Author Archives: Marian

MAJOR PROJECT 4: RESEARCH ON WHY HIGHER EDUCATION IS NOT TUITION-FREE IN THE US

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Introduction

One of the main concerns many middle and lower class people have in the US while growing up is how they will be able to afford college. There are countries around the world that offer public college and universities that are free for everybody. K-12 education in the US is free, and we have seen politicians talk about free-tuition college bills multiple times, so why does the US government not offer free higher education yet? In this paper, we discuss the reasons why free-tuition may or may not be possible.

Discussion

In the article “The Politics of Designing Tuition-Free College: How Socially Constructed Target Populations Influence Policy Support” in Journal of Higher Education, Elizabeth Bell states that over 70 percent of parents express concern about how to finance their child’s college education (888). The idea of free higher education is not a new concept for Americans. In 2015, President Obama captured headlines in the US by announcing America’s College Promise (ACP), a policy that would reverse four decades of privatisation in higher education by making community colleges ‘tuition-free (from “Americans ‘Support’ the Idea of Tuition-Free College: An Exploration of Sentiment and Political Identity Signals Otherwise” in Journal of Further & Higher Education, by Daniel Collier, pp. 347). But what about the people who want to get a degree from a place better than a community college? Over 16 states have implemented some form of tuition-free college policy (Bell, 888). Nevertheless, some states have not succeeded in this. Oregon, for example, faced considerable difficulty in establishing political feasibility and sustainability (Bell, 888).

In the article “Aiming Higher: Make College Tuition Free” by Jon Wiener, he says that college used to be free at state schools before and gives the example of the University of California. In 2014, in-state tuition and fees for undergraduates totaled $13,222 for one year and as a result, two-thirds of college seniors now graduate with an average of $29,000 in student-loan debt (Wiener, 224). The problem is that this pushes students into decades of debt (Wiener, 224), which most of the time, prevents them from moving higher up in their career and economically until their loan debt is paid off.

Michael Horn, Senior Contributor at Forbes, wrote the article “Five Reasons Why Free College Doesn’t Make The Grade,” and he claims that by making college free, it complicates students’ ability to make the right choices for themselves because it privileges these traditional higher education experiences over new private options that are designed to be faster, cheaper, and optimized for student success (Horn). He also states that although financial struggles are one of the main reasons for student dropouts, there are other factors that contribute to it, such as professional commitments, health, lack of satisfaction with one’s school, and academics (Horn). Therefore, he tries to explain that even if higher education was 100% free, there would not be a big difference in the rate of students who drop out of college. He also adds that if all colleges were free, an immense amount of debt would be added to future generations of taxpayers (Horn).

There are several pros and cons on whether public higher education should be free in the US, and it is because of this that the US government has not been able to reach an agreement whenever this subject is discussed. The opinions on this are divided between the people who think free-tuition would be a great idea, and the people who think it will hurt the economy. What Michael Horn stated in his article is true, financial struggles are not the only reason college students drop out of school. Nevertheless, Jon Wiener makes a point in saying that “education is a public good” (224). He stated “the purpose of education is not just to enable people to increase their lifetime incomes; it’s to help them understand the world, to stimulate the imagination and inspire creativity in all fields. A good society provides opportunities for everyone. We need educated people. And we should be willing to pay to educate them (224).

Conclusion

Free-tuition can be possible in the US, but because the government is divided between people who have different opinions on this subject, an agreement has not been reached. If the government were able to prioritize this and come up with ideas to counterattack the disadvantages that this would bring, the overall outcome would be positive. Future generations would consist of highly educated people, who therefore would cause a drastic change in society.

Works cited

Bell, Elizabeth. “The Politics of Designing Tuition-Free College: How Socially Constructed Target Populations Influence Policy Support.” Journal of Higher Education, vol. 91, no. 6, Sept. 2020, pp. 888–926. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2019.1706015.

Collier, Daniel A., et al. “Americans ‘Support’ the Idea of Tuition-Free College: An Exploration of Sentiment and Political Identity Signals Otherwise.” Journal of Further & Higher Education, vol. 43, no. 3, Apr. 2019, pp. 347–62. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1361516.

Horn, Michael. “Five Reasons Why Free College Doesn’t Make The Grade.” Forbes, 17 July 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhorn/2019/07/16/five-reasons-why-free-college-doesnt-make-the-grade/?sh=5839172da6c1.

Wiener, Jon. “Aiming Higher: Make College Tuition Free.” Nation, vol. 300, no. 14, Apr. 2015, pp. 224–26. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=a9h&AN=101720701&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

University of Pennsylvania: Summary, Analysis, and Response project

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Summary

The University of Pennsylvania is a private non-profit university and one of the Ivy League universities in the United States. On their website, they use the large APATSARC strategy of Imagining Ideal Readers and the small rhetorical strategy of Logos to attract their ideal students. Based on these strategies, they want to attract students who are interested in highly intellectual areas such as science and politics. They want students who appreciate art and are willing to analyze and discuss it, and students who look to stay involved in campus’ events.

Analysis

The website of UPenn opens with a text that says “Health Science” followed by a headline that says “From wearable light to tech startup,” (upenn.edu) which is an announcement about Lumify Care (an LED light for nurses) launching an app and a new version later this year. The announcement states that Lumify Care was “supported by the 2021 President’s Innovation Prize and co-founded by May graduate Anthony Scarpone-Lambert and NICU nurse Jennifferre Mancillas” (upenn.edu). This is the first thing shown as soon as the website is opened. By opening with information and facts, the rhetorical strategy of Logos is being applied. UPenn wants to inform its audience about the research innovations achieved by its students, and expects its audience to be interested in it.

The text is shown with an image that occupies the whole screen. The image includes a student wearing formal clothing. By doing this, the university is applying the APATSARC strategy of Imagining Ideal Readers. What is more likely for students to wear is casual clothing, but UPenn is looking for students who are interested in fields where formal clothing might be required. Examples of areas of work where this might apply include education, science, and politics. And we know that these are fields UPenn prioritizes because of its news sections, which is below the opening announcement on the website. The news section is separated by different categories, which include “Education, Business, & Law,” “Campus & Community,” “Art, Humanities, & Social Sciences,” and “Sports.” The articles go from news about the state of Pennsylvania and cyberattacks in Russia, to information about the metaverse and climate change. UPenn is looking for students who are up-to-date with the challenges and innovations happening in the world.

After the news section, an article about “Science & Technology” is highlighted. It includes a short description about UPenn Engineering researchers that is followed by a link to the full story. Below the article there is a section of Upcoming Events. It displays a list of three art exhibits happening throughout China, the Caribbean, and the Middle East in the following couple of months. By mentioning only art events, UPenn is trying to get the attention of students who are attracted towards the art field. This way they also want to show that their people believe that art has value, and that their students staying involved in the institution’s events matters to them.

Below the Upcoming Events section follows the introduction to two projects. “Inspiring Impact” is the name of one of them. There is a button under it that says “Support Penn” and it gives a link to a separate webpage where it is explained how making a donation towards the institution would help, and why. The second project is called “Penn COMPACT 2022.” It claims that the project focuses on inclusivity, innovation, and impact. It explains that the university wants students who will take everybody into consideration, regardless of race, nationality, religion, or financial background; also students who are creative and have a sense of leadership, and want to make a change in the world and their community.

Following the projects, there is a gallery displayed that shows the priorities of UPenn. It claims that its priorities are “Climate and Sustainability Action Plan,” “Diversity and Inclusion,” “Penn Cares,” and “Campaign for Community.” UPenn is attempting to convince its audience that the well-being of the community matters, and that it wants its students and staff to feel welcomed, safe, and at home.

The next section is for the audience to find the university’s social media and connect with other students, and for them to be updated with news about the campus. Following, the last section is titled “Equal Opportunity and Nondiscrimination at Penn.” In this section, the idea of being inclusive and how important it is for them to have an environment of talented people who are from diverse backgrounds is again reinforced. It states that if there is any concern about this policy, they can be addressed with the “Executive Director of the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Programs.”

Response

There are many reasons why I would not be able to attend this university. My family would like me to stay near them and Pennsylvania is very far away. Money would also be an issue. Regardless of this, if these reasons did not exist, I would definitely like to attend this university.

I like that UPenn welcomes students that appreciate art. Even though it is a research university and it is interested in students who are more politically and scientifically inclined, it still wants to include students who are interested in art and design fields. There are many people who consider art to be “pointless” and claim that studying a career related to art will be a waste of time and money. As an art major student, seeing such a recognized university care about art just as much as other majors makes me want to go there. And because UPenn is one of the Ivy League universities in the United States, I know that if I got a degree from there, I would have higher chances of getting a job at top design companies. I also like that one of the major policies at UPenn is about nondiscrimination and diversity. I was not born in the United States, and people notice that by my accent. Even though being from another country has become easier for me, it did not use to be that way, and I know that there are people just like me who feel out of place sometimes.

Because of these reasons, I believe that if money and distance were not a problem for me I would be comfortable attending UPenn and completing all of my degrees there.

 

Works Cited:

University of Pennsylvania. Home Page. Accessed on March 10, 2022. https://www.upenn.edu/

Academic Profile of Chloe Richey

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On this assignment I will be making an academic profile of Chloe Richey. This information was retrieved from meetings I had with her during and after class, and interviews made during phone calls where we both worked on each other’s profiles throughout the two weeks that the assignment took place.

Chloe Richey was born on October 26th of 2004. She was born in Greensboro, Georgia and lived there until her family decided to move to Atlanta when she was in the third grade. Her dad is a truck driver and her mom works as an assistant nurse. She wanted to be a choreographer from a very young age, but due to her mom being a nurse and hearing stories about her mom’s patients, she realized she wanted to follow her mom’s path and become a nurse. Chloe is currently a dual enrollment student. She attends Dekalb Early College Academy and is taking four classes at Georgia State University. She is to graduate high school in 2023. 

The words Chloe used to describe herself were: determined, hardworking, and overanalyzing. When she was younger, she never struggled with grades. Her mom never had to worry about her not getting her homework done or failing a class because she was always determined to do well academically and every other aspect of her life. Chloe mentioned that when she started with dual enrollment her family would question if it was too much for her, but she always replied no because she knew that she needed to work hard to achieve her goal. Nevertheless, overthinking may sometimes get a little too much. Chloe talked about how she used to feel that if she made a mistake, there was always time to make up for it. But now that she is experiencing college, she feels that every minute counts, and that she can’t afford to make a mistake.

Chloe has categorized herself as a “visual” and “hands-on” learner. She said that if she were to watch a video, she would be able to learn enough from it, but that she prefers to work out a problem herself.

Overall, Chloe is a very hardworking and determined person that will do whatever is necessary to achieve her goal. Many people graduate high school not having a single clue of what they want to do with their life. Meanwhile, Chloe has not graduated yet and is already working towards her future. While working on this assignment I realized how many things we have in common, and I believe that she will overcome any obstacle that comes her way and become a successful woman one day.