1 Free College: Why Not Now? Gail McManus Preview For the past six years, college enrollment has steadily declined. The reason is not that a college degree is becoming less valuable; in fact, a college education is now more essential than ever. However, the cost of four years of college is now far more than most Americans can afford. What's the solution? Increasingly, Americans are beginning to agree that free college tuition may be the answer. Words to Watch 1 objective (1): goal secondary education (2): grades 9 through 12 astronomically (6): tremendously proponent (15): supporter vehemently (16): strongly It may be hard for many of us to imagine, but there was a time when it cost a fair amount of money to attend high school. Until the early 1900s, the majority of young Americans went no farther than the 8th grade, turning in their early teens to trades or farm work to begin earning a living. Only young people who came from wealthy families could afford to continue an education through the 12th grade, since high schools were private institutions where the primary objective was preparation for college. To many Americans, it seemed unfair that only those with money and privilege should have the opportunity to receive advanced education. It was widely understood that employment options improved for those who received a high-school diploma; and improved employment options, in turn, were good for the nation's economy. After all, better jobs meant more income, and more income meant more money being spent. The \"high-school movement,\" as it was known, pushed for free public secondary education for all Americans; and by 1940, 75 percent of young Americans were enrolled in high school, up from barely 19 percent in 1910. The economy boomed, and people were happier. Clearly, making high school free had been a wise decision. 497 498 3 PART TWO Ten Reading Selections Today, there is a similar kind of movement happening: the campaign for free college. Like the high schools of the 1900s, colleges have become far too expensive to attend for many young people from low-income and working- class families. The financial constraints block their way to higher education and broader opportunities. As recently as 1970, college tuition was downright inexpensive, with the national average yearly tuition at a public university being only $358. In fact, many colleges did not charge state residents any tuition at all. Not so anymore. In 2016-2017, yearly in-state tuition at a public university was nearly $10,000! And it was at least three times as much at private universities. This kind of tuition not only excludes millions of Americans from college, but it also burdens millions of college graduates with astounding debt from student loansthe only way most people can pay for college today. The average amount of student loan debt that a young graduate carries now exceeds $35,000. It is a sad irony that the very thing that should make life easier for a young persona college degreeso often makes his or her life more difficult than it has ever been. Why is college so expensive? There are several reasons. Skyrocketing costs of health insurance for staff and faculty push up tuition. Textbooks, part of tuition, are often astronomically (some would argue illegally) overpriced. And more and more, colleges are run like businesses, trying to outdo one another with unnecessarily luxurious dorms, stadiums, and dining halls. Further, because colleges are run like businesses, there are far more administrators earn- ing salaries in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The sports teams at many schools also contribute to rising costs: In 2016, for example, the University of Michigan's head football coach earned over $9 million. The bill for all these expenses, and more, goes to the student in the form of progressively outrageous tuition. Some may ask, \"Why even go to college? Can't you get a decent job with a high-school diploma and a strong work ethic?\" The answer to that question, increasingly, is No. There was a time, about 50 to 60 years ago, when a high-school diploma was enough to get a good job and live the good life. A 12th-grade education was all that was needed to be hired as an apprentice at any number of manufacturing and blue- collar jobs. These jobs paid well and had excellent benefits, and it was possible for employees to support an entire family comfortably in a solidly middle- class lifestyle. Making high school free had opened up these opportunities to many more Americans. The middle class prospered, and the economy boomed. But today, things are vastly different. Since 2001 alone, more than 60,000 factories have closed. With the absence of strong unions, well-paying blue- collar jobs with benefits and security are rare. These developments, along with snowballing wealth inequality, have shrunk the middle class, leaving fewer 1 12 13 and fewer people able to afford college degrees. In many ways, a college degree today is the high-school diploma of 60 years ago. Increasingly, to make it into the middle class, Americans need higher education to obtain higher-paying, more technical jobs. We find ourselves at the same crossroads as those who pushed for free high-school education more than 100 years ago; we need free college in order to open up more opportunity to millions of Americans and to boost our economy. A college degree should no longer be a privilege; it should be a right. It should no longer be an extreme financial burden that limits the future of a young person; it should open the doors to a young person''s future. People in a number of other countries have enjoyed free college tuition for decades, including Germany, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Mexico. Because college has cost money in our country for such a long time, some Americans think that free tuition is a preposterous idea. But it isn't. In countries where college education is free for any individuals with the desire to learn and improve their lives, the countries' leaders are thinking of the future of their countries. They know that a better educated nation is a stronger and more prosperous nation. It is time for the United States to catch up. However, in a country strapped with massive national debt, many wonder how on earth we could afford to pay for free college. Wouldn't it involve years of planning, arguing, and red tape? FREE COLLEGE: WHY NOT NOW? STUDENT Actually, it doesn't have to be that complicated. Many people support the idea of taking a first step toward free tuition at four-year schools by starting with free tuition at two-year community colleges. The cost of going to a community college is roughly - to even % of the cost of attending an average in-state public university. This is a manageable amount of money for many states; it simply requires lawmakers to agree on where the money will come from. In Tennessee, the first state to offer free community college to graduating high-school seniors, the money comes from the state's lottery. In 2016, the cost for free tuition for community college for students was far less than the revenue that lottery ticket sales generated. Essentially, the state didn't owe a dime to this program. In a state that ranks near the bottom nationally for residents with college 14 499 500 15 16 U PART TWO Ten Reading Selections degrees, this is, as Tennessee''s governor noted, \"a game changer.\" But what about the far more expensive four-year colleges? According to Senator Bernie Sanders, long a proponent of free college tuition, the plan for payment here could be just as simple. Sanders suggests placing a small fee on Wall Street financial transactions: on stock trades, a mere 50 cents for every $100 worth of stock, and even smaller fees on bonds. Sanders estimates that these fees would amount to $300 billion a year, far exceeding what a plan for free public college tuition nationwide would need. This arrangement seems simple enough, but Wall Street, clearly more interested in making money than in educating Americans, is not likely to readily agree to this plan. \"But the taxpayers of this country bailed out Wall Street in 2008,\" Sanders vehemently argues. \"Now it's time for Wall Street to start helping the middle class of this countryby making public colleges and universities throughout the country tuition-free.\" The high cost of college in America has impacted the number of graduates. The United States used to lead the world in college graduates aged 25 to 34, but by 2014 it had fallen to 19th place. Given this dramatic drop, we must all ask the question Bernie Sanders presents in his book, Our Revolution: "Does anyone not believe that this will have severe economic consequences for the future of our economy and our way of life?\" Making public universities tuition- free may, understandably, impose some challenges and growing pains along the way. But, clearly, these obstacles will be insignificant compared to the pain our country is going to feel if we continue to keep higher education out of reach for the majority of Americans. A poorly educated country is a country whose citizens will increasingly suffer a decline in both their quality of employment and their quality of life. Finally, beyond the national and individual fiscal benefits of a college education, there is the deeper and perhaps most important benefit of education: it helps us to actualize our potential and to achieve our best selves, and it prepares us to select leaders best equipped to bring out the greatness of America. Our citizens benefitand our country benefits as well. FREE COLLEGE: WHY NOT NOW? 501 Reading Comprehension Questions Vocabulary in Context A, B C. D 2. In A. B o0 1. In the excerpt below, the word constraints (kon-strants') means opportunities. . limitations. interests. . grades. \"Like the high schools of the 1900s, colleges have become far too expensive to attend for many young people from low-income and working-class families. The financial constraints block their way to higher education and broader opportunities.\" (Paragraph 4) the sentence below, the word actualize (ak'choo-2-11z") means move away from. . misunderstand. pay for. realize. \"Finally, beyond the national and individual fiscal benefits of a college education, there is the deeper and perhaps most important benefit of education: it helps us to actualize our potential and to achieve our best selves.\" (Paragraph 19) Central Point and Main Ideas 3. Which sentence best expresses the central point of the selection? A. B. C. D. The campaign for free college today is equivalent to the \"high school movement\" of the 1900s. Many college graduates have so much debt that their college degrees have made life harder for them, rather than easier. The majority of Americans probably think that free college tuition is a preposterous idea, but it's not. Free college tuition, an idea whose time has come, would benefit both America's citizens and its economy. 4. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of paragraph 12? A. B. C. Free college tuition is common in, and beneficial for, other countries. It is hard for most of us to imagine free tuition in the United States. Leaders of other countries care more about the future than our leaders do. An educated nation is more prosperous than an uneducated one. 502 PART TWO Ten Reading Selections 5. The main idea of paragraph 15 is stated in its A, B. second sentence. C; D. final sentence. first sentence. third sentence. Supporting Details Transitions 6. According to the selection, 50 to 60 years ago A. all colleges in the United States were free. B. most people worked blue-collar jobs. C; D. more than 60,000 factories across the country closed. a high-school diploma was all that was needed for a good job. 7. According to the selection, there was a time in the United States when A. college graduates were really not much better educated than high- school graduates. . it was ranked first in the world for college graduates age 25 to 34. . no one who graduated from college was burdened by any student loan debt. . wealth inequality was significantly worse than it is today. 8. The relationship expressed in the sentence below is one of A. B. comparison. i D. illustration. contrast. cause and effect. "We find ourselves at the same crossroads as those who pushed for free high-school education more than 100 years ago; we need free college in order to open up more opportunity to millions of Americans and to boost our economy.\" (Paragraph 11) FREE COLLEGE: WHY NOT NOW? 503 9. The relationship of the second sentence below to the first sentence is one of 0w > = illustration. comparison. cause and effect. contrast, "Making public universities tuition-free may, understandably, impose some challenges and growing pains along the way. But, clearly, these obstacles will be insignificant compared to the pain our country is going to feel if we continue to keep higher education out of reach for the majority of Americans.\" (Paragraph 18) Patterns of Organizations 10. In general, this selection compares the campaign for free college tuition to the \"high school movement\" and also AL 0 contrasts the success of free tuition In other countries with our failures. . lists reasons that free tuition is needed in the United States. narrates a history of the cost of college from about 1900 until today. defines \"free college and provides examples of tuition-free colleges in the United States. 11. The patterns of organization of paragraphs 1 and 2 are cause and effect and Sow Inferences time order. contrast. addition. list of items. 12. We can infer that the author of this selection A. went to college. B. could not afford to go to college. . D. supports the campaign for free college. has a great deal of student loan debt. 504 PART TWO Ten Reading Selections 13. We can conclude from this selection that A. B. c. D. most Americans support the idea of free college tuition. due to the high cost of college, millions of Americans are unable to pursue their educational dreams. most Americans agree that the idea of free college tuition is both ridiculous and complicated. many people are irresponsible when it comes to paying back student loan debt. 14. Paragraphs 15 and 16 suggest that A. B. It may be possible to convince Wall Street to follow Sanders' plan. C. D. American taxpayers did not realize they were bailing out Wall Street Bernie Sanders does not have money invested in stocks and bonds. Sanders' plan is reasonable, but Wall Street is not. in 2008. Purpose and Tone 15. The main purpose of this selection is to AL persuade readers that college tuition in the United States should be free. . inform readers of the benefits that free tuition brings to other countries. . entertain readers with the history of educational costs in the United States. 16. The author's tone can be described as A. B. angry but informal. C. D. concerned and encouraging. Argument sympathetic but lighthearted. ambivalent and matter-of-fact. 17. Write the letter of the statement that is the point of the following argument. The other statements are support for that point. AL In many ways, a college degree today is the high-school diploma of 60 years ago. . In the early 1900s, high school was not free, and only the children of the wealthy could afford to attend. . Sixty years ago, a high-school diploma was all that was needed to get a well-paying job with excellent benefits. . Increasingly, to make it into the middle class today, Americans need a college education to obtain higher-paying, more technical jobs. FREE COLLEGE: WHY NOT NOW? 505 18. Write the letter of the statement that is the point of the following argument. The other statements are support for that point. A, B. The sports teams at many schools contribute to rising tuition costs. More and more, colleges are run like businesses, trying to outdo one another with unnecessarily luxurious dorms, stadiums, and dining halls. There are a number of reasons that college is so expensive. Textbooks for college classes are terribly overpriced. Critical Reading 19. The statement below is A. B. 54 a fact. an opinion. a mixture of fact and opinion. \"The average amount of student loan debt that a young graduate carries now exceeds $35,000. It is a sad irony that the very thing that should make life easier for a young persona college degreeso often makes his or her life more difficult than it has ever been.\" (Paragraph 5) 20. A person who argues that someone who supports free college tuition is a \"socialist who is ignorant about how free enterprise works is committing the fallacy of A. straw man (an argument is made by claiming an opponent holds an extreme position and then opposing that extreme position), . either-or (the argument assumes that there are only two sides to a question). . circular reasoning (a statement repeats itself rather than providing a real supporting reason to back up an argument). name-calling (the use of emotionally loaded language or negative comments to turn people against a cause)