Economic difficulties force more students out of college in US
So for the rest of my life, I carry this around.
America the Beautiful! We know who RUNS YOU!
Most students that drop out of college in the US do so because they cannot afford to pay for the rising cost of tuition, according to a report released Wednesday by Public Agenda, a non-profit research institute.
The study, which surveyed 600 people ages 22 to 30, found that less than half of students graduate on schedule after signing up for a two or four-year program.
The report, entitled "With Their Whole Lives Ahead of Them," notes that only about 20 percent of US students who start a two-year college program finish within three years, and only about forty percent of those who start at a four-year university finish within six years.
POSTER's NOTE: Read what one kid did to go to college:
HE LIVED IN HIS VAN IN THE PARKING LOT!
To explain results of the study, note that the price of a college
diploma has more than quadrupled in the past 25 years, (CAL STATE went
up 33% in one year so that's a lie. 130% in 4 yrs, actually. Public
radio today said in one decade the cost has gone up by 300% and THEY do
fact checking!) while the median family income has increased only 150 percent
during that time.
Only 10 percent of students who drop out report that boredom or lack
of
interest in the classes were significant influencing factors. Most
students who left their classes would have liked to stay, but could
not
balance their curriculum and their financial obligations.
According to the study, "Most students leave college because they are
working to support themselves and going to school at the same time.
At
some point, the stress of work and study just becomes too difficult."
Nearly half of students at four-year universities work 20 or more hours
a week. For community colleges, the figure jumps to sixty percent,
while
more than a quarter work 25 hours or more. These numbers point to the
large proportion of students trying to earn degrees without significant
help from parents, social services, or the government.
The study observes that the "traditional college experience" is nonexistent for most students. Only a quarter of students live on campus and "attend the sort of residential college we often envision." Twenty-three percent of college students have dependent children.
Seventy-one percent of students who dropped out reported needing "to go to work and make money" as one of the reasons for leaving, while 52 percent reported that they "just couldn't afford the tuition and fees."
One young woman who had dropped out but recently started taking classes again told the surveyors, "It's very hard because I go to school three nights a week. I work from 8 to 5. I don't get home until 9:30, 10 at night; I also think my dedication to my classes could be better if I didn't work as much."
Nearly a third of people who left the university early reported that
they took on student loans, despite not having the career advantages
conferred by a diploma. The study notes: "In many respects, they have
the worst of both worlds---no diploma, but college loans to repay."
Seventy percent of dropouts said they had no scholarships or student
loan assistance. By contrast, only 40 percent of graduates reported
getting no such aid. The odds of graduating are stacked most heavily
against students who do not have parental support and, seeking to avoid
a lifetime of indebtedness, are unwilling to take on student loans.
The average student who graduated in 2008 owed $23,000 in student loans,
according to a separate report by the Project for Student Debt. This
is
under conditions where the unemployment rate for college graduates
aged
20 to 24 reached 10.6 percent in the third quarter of the year, up
from
7.6 percent a year before.
Conditions are even worse for young people looking to keep a job through
high school and college. The unemployment rate for people aged 16 to
19
reached 26.7 percent in November of this year, up from only 20.2 percent
a year earlier.
Tuition is not the only reason why students drop out; the rising cost
of
living is also important. Over one third of students who dropped out
but
wanted to return to college said that they would not be able to do
so
even if their tuition and books were fully paid for.
The conditions described in the report are the product of a concerted
attack on public education. In the midst of the greatest budgetary
crisis in postwar history, the Obama administration has withheld all
discretionary assistance from states, aside from the completely
inadequate stimulus bill passed earlier this year. States have been
forced to cut student services and raise tuition in response, moving
higher education further out of reach of many working class students.
I didn't get no education.
But I
like to work. I think.
You hire me?
California State University student fees jump 33 percent
By a WSWS reporting team
10 September 2009
Students at California's universities returned to class last week amid
increases in fees and mass layoffs of faculty and staff. The state
of
California has cut $3 billion in spending to its 110 community colleges,
the 10-campus University of California (UC) system and the 23-campus
California State University (CSU) system.
Rally at San Diego State University
The UC system raised its fees by 9 percent after taking $300 million
in
cuts. But the State University system has been affected even more
dramatically. The system took a $600 million funding cut, and
universities raised fees by a third to compensate.
San Diego State University (SDSU), the third largest university in the
California state system, has been hit by a $55 million budget cut,
most
of which is likely to be permanent. Student fees have increased by
a
third in four months, and the university has laid off 700 employees,
including lecturers whose appointments were not renewed.
More than 500 courses have been cancelled at SDSU, dramatically swelling
class sizes. The university usually receives about 80,000 enrollment
letters, but this year it received fewer than 60,000, at least partially
due to the tuition increases.
SDSU has denied admittance to more than 1,800 qualified students this
fall semester due to the budget cuts. The CSU system as a whole is
in
the process of cutting its enrollment by approximately 40,000 students.
The state of California is facing a budget deficit of more than $42
billion, and the state has made drastic cuts to all social programs,
including not only university education but public schools, medical
care, and other key social services.
The cuts have not been confined to public universities, with Stanford
University announcing that it would lay off 400 employees, with more
to
come. These included librarians, sports coaches and accountants.
State University employees, along with other state workers, are being
told to take two unpaid furlough days per month, an effective 10 percent
pay cut. The California Faculty Association, which represents 23,000
employees at California State universities, has already accepted these
cuts.
With a significantly smaller student population this year, SDSU has
closed down an entire dormitory that was traditionally used to house
incoming freshman. The 11-story building, which can house up to 550
students, will remain vacant throughout the academic year.
The cuts have fueled widespread opposition among the student body.
Hundreds of students, faculty and staff held a demonstration at SDSU
on
August 28, the first day of classes to call for an end to the austerity
measures. The event, organized by the university leadership and the
California Faculty Association, was aimed at pressuring the governor
and
Democratic politicians. Attendees were encouraged to 'make their voices
heard' by various means, such as sending letters to representatives,
signing a protest banner that would be sent to the governor, or
recording video messages to be sent to lawmakers.
A representative of the California Faculty Association spoke at the
rally, claiming that the pay cuts were necessary to avoid further job
losses. No one on the speakers' list made any mention of the huge
government bailout of the banks, and none of the speakers called for
opposition to the Obama administration.
Victor, a grounds worker, said he was opposed to the cuts. 'I'm living
paycheck to paycheck. Prices keep rising, but my pay keeps falling.
And
these new furloughs will make things even worse.' When asked about
the
Obama administration, Victor answered, 'Change? I haven't seen anything
different.'
Emma Steele, a senior at SDSU, said she is taking additional credits
this semester to graduate early. 'Since fees have gone up, I can't
afford to stick around for too long.'
Evan Youngstrom, a SDSU junior, said, 'Classes are being cut, class
sizes are bigger, and costs are growing. We're paying more for less
of
an education. This is bad for students and for society.'
'This is the first semester I have to work,' he added. 'The money I
had
set aside for my education isn't enough.'
The International Students for Social Equality intervened at the rally,
handing out leaflets and speaking to those present. ISSE members blamed
the Obama administration for the cuts, which are taking place while
Wall
Street receives trillions of dollars in bailouts.
Ricardo Ruiz, a senior at SDSU and an ISSE member, said, 'The cuts
are
an indication of the class nature of American politics. It's not
a lack
of resources, the money is there.
'This is a brutal attack on social services and education, on the
basic
necessities of working people. It's outrageous that at the same
time
that they're cutting social services, they're allowing the Wall
Street
executives to collectively make billions of dollars at public expense.
It's absurd.'
NOT ABSURD. The natural
result of the inflation the bankers have to
do so that they can pay yesterday's fat debts
in tomorrow's skinny dollars.
Now, let's examine the CAUSE OF INFLATION!
or THE CAUSES OF RAMPANT INFLATION
Lyncon La Rouche, a knowledgeable guy who always knows where the bones are buried in the graveyard, recently gave a speech where he laid bare the financial mechanism behind the hyperinflation in oil, gold and other commodity prices - which is not merely oil company price manipulation as some elected officials in Washington claim. LaRouche has warned that this Weimar-style hyperinflation signals a systemic collapse of the world economy by September 2006. (WEIMAR GERMANY was when you needed a wheelbarrow full of reichs to buy a loaf of bread.)
He said, "We have a speculative system. Integral to this operation is the getting of money back into these bankrupt banks. The bankers are doing it through bundling of Fannie Mae-type and Freddie Mac-type mortgages. So this system was going to blow! This is a bubble, this is a classical John Law-style bubble, as John Law from the early 18th Century. You had one in England, you had one in France. South Seas Island bubble, and the Mississippi bubble. Tulip bubble in Holland. Same kind of thing. It's a ponzi scheme. It's a pyramid club scheme—same kind of thing. .
"...Anyone knows this, who knows the system: When you build up this kind
of bubble, a super-John Law bubble, layer upon layer—this thing is going
to pop. Then, if you're a smart banker, what're you doing? How are you
going to get out of the bubble, which you are going to cause to pop? Why
aren't you going to go down with the bubble? You have to find a landing
place outside the system. What is that landing place? Gold, silver,
iron, zinc, copper, petroleum!
"These are physical assets, so-called natural materials, these are
assets which will be marketable in the future. So what you do, is, you
corner the market in possession of these materials. You raise the price
to the sky, because you're bidding against each other to grab these
materials, and trade them back and forth, day after day. It's all done
by this bunch of financiers. That's where you get that curve! So, when
you look at the curve of inflation, don't look at the groceries—you will
get grocery inflation very rapidly; you're already getting it, as many
of you know. It's going to get serious, like housing inflation has been.
Hmm? But this inflation, is where the powers of the future intend to be:
They will control these assets; they will control the real estate; they
will control the water systems; they will control the water. They will
control the food. They will own you, and decide which of you lives and
which dies."
LaRouche also presented the solutions, modelled on the actions taken by
Franklin Roosevelt in the midst of another systemic breakdown. Read the
transcript, including the discussion period, on the website and watch
the audio-video file of the webcast at
http://www.larouchepac.com/pages/audio_video_files/2006/060427_webcast.html
.
A smart writer /researcher PAL OF MINE SAID: College is a total racket. It's set up to keep "middle class" kids in hock for years, and therefore wage slaves. Also unmarried, unable to reproduce or add to the population. Unless they live with parents which may be a good thing, more European. Much better for children!
Now that so many have worthless degrees, they've changed qualifications for simple jobs, too - which furthers the problem. Many companies now require administrative assistants to have bachelor's degrees - when they only required a high school diploma ten years ago.
I personally don't think you need to have four
years of classes to type letters and fetch
coffee...but what do I know? I studied music
and never finished my degree - I quit when I ran out of money, just like
all those kids alluded to in the article. I guess even as a 21 year old
I understood how student debt would weigh me down.
Kids today need real skills - and real jobs. Then,
they can become entrepreneurs, manufacturers, hire dozens of people who
render important services that Recession people absolutely need. Drip
Irrigation is a perfect example. With Global warming, AIR
REPAIR, HEPA filter systems to keep smog out. Times are changing,
and I doubt we'll need quite so many cubicle-bound, middle managers in
the future. Pricing almost everyone out of higher education is just another
symptom of our slide into third world status, anyway. This is an issue,
one which must be corrected. ACTIVISTS?
Take NOTE!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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POSTER is ANITA SANDS HERNANDEZ, Los Angeles Writer, Futurist
and Astrologer. Catch up with her websites TRUTHS
GOV WILL HIDE & NEVER TELL YOU,
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LIFE STYLE TIPS, HOW TO SURVIVE
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accurate career reading out there!
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