Olivia Spiezio, Campus Carrier Asst. Online Editor
In 1862, the United States passed the Morrill Act, establishing land-grant public universities and colleges on a tuition-free basis to so-called “sons of toil,” a term used to refer to the middle class, according to the Washington Post and History News Network. The Act established more than 70 public, semi-public and private universities on federal land, including Auburn, Cornell, MIT, Purdue and the University of Georgia, and up until recently almost all were virtually free to attend.
The last state university system to do away with free tuition was California in the 1980s. Since then tuition costs have risen more than 1,120 percent, with average out of state undergraduate tuition averaging around $23,000 a year and the highest 10 averaging at about $50,623 a year, according to an op-ed piece published by Lawrence Witters of SUNY Albany. These figures are before room and board, and are considerably higher than Berry’s $30,530 annual tuition.
When public schools are charging more than private institutions, America’s future suffers and students are forced to make a decision: produce money for college, or simply don’t attend. And while, according to College Atlas, the United States has more of a return of investment for a college graduate than any other country, it is estimated that more than two-thirds of the 70 percent of Americans who attend a four-year university never graduate, and 30 percent of students drop out after their first year. This is a big problem, considering that someone with a high school diploma earns on average 84 percent less than someone with a bachelor’s degree.
Say you do shoulder the burden of paying for your schooling. Say you apply for all the scholarships you are eligible for, but you still come up short, and Mom and Dad can’t help. You don’t want to drop out, so you take out a loan, and then another one next semester. The Institute for College Access and Success says that by the time the average student graduates, they will owe $28,950 in student loan debt, and it is estimated that 69 percent of students graduate with some form of debt. High college tuition is placing a lifelong burden on young people, which, according to Time Magazine, leads young adults to set back major life events, such as getting married, buying a house and starting a family. This means a massive impact on the economy as millennials become less likely — and able — to stimulate it as much as Baby Boomers and Gen Xers do.
In European countries where colleges are free, the tuition is paid for by higher taxes. For example, Germany had a tax wedge of about 49.1 percent in 2014, compared to America’s 31.5, according to Business Insider. And although fewer students enroll in college in European countries, a very large amount of students in Germany and Europe choose to join a vocational career instead of pursuing a college degree, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders believes that instilling a system to fund public universities through taxes will boost the American and the global economy by allowing more students to pursue higher education without the fear of crippling debt. Citing Germany, Norway and Finland’s methods of paying for college, Sanders proposes to tax Wall Street. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s plan is aimed towards less debt and a more flexible amount of work, but still has the same end goal of an affordable education for whoever is seeking it.
It’s hard to see why it has taken so long for politicians and the American public alike to step up and search for ways of making college more realistically affordable, both in the time spent in college and in the years following. The economy is suffering and will continue to suffer until the younger generations are given more spending power and are able to seek a college degree without worrying about debt. It’s time to give students a chance again and do away with tuition at public colleges.