Free Community College (Continued)

In my previous post, I gave four reasons we should oppose "free" community college.  Here are 5 more.

5.  Free Community College Is Not a Universal Solution.  President Obama stated as his goal, “that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today.”  (emphasis added).    However, not every job requires higher education, and not every student will benefit from community college.  To support his policy, President Obama claims that, “By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education.”  Even assuming this figure is accurate, this means that one-third or more of job openings require NO higher education whatsoever.

6.  Free Community College Excuses Poor Performing High Schools.  Even today, many students use community college as an extension of high school.  They take remedial math and English classes that should have been mastered well before college.  These classes generally do not count toward a college degree.  Would free community college relieve all pressure for our high schools to perform at acceptable levels?  Or perhaps free community college is an admission that our high schools are already inconsistent at preparing students for adult life.

7.  Free Community College Dilutes All Degrees.  We discussed President Obama’s plan for free community college in my political science class.  The students agreed that free stuff is valued less.  They worried that, if a community college degree was "free," would that dilute the value of their degrees?  Will an AA degree become the minimum requirement for entry-level jobs, as high school is today?

8.  Free Community College Encourages Irresponsibility.  My students were concerned that potential employers would not value “free” community college.  I wondered the same thing about the students themselves.  We all know – parents especially – that people appreciate things more when they work for them.   As an example, 20-year-old Joe works in retail, lives in a crappy apartment with 4 other guys, and goes to community college at night.  Joe is paying his own way, perhaps with the help of scholarships and loans.  You can bet that Joe will choose his classes carefully, show up, and study enough to safely pass.  On the other hand, you have 19-year-old Sam.  Sam’s mom expects him to attend community college and pays his tuition.  Since Sam likes living at home (free wi-fi), he reluctantly enrolls.  He picks classes like “History of Rock and Roll” and ceramics.  He sleeps through the lectures, and if he does pass, it is because his professor felt sorry for him.

Of course, some students will be disciplined enough to take full advantage of their education, regardless of whether it is costly or free.   These students probably do not need additional taxpayer help to complete their degrees.

9.  Free Community College Detaches Students from Their Communities. 

As a third example, let’s say Jane enrolls in government-provided, “free” community college.  In some ways, her situation is even worse than Sam’s.  At least Sam has his mom to kick his butt, and perhaps kick him out (someday).  But Jane is not accountable to anyone.  If she picks ridiculous classes, or sleeps through lectures, she does not feel the pinch, and neither do her parents.

To reassure us that this scenario is unlikely, President Obama says, “Understand, you’ve got to earn it – you’ve got to keep your grades up and graduate on time.”  Sam’s mom probably tells him the same thing. But Sam’s mom has more tools at her disposal, both for encouraging Sam and for making his life miserable.  Sam’s mom loves him, and prays for him, and mobilizes other family and friends to support him.  In contrast, the government cares nothing for Jane personally.  It allows Jane to believe that she is independent, slowly eroding her support system.  If Jane fails, her funding ends.  How is Jane better off then? 

Better for Jane to learn responsibility early, by paying as she goes along.  Better for Jane to be depending on family and friends that love her, until she can stand on her own two feet. 

To summarize:  better for Jane and her peers, better for our colleges, better for our high schools, better for our employers, better for our communities, better for our taxpayers and better for our freedoms that community college is NOT free.