Forgot to add:
I think there are three main problems making tuition skyrocket:
1. Because they can. Student loan debt can't be discharged by bankruptcy or death, therefore...let's raise tuition!
I think it's important to note that it's not just because they can, it's also because we let them and continue to swallow the bait, hook, line, and sinker.
2. States are cutting funding. This is a bad sign about the ability of state governments to see what's good for the country in the moderate- and long term.
This could easily get back into the subject matter of the thread that was previously locked. Simply because something benefits people doesn't mean that government should do it. We can think of MANY things that would be beneficial to many citizens I'm certain, however, financing it's citizen's desires isn't what government and more specifically our federal government was created to do. We're all free to contribute to our heart's content to any cause we please, however, it's not our job to tell others what good cause they MUST contribute to, when, and how much.
3. Colleges have irresponsible spending habits. Too many administrators, too many shiny new buildings, too much spent on sports, and don't even get me started on lazy rivers and swanky dorms.
While I agree on much of the quote above, one sport in particular usually funds itself and makes enough to fund numerous other college sports teams. American football. If we want to curb the sports that take funding, then we'd have to start with all women's sports and all men's sports except for American football, in some colleges Basketball, and a few other rare exceptions where regional favorites sometimes fund themselves (Wrestling in Iowa, perhaps Hockey in a couple of colleges like Minnesota, etc.)
Point 2 won't be solved by addressing point 3 and vice-versa. Problem 1 can only be addressed by Congress, and I'm not holding my breath.
I'm am holding my breath as it's not the purpose or responsibility of federal government to fund public education, let alone public colleges or tuition. When someone can show me in the Constitution or it's amendments where college education is outlined, then we have a different discussion.
IMO, "personal responsibility" extends as far as "You can't play video games all summer. You need to get a job and cover your tuition." It does not include "You need to become a debt serf so that the U of State can raze its paleontology museum to make way for a new football stadium, while also adding a new Dean of Equity, a VP of Advancement, and a half-dozen deanlets of [insert title]. Oh, and let's raise the football coach's salary to a cool million. Pay up, kids!
So if it's not the responsibility of the person going to college to pay costs and debt incurred by them going to college, can you tell me just who's responsibility it is and where that's spelled out? If it's anyone's responsibility other than the student, it's then the responsibility of the parents of the student.
Why is it that "personal responsibility" only seems to extend to the party who has basically no choice in the matter (because essentially all of the colleges are doing this and all or nearly all states are cutting funding)? Why is it that governments and universities can behave badly and then tell the people who attend them that they have to be "responsible" and pick up the tab?
Perhaps a better question, why is it that responsibility would be upon anyone else other than the person who signs for the debt? In answer to your question above, everyone DOES have a choice, that's just it, nobody is forcing their hand. Once again, there are many careers available that don't require a college education and in fact will pay you while they train you incurring zero debt and instead making money along the way.
While I can sympathize with the plight of college debt as I have two sons currently in college, I also understand that nobody has forced them there and we've all of our own free will signed on. Decisions have ramifications, consequences, and responsibilities to fulfill. Perhaps that's the first lesson colleges should be teaching as it appears many youth aren't getting the message these days.
