Persuasive Writing sec002
September 29, 2008
Response Paper #2
Equal Access to Higher Education
As American citizens and taxpayers, we should have equal access to higher education that is affordable. With a declining economy, increasing tuition, and tempting credit cards, it is hard for students not to fall deep into debt. Tuition is rising, which is causing students to need more loans. Furthermore, many students are going to school without having jobs, yet they continue living a comfortable lifestyle thanks to credit cards. While researching student debt, I have been pondering some questions. I want to know why the price of education is continually rising. I also want to find out if the government is doing anything to help prevent student debt. Furthermore, I want to learn what can be done to prevent student debt. I found three credible articles from Temple’s Library databases that have helped me understand the answers to my questions. It is important to do research using credible sources because the information is more reliable. Sources such as Wikipedia can be a good place to begin research, but with the help of an exercise, I have learned that information found on Wikipedia is no always dependable.
The first article I found, “Funding Roller Coaster for Higher Education” written by Michael S. McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro, explains that because of changes in the economy, public universities and colleges have had rough financial times; the way colleges and universities make up for this lack of support from the government is by raising tuition. McPherson and Schapiro argue that public colleges and state-government budgets need to be sheltered from the “business-cycle” by changing tax systems, developing programs that would help education budgets in economic downtimes, or influence public universities to save some funds during good economic times to have for what the future may bring. McPherson and Schapiro believe that state governments need to view higher education as a priority and spend budgets accordingly; however, they claim that right now, public colleges and universities need to depend on tuition as a source of revenue, or education quality might be reduced as far as increased class size, diminished course offerings, and longer amounts of time to earn degrees.
A second article I discovered, “Fixing the College Credit-Card Mess” written by Jessica Silver-Greenberg, discusses that for a number of years, Representative Lousie Slaughter of Congress has tried to raise awareness within Congress of college student debt. She first introduced the Student Credit Card Protection Act in 1999, which would limit the amount of credit given to a student; however, Congress keeps rejecting the bill. Likewise, other Representatives and Senators have tried to introduce similar bills. Silver-Greenberg offers her input on how to protect students from debt. First, she argues that students need to have their credit lines limited to a practical amount. She also explains that credit card contracts should be clearer by comprehensibly explaining terms, fees, and APRs. Silver-Greenburg also thinks that schools should be mandatory to unveil profitable contracts with credit-card companies to the public, which enables the companies to have access to student information for all types of marketing. Furthermore, she explains that certain unruly fees and practices should be banned, such as double-cycle billing, universal default, and fees for paying via phone. A final way to avoid debt is keeping students informed by making it required for credit card companies to announce to current cardholders when and why they are assessing a fee or increasing an interest rate.
The last article I came across, “Counseling Students on Loans” written by Ron Lieber, explains how in the late 1980s the government started to require counseling from universities to students who were taking out loans for the first time. Lieber argues these counseling sessions should be more intense to really make students get the grasp how to be responsible with loans. He states parents should get involved so they also understand the process. He advises students to check their debt often so that they are aware of how much they owe. Lieber tells students to get to know someone in the financial aid office—someone who can answer all your questions. He states that a student should not take out too large of a loan, but just enough. A larger loan means more debt, but at the same time too small of a loan can mean debt, too. He also explains that students who do not borrow enough money often work more to make up for the difference. However, that can sometimes result in too much stress for students, so they drop out and are left without an education and in debt. Finally, Lieber advises students to be careful with private loans because of high, unfixed interest rates.
Moving on to the discussion of Wikipedia and credibility, I have always looked at Wikipedia as a quick way to get information. When I come across something I do not know, I find Wikipedia to be very convenient. While I do not believe that everything written on Wikipedia is invalid, I also do not consider it to be a credible source. Under the “Student Loans in the United States” page in Wikipedia, I added, “Taking out too many unnecessary loans may cause students to be in debt for years after they graduate.” Now that I have actually added something to Wikipedia, it does make me hesitant toward using it. I understand that anyone can easily post something about any topic, even if he or she does not know much about the subject. However, I have to admit that even though I only added a short statement, I was a little excited about it. I will probably keep track for a little while to see if anyone edits or deletes what I wrote. In the future, I know I will use Wikipedia, but definitely not for an academic purpose.
The Temple Library Databases are an excellent research tool, and unlike Wikipedia, I have confidence in the information I discovered. Overall, the three articles I found answered my questions. I know that I will have to continue to find other credible sources to broaden my knowledge on my topic and answer my questions even further. I want to search deeper into higher tuitions and what part the government is taking in student debt.
Works Cited
Lieber, Ron. "Counseling Students On Loans." New York Times, The (NY) September 6, 2008, Late Edition - Final, Business/Financial Desk: 1. NewsBank Access World News. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/.
As American citizens and taxpayers, we should have equal access to higher education that is affordable. With a declining economy, increasing tuition, and tempting credit cards, it is hard for students not to fall deep into debt. Tuition is rising, which is causing students to need more loans. Furthermore, many students are going to school without having jobs, yet they continue living a comfortable lifestyle thanks to credit cards. While researching student debt, I have been pondering some questions. I want to know why the price of education is continually rising. I also want to find out if the government is doing anything to help prevent student debt. Furthermore, I want to learn what can be done to prevent student debt. I found three credible articles from Temple’s Library databases that have helped me understand the answers to my questions. It is important to do research using credible sources because the information is more reliable. Sources such as Wikipedia can be a good place to begin research, but with the help of an exercise, I have learned that information found on Wikipedia is no always dependable.
The first article I found, “Funding Roller Coaster for Higher Education” written by Michael S. McPherson and Morton Owen Schapiro, explains that because of changes in the economy, public universities and colleges have had rough financial times; the way colleges and universities make up for this lack of support from the government is by raising tuition. McPherson and Schapiro argue that public colleges and state-government budgets need to be sheltered from the “business-cycle” by changing tax systems, developing programs that would help education budgets in economic downtimes, or influence public universities to save some funds during good economic times to have for what the future may bring. McPherson and Schapiro believe that state governments need to view higher education as a priority and spend budgets accordingly; however, they claim that right now, public colleges and universities need to depend on tuition as a source of revenue, or education quality might be reduced as far as increased class size, diminished course offerings, and longer amounts of time to earn degrees.
A second article I discovered, “Fixing the College Credit-Card Mess” written by Jessica Silver-Greenberg, discusses that for a number of years, Representative Lousie Slaughter of Congress has tried to raise awareness within Congress of college student debt. She first introduced the Student Credit Card Protection Act in 1999, which would limit the amount of credit given to a student; however, Congress keeps rejecting the bill. Likewise, other Representatives and Senators have tried to introduce similar bills. Silver-Greenberg offers her input on how to protect students from debt. First, she argues that students need to have their credit lines limited to a practical amount. She also explains that credit card contracts should be clearer by comprehensibly explaining terms, fees, and APRs. Silver-Greenburg also thinks that schools should be mandatory to unveil profitable contracts with credit-card companies to the public, which enables the companies to have access to student information for all types of marketing. Furthermore, she explains that certain unruly fees and practices should be banned, such as double-cycle billing, universal default, and fees for paying via phone. A final way to avoid debt is keeping students informed by making it required for credit card companies to announce to current cardholders when and why they are assessing a fee or increasing an interest rate.
The last article I came across, “Counseling Students on Loans” written by Ron Lieber, explains how in the late 1980s the government started to require counseling from universities to students who were taking out loans for the first time. Lieber argues these counseling sessions should be more intense to really make students get the grasp how to be responsible with loans. He states parents should get involved so they also understand the process. He advises students to check their debt often so that they are aware of how much they owe. Lieber tells students to get to know someone in the financial aid office—someone who can answer all your questions. He states that a student should not take out too large of a loan, but just enough. A larger loan means more debt, but at the same time too small of a loan can mean debt, too. He also explains that students who do not borrow enough money often work more to make up for the difference. However, that can sometimes result in too much stress for students, so they drop out and are left without an education and in debt. Finally, Lieber advises students to be careful with private loans because of high, unfixed interest rates.
Moving on to the discussion of Wikipedia and credibility, I have always looked at Wikipedia as a quick way to get information. When I come across something I do not know, I find Wikipedia to be very convenient. While I do not believe that everything written on Wikipedia is invalid, I also do not consider it to be a credible source. Under the “Student Loans in the United States” page in Wikipedia, I added, “Taking out too many unnecessary loans may cause students to be in debt for years after they graduate.” Now that I have actually added something to Wikipedia, it does make me hesitant toward using it. I understand that anyone can easily post something about any topic, even if he or she does not know much about the subject. However, I have to admit that even though I only added a short statement, I was a little excited about it. I will probably keep track for a little while to see if anyone edits or deletes what I wrote. In the future, I know I will use Wikipedia, but definitely not for an academic purpose.
The Temple Library Databases are an excellent research tool, and unlike Wikipedia, I have confidence in the information I discovered. Overall, the three articles I found answered my questions. I know that I will have to continue to find other credible sources to broaden my knowledge on my topic and answer my questions even further. I want to search deeper into higher tuitions and what part the government is taking in student debt.
Works Cited
Lieber, Ron. "Counseling Students On Loans." New York Times, The (NY) September 6, 2008, Late Edition - Final, Business/Financial Desk: 1. NewsBank Access World News. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/.
McPherson, Michael S., and Morton Owen Schapiro. "Funding Roller Coaster for Public Higher Education." Science 302.5648 (14 Nov. 2003): 1157-1157. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. https://libproxy.temple.edu:2343/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=11546986&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Silver-Greenberg, Jessica. "Fixing the College Credit-Card Mess." Business Week Online (10 Sep. 2007): 13-13. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 25 Sept. 2008. https://libproxy.temple.edu:2343/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=26529580&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
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