"Whatever failings that may have happened at Penn State, whatever conclusions about my or others’ conduct you may wish to draw from a fair view of the allegations, it is inarguable that these actions had nothing to do with this last team or any of the hundreds of prior graduates of the “Grand Experiment.”" - Joe Paterno, in a just-released column published via Fight On State
In an effort to avoid doing actual work this morning, I was reading the usual drivel at InsideHigherEd.com when I found an article that I felt deserved a public flogging.
Every article I’ve read on the student loan debate seems to be missing one very crucial, simple way to completely eliminate student loan debt. It’s so painfully obvious that it flabbergasts me that no one, I meanno one,has pointed this out.
Many ideas are put forward. Lower tuition. Let students discharge their student loans in bankruptcy. Offer more Pell Grants, don't cut them. Limit the amount of aid that goes to for-profit colleges. Push for more disclosure of student loans and the cost of college.
None of those are the best solution to this problem. The real answer is simple and unpopular. It lies not with Congress, or the president, or the colleges and universities, but with the students. Students have to stop borrowing money to pay for college
Well gee -- why didn't I think of that?
Really?! You think that the solution to ending college loans is to stop borrowing to pay for college?
I think we’ve forgotten a basic rule of economics: If you can’t pay for it, don’t buy it. Go to a school that you can afford.
Students have options. They can go to community college at a relatively low cost for two years, then go to a four-year school after that. They can work full-time and take online courses at cheap universities that are making education affordable and that will not accept federal financial aid, not because they are not accredited, but because they want you to graduate debt-free, at schools like New Charter University, or even tuition-free universities like University of the People. It’s not Plan A, per se, but it is doable. It’s not the freshman college experience, but it is a path to graduating debt-free.
Okay, now I feel like I'm sitting in a Dave Ramsey rally. Or even better, it's as if I'm in this sketch on Saturday Night Live.
While I do sympathize with Mr. Broadus' point here -- the crushing debt that so many students must bear is unacceptable -- the idea that students should have so many more options is simply untrue.
Look, Mr. Broadus' raises some good suggestions in his article -- but they are good for general financial advice. Not necessarily for paying for college.
If every student in America attended a school they could afford, then the cheapest (not necessarily the highest quality) institutions would be the most popular. Schools like NYU, Harvard University, or Sarah Lawrence College would have only a handful of students. Conversely, instead of having only 1550 students, Berea College in Kentucky (which charges no tuition to attend) would be the largest institution in the nation.
It's capitalism folks. Supply and demand. ECON 101.
Schools like NYU and Harvard are known to produce an extremely high-quality education. Therefore, students (and families) are willing to pay much (MUCH!) more for their sons and daughters to receive that education.
The bottom line is this: there is no 'one best solution' to the problem of paying for higher education.
Rather, ALL of the things that Broadus mentions apply. Lower tuition, letting students discharge their student loans in bankruptcy, offering more Pell Grants, limiting the amount of aid that goes to for-profit colleges, pushing for more disclosure of student loans and the high costs of college are all relevant. In combination with consideration of lower-cost institutions, all of these items can be helpful.
Instead of trying to offer up a metaphorical Band-Aid to fix the issues of student loan debt in one fell swoop, why not take a more practical, multi-pronged approach?
I don't know about you, but I grew up playing baseball. To me, nothing says 'spring' like a sunny day and the ever-so-distinct "ping" sound of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball.
Holden has been playing soccer for three years now, but has never shown any interest in America's Pastime.
That has changed.
Earlier this year (roundabout February or so), Holden approached his mom and dad and said that he was interested in playing in Huntingdon's Little League. So, we signed him up and he was "drafted" to play for the Blue Jays. Practices started in mid-March and our first "real" game was April 14th.
Holden has really taken to this stuff. Here was his first at-bat in a scrimmage on April 11th:
A good hit last weekend (April 28th):
And another base-hit from last night's game (April 30th):
Despite the more-than-usually hectic schedule, the family has really been enjoying watching Holden. He's doing great, and getting better with every practice -- and game!
For the true baseball nerds out there (ahem), Holden's current batting average is .789 -- yes. He's better than most professional ball players!
Hi there. It's been a while, but the McBrayers are back.
Yes. You're looking at the dates correctly. It's been nearly three years since the last post here. Let's just say that life got in the way.
I've updated the site to be, well, more up-to-date. I added a scrolling "featured" area at the top -- which you can see is a short slide-show of pictures. That may change in the future -- but for now the pretty pictures will do.
A lot has changed in the time that has passed: the family moved (yet, again) from Hollidaysburg to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. It was something of a homecoming for our family, as both Melissa and I grew up there (well, Melissa more than I, but I digress...) and the kids are now both in elementary school. Holden is in second grade and Fiona is finishing her kindergarten year.
Both Melissa and I are gainfully employed (thankfully!) at the Pennsylvania State University (a.k.a. Penn State); Melissa in the College of Liberal Arts as an academic adviser and me in the Undergraduate Admissions Office.
Life is good -- we don't have any (many) complaints.
I wanted to resurrect this site as a way to continue to document our lives for family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we'd like to. So, check back frequently, or sign-up for an email subscription down below. The McBrayers on Aladdin's Magic Carpet at Disney's Magic Kingdon in November, 2011
My brother sent me this picture of a standard 12 oz. can of Mountain Dew next to a large HUMUNGOUS can. It looks like the first can’s dad or something.
I love Mountain Dew – or as it is now known, “MTN Dew”. But come on folks! The size of this can is INSANE.
