Speaker 1 (00:01):

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Speaker 1 (00:10):
What do you think should public college be tuition free first? Let's take a look at what we mean by free
college. Free college programs come in different forms, but generally to the government paying for
tuition costs while students pay for other expenses, such as room and board, at least 38 states have
existing or proposed variations of free college programs, tuition at a public four year institution, more
than doubled over the past 30 years. And the average student loan debt more than doubled from 1990
to 2010, a according to the us department of education, there are currently around 17 million students
in undergraduate programs in the United States. As the 2020 presidential election heats up, many
candidates are bringing the issue of free college into the national spotlight. Let's take a dive into the
pros and cons and see if you think public college should be tuition free pro number one, tuition free
college will help decrease crippling student debt.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
If tuition is free, students will take on significantly fewer student loans, student loan debt in the United
States exceeds 1.5 trillion 44.2 million Americans have student loan debt and 10.7% of those borrowers
are on default. The average 2016 graduate owed $37,172 in college loans. Student loan debt has risen
130% since 2008 and public college costs have risen 213% since 1987 and 2017 students are coming out
of college already buried in debt before they have a chance to start their careers. Senator Bernie
Sanders and advocate for free college stated it is insane and counterproductive that hundreds of
thousands of bright young people cannot afford to go to college and that millions of others leave school
with a mountain of debt that burdens them for decades. Pro number two, the us economy and society
has benefited from tuition free college. In the past nearly half of all college students in 1947 were
military veterans.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Thanks to president Roosevelt signing the GI bill in 1944 to ensure military service members, veterans
and their dependents could attend college tuition free. The GI bill allowed 2.2 million veterans to earn
college education and 5.6 million to receive vocational training. All of which helped expand the middle
class GI bill recipients generated an extra 35.6 billion over 35 years and an extra 12.8 billion in tax
revenue paying for itself. Nearly seven times over studies showed that beneficiaries of free tuition
contributed to the economy by buying cars and homes and getting jobs after college while not being
burned by college debt. They contributed to society with higher levels of volunteering, voting and
charitable giving the 1944 GI bill paid for the educations of thousands of dentists, doctors, scientists,
teachers, engineers, three presidents, and many entertainers, including Johnny Cash, Paul Newman and
Clint Eastwood pro number three, everyone deserves the opportunity to get a college education, which
will benefit our country's economic, social and cultural development.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
The rapid rise of tuition has limited access to higher education, which is essential in today's workforce
three quarters of the fastest growing occupations. Now call for an education beyond high school, college
graduates earn 570,000 more than high school graduates over a lifetime, and they have lower
unemployment rates. Students from low and moderate income families are unable to afford. As many as
95% of American colleges. Some argue that a century ago, high school was be coming a necessity, not a
luxury. And today the same is happening to college. If college is essential for building a career and being
a full participant in our democracy as high school once was shouldn't it be free paid for by public dollars
and treated as a right for all members of our country. Now that we've had a chance to look at some of
the pros for tuition free college, let's take a look at why someone might be against it.

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Con number one, tuition free college is not free college and students will still have large debts. Tuition is
only one expense college students have to pay and accounts for only about 40% of total average college
costs. On average in-state tuition at a public college costs $10,230 for year fees, room and board for on
campus. Housing are another 11,000. And when you add books, supplies, transportation, and other
expenses without tuition college still costs on average about 15,660 per year tuition accounts for just
one fifth of the average community college student debt too. Sweden has free college. And yet students
in the country had an average of $19,000 in student debt for living costs and other expenses in 2013,
compared to the 24,800 in debt for us college students that same year con number two tax payers
would spend billions to subsidized tuition while other college costs remain high.

Speaker 1 (04:57):
The estimated cost of Bernie Sanders free college program is 47 billion year. And has states paying 33%
of the cost or 15.5 billion. This would increase taxes and force states to move existing resources into
higher education and away from other state priorities like healthcare prisons, roads and K12 education.
It's estimated that it would cost every adult taxpayer $1,360 a year or 77,500 over a lifetime. People
argue that it would be unfair because college students would be getting a degree to increase their
lifetime earnings on the backs of taxpayers. Lastly, even if college tuition was covered by taxpayers,
college costs remain high for a number of other reasons, including fancy dorms amenities, like lazy rivers
and climbing walls, student services, such as healthcare athletics, such as basketball or football and
increases in administrative personnel, con number three, tuition free college will decrease completion
rates, leaving students without the benefits of a full college education and degree.

Speaker 1 (06:02):
It has been argued that millions of young people would waste time and taxpayer dollars. And due to the
lack of work ethic and rigor of advanced education would never complete their degree. When California
had a community college fee waiver program over 50% of states, community college students attended
for free, but only 6% of all community college students completed a career technical program and fewer
than 10% completed a two year degree in six years. Essentially the concern is that students will enroll at
a free college and borrow money for the cost of attendance. Then they will drop out and have a student
loan, but no skills attending colleges rapidly growing in popularity only about 3% of Americans between
the ages of 18 and 24 went to college from the 1909 to 1910 school year compared to 41.2% for this 20
16, 20 17 school year free college programs have been in effect for military personnel since the 1944 GI
bill and at least 26 other countries have free or nearly free college tuition. According to a poll in 2017,
63% of Americans support making public colleges and university's tuition free. Should the United States
get on board with this? What do you think?

Speaker 1 (07:12):
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