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Friday, Sept. 20, 2013
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THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF OSWEGO STATE UNIVERSITY • www.oswegonian.com
VOLUME LXXIX ISSUE III
MONEY MATTERS
Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian
Oswego State mirrors nation-wide trend with tuition increases Ryan Deffenbaugh Editor-in-Chief rdeffenbaugh@oswegonian.com
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aclyn Hart, an Oswego State juniorbroadcasting major, said she was driven since she was young to go to college by her mother, who was able to receive a bachelor’s degree from Siena College and a master’s degree from Union College. Hart said her mother was able to pay her own way through college by working and earning multiple scholarships. “Because my mom went through her college experience alone she has made it a point to not let any of her children have to do that,” Hart said. But even with the support of her parents, Hart said she expects to find herself with $65,000 in debt before she graduates. “I don’t feel that my education has suffered due to the high cost of college, because I feel that I made the most cost-friendly decision without sacrificing the value of high education,” Hart said. “With that being said, I do feel that I’m at a disadvantage after I leave college. The debt that I will be in after I leave some-
times seems like it’s not worth it.” academic year: $13,297 for public schools and Washington Post. Hart’s story is similar to those of many $31,395 for private. The severity of the increas Oswego State has not been able to college students and recent graduates. While es becomes clear. elude the rising costs either. The average total U.S. culture has traditionally stressed the im That data is adjusted for inflation, a expenses for an in-state Oswego State student portance of a college education, living on campus was $21,511 for ” The original premise was that it’s good for the whole population to the recent increase in tuition the 2012-2013 academic year, acand, subsequently, amount of cording to Department of Educahave educated people in our midst. And that has waned and what student debt, has left more stution data. That is an increase of has really resided in people’s consciousness is that it’s a good, it’s dents questioning if college is 2.5 percent from the year before worth the cost than ever before. and a 10.7 percent increase from something you buy, and I think that’s an unfortunate perspective.” the 2008-2009 academic year. - Deborah Stanley, Climbing Tuition One of the factors driving the increase has been a cut Oswego State president The average cost of tuition, in state funding to all SUNY for both public and private universities, has schools, beginning during the height of the fiskyrocketed around the country over the last measure that, as pointed out by the Washingnancial crisis in 2007, along with a state budget several decades, forcing students to consider if ton Post’s data blog, Wonkblog, many concrisis in that year and the year following. the benefits still outweigh the costs. sider unfair given that college tuition can be a Oswego State President Deborah Stanley The Department of Education started driver of inflation itself. If the numbers are not said that the overall attitude toward public tracking tuition data from universities in 1965, adjusted for inflation, the Wonkblog reports, funding of education has shifted. at which point the average tuition (includaverage college tuition increased 297 percent “The original premise was that it’s good for ing fees, room and board) for a full academic from September 1990 to September 2012, the the whole population to have educated people year at a public university (adjusted into 2009life span of recent Oswego State graduates. By in our midst,” Stanley said. 2010 dollars) was $6,592, while a full year at comparison, healthcare costs, another indusa private university cost students an average try in which rising costs have driven governof $13,233. Compare that number to what the ment intervention, have increased 152 percent See TUITION, A4 average college student paid for 2010-2011 over the same period of time, according to the
Devon Nitz | The Oswegonian
Proposed presidential plan’s effects monitored by Oswego State Seamus Lyman News Editor slyman@oswegonian.com
CONTENT
Photo provided by White House President Obama signs tuition-focused legislation from Oval Office
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President Barack Obama unveiled a proposal for changes to higher education in a series of speeches over this summer. He outlined student loan plans and how he sees colleges improving the learning experience as a whole. Should parts of the program be adopted, Oswego State would likely see changes including students receiving more help from the government in regards to postgraduation concerns. The plan outlines how to make college more affordable and “a better bargain for the middle class,” according to the White House fact sheet on Obama’s plan. There has been
a 250 percent increase in college prices over the past 30 years, while incomes for families have only increased 16 percent. The White House fact sheet also states that the average borrower graduates with $26,000 in debt and that only 58 percent of students who entered college in 2004 graduated with a four-year degree within six years. This number, according to The White House, helps contribute to students graduating with more debt. The longer students attend college, the more they end up paying. Obama’s plan intends to combat increasing college costs, in turn making college
more affordable for Americans. He also plans on holding colleges accountable for their results and providing students and their families with information on schools they are interested in so they can more easily determine which school provides the best bang for a student’s buck. This information will come from a new rating system put out by the White House, and will allow Congress to provide students with financial aid based on college performance. Furthermore, Obama seeks to open doors to all institutions for new technological advances in higher education teaching. The plan is also set out to
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expand the Pay As You Earn program to all borrowers who need it. By 2015, the plan is set to provide ratings based on three main things: -Access: the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants. -Affordability: the average tuition, scholarships and loan debt. -Outcomes: graduation and transfer rates, graduate earnings and advanced degrees of college graduates.
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