Money is on everyone’s mind. We are amid a recession that is forcing the Texas government to cut spending in almost every area of the budget. Some of the people who are really struggling are student trying to pay for their college tuition. Higher education has always cost a pretty penny, but colleges have always given out scholarships to help out their students. Now however, with less state funding going toward these colleges the tuition is rising and the scholarships are becoming scarce. UT Arlington’s President however, has promised that UT Arlington won’t increase tuition, but he is one of the few. It is my hope that more will follow his example.
Next year I hope to attend The University of Texas at Austin, and I think I can get in. The issue is finding the money to go there. My parents are not going to be able to pay for any of my tuition. I will probably have to live at home because I can see no way to afford moving out. I’ll have to buy my books, and then if the tuition goes up I am going to be in some serious trouble.
Attending college can be a very expensive ordeal. I already think college is too expensive. I know that by the time I am done with school I am going to be in a huge amount of debt. Even though I do not plan on attending UT Arlington it is reassuring to know that some colleges are not raising tuition. It gives me hope that maybe more colleges will follow their example. I guess all I can do now is wait for this recession to end so the state can start increasing its funding again.
Finally! Someone came right out and said it: “College is expensive,” proclaims Kirby Martinez, a government student at Austin Community College. “I already think college is too expensive. I know that by the time I am done with school I am going to be in a huge amount of debt,” Mr. Martinez points out, touching on an issue that has exploded on the public stage as of late: the rising cost of college tuition and student loan debt. Students feel tricked, and their frustrations are growing hard to hide.
ReplyDeleteMr. Martinez gets right to the point of a very simple problem. His concise way of summarizing the issue parallels the issue’s simplicity: why is it so damn hard to find the resources to become an educated citizen? Students deserve loads of support, and though they are willing to settle for now (“I guess all I can do now is wait for this recession to end so the state can start increasing its funding again”), who knows how long their patience will last? And when it runs out, will they take their demands to another level or lose interest and give up on school?
I hope for the former.
RW