If you know what it feels like to be homeless, and a victim of the economy, continue to read this post. My name is Audriannah Levine-Ward and I am a recent college graduate and a soon-to be doctoral student in San Francisco, California. While I am lucky enough to be blessed with the ability to receive a post-secondary degree, throughout my college experience, I experience death, unemployment, illness and homelessness all before I graduated. During this very upset political climate, the largest political issue that I believe should be focused on is the economy. While “the economy” could mean many things, to me, it means unemployment, homelessness and the overall recession in both the U.S. and around the world.
I think that this issue is being addressed and at the same time swept for daintily under a giant rug called “progress”. The government continues to claim that jobs are being created and that unemployment rates should begin to at least plateau, and yet, the unemployment rate is still sitting pretty at 8.2% throughout the country. when I entered college in the fall of 2007, my mother and her fiance were able to go on a trip while I was in school and still come home to a victorian in San Francisco. By my senior year, my mother, sister and I had given hospice to both of my grandparents in our home, had watched my mom die and be revived twice on our sofa and, by the time graduation came, my whole family was homeless living in a car.
While the above illustrates how our failing economy continues to fail those who are unemployed or on disability, the economy is also beginning to fail students.
The costs of postsecondary education has been rising for decades in the United States. It continues to rise today due to a failing economy that requires: higher levels of education for employment, specialized programs in private (for profit) universities, and higher tuition rates to account for the lack and decrease in federal grants, loans and scholarships.
With an economy failing its people, especially those over 40 years old, in order to find and retain employment, one must have a college degree. ”Access to family-supporting jobs now requires education or training beyond high school, but college is becoming less affordable and the education “pipeline” from high school to and through college remains shockingly inefficient, despite the reform efforts of the past several decades.”(pennington,p.2) In addition to having a BA, many jobs are now requiring or replacing their older employees with younger, college educated, employees who have their MA and will work for less pay.
In a country with inflation and mass bankruptcy, many students are using their education as a platform for specialization in order to solidify employment after graduation. However, the students who choose to go to private or professional schools, are also paying about twice the amount for a specialized education. “Students and their families are taking on higher debt, and costs may deter students from attending college. An ongoing trend of declining affordability will compromise the state’s ability to maintain the educated and innovative workforce needed for California’s future.”(http://www.cpec.ca.gov) In exchange for a specialized education and higher employment opportunities, families are paying out of pocket and increasing their personal debt.
The largest factor contributing to the rising cost in postsecondary education is the shrinking of the federal government's grants, loans and scholarships for students. Although there is a great deal of financial aid available to first-year and undergraduate students, postsecondary education is usually the most expensive and the least provided with grants and scholarships.
No comments:
Post a Comment