Tuition rates are rising quickly, so lets take action!

The Problem
The cost of a college education is on the rise. Substantial
increases take place evey year. In 2003 alone, tuition
increased an average of 9.6% from the year prior.1 As
an increasing number of families try to cope with the
dramatic increases in cost, fewer and fewer students
are able to obtain higher educations.

Government Intervention
Today state and federal governments subsidize public higher education in the
United States to a certain degree. State governments provide direct funding to
higher education institutions, while the federal government subsidized students
with the Federal Pell Grant Program. State funding has decreased in recent years
and has been a partial cause of increased tuition.2 While the Federal Pell Grant
program has increased funding to students, it is still not enough to keep up with
rising tuition. There are countries, like Germany and Greece, where free higher
education is provided. Free tuition is not actually free. There are social costs that
must also be factored in such as highly selective schools, raised taxes, and lower
quality educations. With a rising national debt approaching $18 billion, and state
governments cutting funding for lack of resources, it is clear that the United states
is not in a position to offer free tuition to Americans.3 Other solutions must be
considered to combat rising tuition costs.

Wasteful Spending
Inefficiencies within colleges and universities are recognizable. One
of these is seen in the operations of athletic programs. Current
operations take away from academics because not many college
athletic programs are self-funded. Student fees and institutional
subsidies typically provide between 4 percent and 14 percent of
total athletic revenues (Desrochers 10). While athletics contribute
to a large part of the college experience, there are areas where
spending should be evaluated to decrease the burden that athletic
programs have on students. One of these areas is in coaches salaries. As an example, Michigan State University head football coach,
Mark Dantonio, makes $3,640,000 and the rest of the coaching
staff makes a total of $3,412,499. Dantonio received an 83% pay
increase in 2013 and the rest of the coaching staff averaged a pay
increase of around 33%. Further, Tom Izzo, MSU basketball coach
makes $3.49 million.4 Considering that students are burdened by
increasing tuition costs, it is absurd for institutions to spend such
large amounts on coaching staff. Money spent on coaching should
be regulated in order to reduce tuition cost for students. Athletics,
however is not the only area that should be evaluated. Other areas
may include unnecessary amenities and new campus infrastructure
used to draw in students.

Possible Solution
While free higher education in the United States does not seem
feasible, public universities and colleges need to be held responsible for providing a quality education to students at a reasonable cost. Ensuring that higher education institutions are held
responsible for reducing costs may require some government
intervention. Higher regulation for the allocation of funds and
reporting might be necessary in order to get the rising tuition
costs under control. College students need to call for change in
the current operations of public university and colleges.
1
Boehner, John, and Howard P. McKeon. The College Cost Crisis: A Congressional Analysis of College Costs and Implications for
America's Higher Education System. Washington, D.C.: U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 2003. ERIC. Web.
28 Sept. 2014.
2
Blumenstyk, Goldie. "The $375-Billion Question: Why Does College Cost So Much? (Cover Story)." Chronicle of Higher Education
55.6 (2008): A1-A15. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Oct. 2014.
3
"REPORTS." Debt to the Penny (Daily History Search Application). N.p., 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Nov. 2014. <http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/debt/current>.
4
Michigan State University. Dantonio Signs Amended Contract; Assistant Coaches Earn Raises. Michigan State: The Official Website
of Spartan Athletics. Michigan State University, 25 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.