An open letter to President Obama:
I have serious concerns over the rhetorical arguments currently being raised by the president regarding the need to control rising tuition. The problem of student loan debt is a disgraceful crisis, but it is not a solution to blame universities for increasing tuition.
Rising tuition is not caused by increases in the cost of education. States have been slashing the funding for public higher education for decades: this has resulted in tuition increases for students, but does not signify that the education they receive costs more. In fact, colleges and universities have been quietly reducing the cost and quality of education being provided to students for a generation. Students are paying more, yet classes are larger than ever and are more and more likely to be taught by a harried, deprofessionalized, non-tenure-track faculty member. Many of these faculty don't even have an office or phone.
The greatest loss to our society is that students emerge from college deep in debt and are left unable to pursue their life's work: instead they're forced to find a job to repay their loans. Our country would be much better off if students could begin their career with the ability to become a writer or artist or small-business person on a shoestring: pursuing their craft or dream, rather than just trying to pay the bills.
If you really want to improve education, please frame your arguments so that it is clear that we need to refund higher education by investing in the idea that it benefits everyone to allow our children to rise to their highest educational potential, regardless of means. Get higher education the funding it needs and students won't need loans to pay for it.
- Steven D. Brewer's blog
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