuition being unaffordable and also not qualifying for federal loans is like a “double-edged sword.” So for this reason we should strive for equality among all ethnicities and backgrounds. This is a matter of being fair to those that are unprivileged in our society. Aiding the masses with free community college will essentially leave no excuse or gap for those who are unable to afford school, thus providing equality to those in our communities in poorer conditions
(Calvert).
Some opponents of the proposal for free college tuition argue that it is needless because community college is already low cost and affordable. They believe it is judiciously priced; averaging about $3,330 a year. I agree with this claim from the opposing view, yet when we step back and look at what the tuition actually accounts for, we see it only covers one-fifth of the costs for a student to be attending community college. Other costs that are included in a student attending community college are housing, books, transportation, food and other requirements. The typical community college students usually never meet these expenses. Many of these students originate from families with incomes below the $20,000 mark-annually. What are we supposed to do for those less fortunate? Many students in these situations are trying to balance a life of hardship and things begin to pile up. Students begin to work long hours to make up for school payments, resulting in lower grades and eventually the students begin to drop out (Expanding).
Let us not worry about only ourselves but rather let us delve into what really matters, the large portrait. We need to establish a future for the generations to come and make a nation strong by means of a stable economy for our children and grandchildren.
economy; it would also make school more inexpensive for those who cannot afford community college.
The first reason for why community college education should be free is because it will help the economy by giving it a boost. We should not sit back and watch as our economy crumbles and falls. It is our duty and obligation to find a solution to this ever-withering economy. By making community college tuition-free, we are taking our first step to a better economy. Studies have been conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists which is a career building company that turns employment market data into a linking between economies, people and work that indicate that investments within the community college level pay themselves back many times (O'Connor). This only indicates the benefit of such a proposal. We will be investing in educating our nation, instead of having many jobs leave the United States due to lack of qualification; we will have a new generation of skilled workers and entrepreneurs. This results in a more sophisticated society in which knowledge and discipline will no longer be an excuse for poor social status. As of now community college plays a major role in our economy; according to the Economic Modeling Specialists community college has contributed an estimated $809 billion in 2012 (EMSI). Numerous studies conducted by The Economic Modeling Specialists have resulted in a recent evaluation showing that a 2 percent rise in individuals with an associate’s degree and a 1 percent rise in individuals with a bachelor’s degree produces $20 billion in additional economic input, $1.2 billion in additional state and local tax incomes every year and 174,000 new jobs (O'Connor). These numbers support a proposal in which if community colleges were tuition free for two years, it would be an economic boost for our Country.
The second reason community college should be tuition free is for the fact that many students cannot afford to pay for their education and thus drop out.
According to the Institute for College and Success, there are approximately a million students who cannot afford to pay for school and also are not accepted for federal loans (“What We DO”). The hardest hit by this dilemma are the low-income black, Native American and Latino students. In some areas like Alabama, around 64 percent of low income black students in the community college do not receive admission in federal loans. Community college students’ access to federal student loans is hindered by the individuals’ race and ethnicity. Native American, African-American, and Latino students who attend community college are more likely to lack access to federal loans (“At Chat Cost”). David Baime goes so far as to say that tuition being unaffordable and also not qualifying for federal loans is like a “double-edged sword.” So for this reason we should strive for equality among all ethnicities and backgrounds. This is a matter of being fair to those that are unprivileged in our society. Aiding the masses with free community college will essentially leave no excuse or gap for those who are unable to afford school, thus providing equality to those in our communities in poorer conditions
(Calvert).
Some opponents of the proposal for free college tuition argue that it is needless because community college is already low cost and affordable. They believe it is judiciously priced; averaging about $3,330 a year. I agree with this claim from the opposing view, yet when we step back and look at what the tuition actually accounts for, we see it only covers one-fifth of the costs for a student to be attending community college. Other costs that are included in a student attending community college are housing, books, transportation, food and other requirements. The typical community college students usually never meet these expenses. Many of these students originate from families with incomes below the $20,000 mark-annually. What are we supposed to do for those less fortunate? Many students in these situations are trying to balance a life of hardship and things begin to pile up. Students begin to work long hours to make up for school payments, resulting in lower grades and eventually the students begin to drop out (Expanding).
Let us not worry about only ourselves but rather let us delve into what really matters, the large portrait. We need to establish a future for the generations to come and make a nation strong by means of a stable economy for our children and grandchildren.