Defund The Colleges

[Kamaji]

Defund The Colleges

We cannot continue to fund the beast that is American "higher education."

JUNE 6, 2022
TERESA R. MANNING

The debate over student-loan forgiveness tends to omit three crucial points. First, college graduates have been singled out as the one demographic effectively denied relief in bankruptcy. Second, schools have received most of the loan money but none of the debt. And third, young people, and especially young women, historically began families in their twenties when it’s healthiest to do so, something that college and protracted loan-repayment schedules discourage.

Few observers even note, much less contemplate, how the bankruptcy code has been repeatedly amended to effectively deny relief to one, and only one, constituency: college graduates, overwhelmingly composed of young Americans. Much of human history involves the tension between the few rich, the creditors, and the many not-so-rich, the workers and debtors. Indeed, the ancient world regularly celebrated jubilee years where debts were forgiven when a critical mass of borrowers could no longer service them.

In the modern era, debt relief is extremely common, usually called “readjustments,” settlement agreements (if legal action is pending), or, most distastefully, bank bailouts—debt relief for the super-rich, under the rationale that banks are “too big to fail.” Also called “writing down” loan obligations, these practices are a regular part of the rough-and-tumble business world. In fact, debt relief in the form of bankruptcy is so basic and historic that the United States Constitution mentions it specifically in Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4.

Why can middle-aged Americans with consumer debt get a clean slate and a fresh start in bankruptcy, but college graduates with student-loan debt cannot? Why are young Americans singled out for such harsh treatment? “They didn’t need to go to college, so their debt is elective,” some say. But consumer debt can also be elective (and irresponsible), yet it remains dischargeable. “Elective” is also questionable in this context, since young people are, by definition, inexperienced and in need of guidance in making most decisions, especially long-term financial ones. Young people are relentlessly told that “everyone should go to college” to get a good job, and are given the impression that simply attending college is a success, hence boasts like, “she’s the first in her family to go to college.”

Statements like these are generally irresponsible and tend to mislead our youth, yet they come from high-level public figures like American presidents. Too often, they end up influencing kids and saddling them, and only them, with life-long non-dischargeable debt. That young people have been unsuccessful in challenging a policy that singles them out as undeserving of relief only shows—surprise, surprise—that unlike banks, they are not an organized lobbying or litigation force.

And who gets most of the student loan money? The schools. But who gets all the debt? Our young people. Many have noted this endless upward spiral in tuition, fueled by easy government money. Worse, the money doesn’t even fund instruction or the transmission of knowledge: It is generally not used for books or digital resources, or more effective professors, or better equipment for scientific study. Instead, much of the money goes either toward campus amenities (think LSU’s lazy river) or administrators in heavily politicized positions like “diversity officer,” director of student affairs, or Title IX coordinator.

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Source:  https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/defund-the-colleges/

[Smokin Joe]

Let the Colleges back their own loans and get the government out of it.

That way, the Colleges will have incentive to provide a quality, useful education that is more likely to get a return on that investment. Many have huge endowment funds that could be used for this purpose, and if they choose their debtors well, the funds will be replenished, with interest.

As a bonus, it will cut out the Government induced inflation in University tuition and fees.

[Free Vulcan]

Get rid of the vague social justice stuff like vagina studies, ethnic awareness, and similar foolery and colleges would barely need govt money to begin with.

If we do keep handing out govt money it should not go to those type of majors.

[Fishrrman]

Defunding colleges and universities isn't enough.

Close them down.

Fire most of the faculty and administrators, and BLACKLIST them from ever being in a position to teach or influence youth again.

Then, rebuild from there.

How's that...?

[jmyrlefuller]

Instead, much of the money goes either toward campus amenities (think LSU’s lazy river) or administrators in heavily politicized positions like “diversity officer,” director of student affairs, or Title IX coordinator.

Or they send it to construction companies for never-ending building projects. A new state-of-the-art building is completed, and a new one or a major renovation is already in the works (ostensibly for a new campus experience).

In my four years at a Division III state university, there was always some sort of construction going on. The academic buildings weren't being worked on, but by golly, the new "campus center" (mostly a hockey arena—mind you, this is D-III, no college scholarships or TV money—surrounded by student club offices and a few classrooms for good measure) was state of the art! Now, granted, the hockey team was playing out of a Quonset hut, but that place had charm that the new arena never did. Plus, did we really need to replace the 1970s-era campus center? Probably not. It was nice, yet it was eerie to walk through it after it was mostly abandoned in my senior year.  The other project was one of the dorms, and it ended up being used for some gimmicky residential experience to try and goad its residence into community service.

Someone was getting kickbacks for that stuff.

(That said, for a government-funded university, we were pretty well balanced education-wise and it wasn't an ideological drilling by any means. Of course, most of the students were rural and suburban. If the economy hadn't collapsed in 2008 and made my degree useless the moment I got it, I wouldn't have any complaints about my education. But knowing then what I know now, I'd've never gone. I'm not sure what I'd've done with my life but I spent too much for too little benefit.)