The Community College Model Works Just Fine

In “The Argument for Tuition-Free College,” Keith Ellison addresses the matter of free-tuition for colleges and universities in America. The high cost of tuition increasing inequality and the largest personal debt in the country, student loans, are the main two problems Ellison discussed. Claiming that minorities are less likely to succeed in the community is one of Ellison’s ways to support the issue. He promotes his argument with two solutions. In the first one he explains how to eliminate student loan debt. Ellison uses free primary and secondary schooling as an example to explain his second solution.

“"Free" is a word with a powerful appeal. And right now it 's being tossed around a lot, followed by another word: "college."” (Kamenetz).The debate surrounding free community college for all is becoming rather controversial. Since there has been no law set in place federally some states are taking aim. Washington has a scholarship program called “Washington Promise” that supports what this act is all for. As the world continues to flatten, it seems the only way to compete in the globalized economy is by higher education. Even though the funding is large, the first two years of community college should be free to all. The Washington Promise, a scholarship program in place to provide scholarships to high school seniors who graduate from a Washington high school, is a way to help students in the Yakima Valley attend college and graduate with an A.A degree which helps stress the importance of liberal arts, and help decrease what Thomas Freidman, the author of The World is Flat, calls the education gap at the bottom.

It becomes a major controversy when the idea of something being “free” is brought up in this economy. Money is what operates the economical system and it’s the factor that leads colleges in providing resources for their students. President Obama’s idea of having community college be free leaves many skeptical on whether it can be beneficial, or in some ways hurtful. However, there are upsides to allowing community college to be free. Community College should be free because it will cause a diversity of students to attend, allow students to save money, and offer an opportunity for those who aspire to continue their education.

Kris, a wife and a mother, worries about the increasing cost of higher education. She and her husband have a two year old daughter whom they are determined to send to college. They want their daughter to succeed in life, but they have to weigh the complications of going to college as well. “I have always thought about college as a “catch 22”...You’re taught from a young age that in order to achieve the “American Dream” you must graduate high school and go to college,” Kris contemplates (Kris 5).Throughout Kris’s ten years of experience with college, she has seen the tuition increase to shocking heights. In fact, she claims that community colleges cost as much as state colleges did when she first started her college hunt. Back then, she

“There’s something about free that’s very clear to everyone.” (Joanne Jacobs) says Halley Potter a Century Foundation fellow, and everyone can agree with this statement. In the article “As He Promotes It, Some Question Obama’s Free Community College Idea,” by Joanne Jacobs, it explain how a student from Rio Hondo College (community college near LA) are “uncertain about President Barack Obama’s free college plan,” (Jacobs, 1). Free community college is a bad idea because community college is already almost free as it is with all the grants you can receive and financial aid or even scholarships. It is also a bad idea because even though it can be a powerful impact on lower income students it won’t be as beneficial because the colleges will become overpopulated and they would have to make waiting lists for you to get in and that will waste your time and you might get behind on graduating.

Since Obama’s announcement of his idea to provide free community college an uproar of an argument has arose with two distinct sides: community college should be free and community college should not be free. The idea behind free community college is to help individuals reach towards a college degree just as people are easily set forth to reach for a high school degree. The hope is that by deleting the financial barrier that comes with community college more people are willing to aim for an associates degree and possibly higher. There are states that have decided to take the matter into their own hands and are planning to implement this idea. However, the idea of having free community college implemented throughout all states is still questionable

In the article titled “Should Community College be Free?” written by Joanne Jacobs, the author talks up the argument about whether Community College should be free and presents both sides being that Community College should in fact be free for the many students who cannot afford it which will increase, “the number of people with degrees”, according to past President Barack Obama. The other side argues that making Community College free will only help those whose parents make too much to afford Grants stating that those who can afford it will be taking advantage of the free cost and making the schools overcrowded.

Iris Palmer, the senior policy analyst with the Educational Policy program at New America, notes in her article The False Promise of “Free College” that there is no denying the appeal “free college” offers to students pursuing a college degree. In this article, Palmer discusses several reasons why presidential nominee Hillary Clintons’ plan for free college would not have been beneficial to the United States, or to students hoping to earn a college degree. Although the articles main focus is about the plan created by Clinton, it ultimately can be used to form an argument against the general plans for “free” college tuition as a whole. The article lists several reasons why “free” college tuition would not solve the problem of the lack of students

Community college should not be free An article written by Joanne Jacobs gives two perspectives about President Barack Obama’s free college plan. The reason behind Obama’s unveiling is because he believes if he makes community college free the number of people with degrees with increase. Yet not a lot of people agree. If community college does become free then a lot of more students would like to go that route since they won’t be paying debts or loans till they transfer into a university.

In the article “The Good That Community Colleges Do, Part 1”, author Rob Jenkins discusses the benefits and values of Community College. Recent studies have shown that the value of two-year colleges were hard to predict. In fact, one report shows that the value of a two-year degree is less than that of a high school diploma, while another report shows that most students are receiving a financial return on their degree. While Rob Jenkins believes both reports have valid points and arguments, he states that “so many of the things that community colleges do for their students and communities are difficult to measure empirically” (“The Good That Community Colleges Do, Part 1”).

In today’s generation many hear about the importance of getting a college education. Many believe that getting a certification or degree will lead you on the path to a better future. For a portion of the American population college is helped pay for by various grant and student loans. But what about the portion of Americans that don’t qualify for them? For these Americans college seems so far out of reach. Making community college free for all Americans will be very beneficial to those Americans that don’t get help with paying their tuition. It will also make sure that nobody gets left behind because of their lack of money. Through evidence I will provide good reasoning as to why community college should be provided free to all citizens of the United States.

Education is one of the best ways to succeed; however not everyone has access to it and not everyone has the opportunity to have a degree. After high school a lot of students drop out because the college tuitions are too expensive; they can’t afford them. A couple weeks ago, president Obama came with a proposition in which to make community college free for students because more jobs will require a degree in the future. The program will concern the students who are serious. It means, in order to qualify, the students have to maintain a 2.5 grade point average C+, and they have to be full time and be able to transfer to a 4-years college. Other people believe that community college should not be free because of the following reasons; the program extends the welfare and encourages people to depend on government and not everyone needs to go to college. A study of the arguments will show that community college education should be free.

In the article “As he promotes it, some question Obama’s free community college idea” it demonstrated if people should go to a community college for free. In conclusion, there was many argument about should community college be free or not. President Barack Obama want students to be able to get an degree in something that you want to do. I believe that it should be free and I have many reasons to explain why it should.

College in general has been questionable for quite some time about whether it should be free or at least lowered in the tuition prices. In this discussion, only community college is in question on whether or not it should be free. Most states are even offering a program that allows high school students to earn college credits before ever even graduating. This is one of a few ways that they are trying to provide “low-cost or no-cost tuition for community colleges” (“Free Community College”). Throughout the “At Issue: Should community college tuition be free?” published in CQ Researcher, Walter G. Bumphus and Richard Vedder display their unique approaches on the issue of community college tuition. Bumphus argues that community college should

In this essay, I argue that community college tuition should be free or significantly less than it already is. The reasons why I support this argument is due to the strong points of the supporting premises for this argument. While the con side of the argument leans heavily on just one supporting thesis – essentially repeating that people should deserve and pay for a two year college as the same they do for a four year college –, the pro side supports in three different ways of why this is beneficial to America. It explains how this will provide the middle class of America a gateway to a better future that they wouldn't have before, how the investment into the America's College Promise plan is small with the payout being immeasurable, and to those who prove that they deserve this kind of benefit. The pro heavily outweighs the con in supporting premises.