Writing as Activism Proposal: Post Secondary Education Should Be Free.
What is the change you wish to make?
- The change that I hope happens in the future is that post –secondary education be made free. My reasoning for post-secondary education like college is made free is that for some students that do attend college become indebted by a college education that may or may not lead to a good job.
What is the form of writing you will use to make this change, and why is that the most effective form?
- The form of writing that will be using is a 5 page paper that provides facts and my opinion on what most people and I feel is an issue. I find that is the most effective way of writing for me because I can express myself better.
Who is your intended audience and or how will you create you audience?
- My intended audience if any, I would what to get the attention of people that can actually do something. People that can help to and or contribute to making this issue less of a worry for aspiring college students.
What do you already know about this issue?
- I do not know much about this issue, but it does affect college students. I am a college student, but luckily I do not have any pending debts because of college. But I am sure there are a lot of students that do have some kind of debts with a bank or wherever they got the money from to be able to afford post-secondary education.
What do you need to know and how do you plan to find that information?
- Other college students and I need to know if there will be some type of help or change to this matter. I intend to search for information on this issue that affects most college students, if not all.
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Writing as Activism: A letter Project : Lowering Post Secondary Education Costs.
To whom it may concern: Lowering Post Secondary Education Costs
In our 21st-century economy, education beyond high school is essential. As recent college graduates face one of the most difficult job markets in decades, those with some form of additional education compete fiercely for the available positions. Those without college education find themselves at a huge disadvantage. The costs of post-secondary education are a significant consideration for most students and their families (Dealer). Furthermore, the major reason why a high school graduate may chose not to enroll in college is because they simply cannot afford it.
As we all know a high school diploma alone, is no longer sufficient. Therefore, every student goes on to college to pursue a career in which they are interested in and to potentially get there “dream job.” The reality of the said career pursing does not come at an easy or cheap cost. As many college students have come to find out, college is not a cheap investment. The way that the majority of students get through a college education to be graduates is through financial aid and or student loans. When a loan is taken out the essential meaning of the loan is those college students have put themselves in debt. Being in debt is having an amount of money, a service, or an item of property that is owed to somebody else. In a college student’s case it is an amount of money that is owed to somebody else. As it is known, no one gives out money or anything for free. In the situation college students find themselves in there is no exception. The situation is having a pending balance with a bank or whoever lent the money to them. As mentioned before no one gives out money for free. When a loan is taken out you are also promising the bank or whoever else that you will pay the amount of money back. In the case of a bank you are paying banks interest. This means that if you take out money they are charging you a certain percentage of the amount plus the loan itself.
Aside from having to worry about getting good grades, staying on track, and graduating a college student now has to worry about paying that loan off through their college experience and or after they have graduated. If they choose to pay it after they graduate, how will they pay it if the economy is doing so badly? If the college student works through college to pay off their college tuition and or loan they are even at a higher disadvantage of being a well focused student. When a student is not focused the end result is bad grades, and the worst is dropping out because they cannot get back on track. By no means am I saying that a college student cannot work and get through college and graduate just fine. But we have to keep in mind that everyone is different and work at a different pace. Furthermore, if many students are not focused and cannot get back on track the number of drop-outs may multiply. If this happens now the college itself is at a disadvantage because as we all know schools/colleges are rated based on their graduation rates.
It is not uncommon for the cost of post-secondary education tuition to increase every year, and this year was no exception. For example, at The Westchester Community College in Valhalla, New York the tuition costs did in fact go up since last year (College). I would not be surprised if the cost of tuition for this college goes up again next year or perhaps next semester. As the largest part of the nation’s higher education system, community colleges enroll more than 6 million students and are growing rapidly. They feature affordable tuition, open admission policies, flexible course schedules, and convenient locations. Community colleges are particularly important for students who are older, working, or need remedial classes (Obama). If community colleges “offer so much” why not give these colleges a greater amount of funding or perhaps take the affordability in to a bit more of consideration?
I think everyone realizes that tuition increases are necessary, to a certain extent. Every year there may be new programs, new classes, new equipment, and new initiatives that must be funded. Since each college student attending has rights to each and every commodity that the college implemented they somehow have to give back. The way colleges have students give back is by raising college tuitions. Some colleges just take it to the extremes. Yes, each and every alumni of such college chooses to go there but like Sean Ledwich says, “We’re the wealthiest people on the planet” ergo, post secondary education can be funded” (@leanwich).
Having options for affordable education is always important, but it is especially important when the economy is down. Citizens need the chance to attain additional education, and the job opportunities and higher paychecks it can bring. With education, career options multiply. Life options multiply. The years following high school, in whatever educational setting, are a time for exploring interests, developing new skills and gaining an informed understanding of society and our own role in it (Dealer). But how can this be accomplished if college tuition is just unaffordable to many aspiring college students. Improving one’s prospects with the steady foundation of post-secondary education is, by far, the surest path to realizing individual aspiration and accomplishment (Dealer). This could be accomplished if post-secondary education were affordable or perhaps lowered to all.
Though there are some things being done to make post-secondary affordable it is at a slow pace. “We will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world” (Obama). The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Acts are who is going to be responsible for “making college more affordable for EVERYONE.” The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act invests more than $40 billion in Pell Grants to ensure that all eligible students…” (Obama) what if the student is not eligible for this? – Should he or she just drop- out cause of lack of eligibility? What if these grants are the only grants that he or she rely on to continue to higher education? These investments complement President Obama’s broader agenda for higher education and will help us reach his goal of America having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020 (Obama). Is there anything else that we can help do or make happen so his agenda makes things happen at priority rate? After all education is essential to anything that is to be done … right?
We must continue to improve the quality and affordability of our educational offers, if students are to be prepared to thrive in and contribute to a very different world (Christian). Making it possible and affordable for high school graduates to continue to post secondary education is not only in the benefit of the graduate but of the society as well. Would you rather see a college dropout in the streets dealing or doing drugs or robbing a bank or doing something illegal due to economic problems or many college students having further education to make the society better at affordable or lowered cost?
Sincerely,
Concerned College Student
Works Cited
Christian, Mid-Hudson News Network: Donal. Post-secondary public education is vital, college president tells business leaders. 19 April 2012. 9 May 2012 <http://dailyfreeman.com/articles/2012/04/19/news/doc4f8ff6eebd2be711506998.txt?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter>.
College, Westchester Community. Tuition & Fees. 2012. 9 May 2012 <http://www.sunywcc.edu/admissions/tuition/Current_tuition.htm>.
Dealer, Plain Dealer Guest columnist: The Plain. Education beyond high school crucial in 21st-century economy: E. Gordon Gee. 6 November 2011. 9 May 2012 <http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2011/11/education_beyond_high_school_c.html>.
Ledwich, Sean (leanwich). “We’re the wealthiest people on the planet” ergo, post secondary education can be funded.” Twitter.com. May 9, 2012. Tweet.
Obama, Barack. Making College More Affordable | The White House. 24 February 2009. 9 May 2012 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education>.
estefannyj 
This sounds great, Estefanny!