English 1B Homework for 4/9/14

The article A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College, by Martin and Lehran, exposes a shocking but absolute truth about the rising average of student debt. Sharing statistics and stories regarding the crippling debt that modern day students find themselves inheriting before even receiving their bachelor’s degree. For example, 23 year old Kelsey Griffith, a Ohio native, will graduate from Ohio Northern University with a hefty 120,000 dollar debt. Statistics and stories like these truly do question the worth of a modern day college degree, something that almost seems a necessity looking into the future. Economists and your local soccer mom all agree that the only thing worse than graduating in a heap of debt is not pursuing a college degree at all. Over the years, a college degree has proven to be a pivotal component to achieving the ever glorious “American Dream.” Although Martin and Lehran serve up an important issue that student loan debt in America has become a growing problem, the measure of importance of a college degree outweighs the burden of a mere fraction of what a college graduate will earn in their lifetime.

The second article of the packet, “Millennials Didn’t Abandon Our Institutions - Our Institutions Failed Them”, by Joshua Holland, is about the millennial generation (those born in between 1980-2000) and how our generation has become so untrustworthy of our government and religion as a whole. How can we show regard for our government when they continue to spend billions on our military and yet back home on our own soil the achievement gap between the rich and the poor widen solely because of our lack of funding for education. After reading these articles, it has become clear to me that the so called “American Dream” that lured our ancestors to the states, is steadily becoming less possible to achieve.

 

Article Response

After reading the article A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College, a few things come to mind. One thing in particular is the concern that comes along with hearing about the rising cost of attending college. Granted it doesn't pose an immediate concern at the moment because I'm currently attending a community college, but if all goes as hoped and I get into a 4 year college after finishing my general ed. requirements, the cost of attending could definitely pose a problem. Of course getting a degree from a University would be incredible, but leaving with substantial debt would be not only financially crippling, but very disheartening. The American Dream is to attend college, get a degree, find a job in one's field of study, get a house, and spend the rest of your life saving up and getting rich. At least, this is a personal version of that dream. It would be very difficult starting one's life post-college however, if you were burdened with several thousand dollars of debt having to be paid of for several years after you graduate.

The second article, Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions - Our Institutions Failed Them, discusses the idea that the Millennial generation isn't as connected with what's happening in the world as people would hope. Truth be told, it shouldn't come as a surprise. With the ridiculous costs of college nowadays and the failure of the government to help out in-debt college students, it comes as no surprise that Millennials do not want to affiliate themselves with a a government who has all but abandoned them. In addition, the new generation is so concerned with their own college debt they're a little too busy with worrying about not going bankrupt to concern themselves with political matters.

I'm Too Young To Be Afraid Of My Future

When reading these articles it is important to understand what "the American Dream" means and represents. The United States was and still is, despite a major decline in the believers of the American dream, an icon for opportunity, especially fiscal, to anyone with enough drive to make it happen. That is the idea that was spread across the world. Just as many people have come to realize that the American dream is not always possible as it was advertised, many students have been faced with the fact that these "dreams" are quite expensive. In the article entitled A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College, by Andrew Martin and Andrew W. Lehren, the cost of the American dream nowadays is put into perspective. Many students graduating from universities and colleges across the country are being financially suffocated by incredible debt caused by the school's high tuition. "Here at Ohio Northern, recent graduates with bachelor's degrees are among the most indebted of any college in the country..." (Martin and Lehren). Students with degrees should never have to be fighting to stay afloat at the beginning of their professional lives. I took a gap year last year and lived and worked in France because I did not want to pay an exorbitant amount of money to go to school. While I was there, I became friends with some Swedish guys and then explained to me how public university is free for them. If you want it you can use it, if not then fine. I do not understand how the United States can continue this archaic way of thinking when there are plenty of working, economically sustainable models all around the world. My hope is that many more young people will start to point out that fact so that our leaders may realize what is possible. In the mean time, students and young people across the nation are feeling less and less inclined to identify as Americans and to be involved in some of the oldest institutions in the United States. As a student in the United States I can see why people from my generation are feeling less and less patriotic. When Joshua Holland quotes the Pew Research Center, in his article, Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions -- Our Institutions Failed Them, as saying "...Millennials are 'the first [generation] in the modern era to have higher levels of student loan debt, poverty and unemployment, and lower levels of wealth and personal income than their two immediate predecessor generations...'" (Holland), it is no surprise to me that the idea of the American Dream has all but vanished from our minds. It is a frightening time to grow up in because absolutely nothing is a guarantee and we are pitted against each other in a sort of mental hunger games to secure positions in schools and at jobs. That is not how you want your countries young population to be behaving. There needs to be an increased effort by the government to shift their priorities to the education of their people.

I Have a Dream, Well More Like a Nightmare

It's crazy to think that nothing in this country is free.  However, it's very ironic because our nation stands for freedom.  In the article, "A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College," by Andrew Martin and Andrew W. Lehren, college costs are going through the roof.  More and more people are going to college now-a-days and many of them are up to their necks in debt.  I couldn't really relate to this article as much due to the low income my family receives.  I'm lucky enough to have financial aid and it really helps pay for my classes.  My friend on the other hand knows what it's like to be in debt.  She has to take out school loans, government loans, and private loans.  She estimated that by the time she graduates, she'll be about 60K in debt.  I saw a funny picture on the internet the other day and a few graduates had their debt amount taped to their hats.  At the end of the day if you think your dreams are worth being in debt for a couple of years then by all means go for it!

Being disconnected from religion and politics isn't something out of the ordinary anymore.  I find more people being atheist and the least bit interested in when Obama's next speech is.  In Joshua Holland's article, "Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions-Our Institutions Failed Them," he discusses the Millennial generation as disengaged with what is going on in the world.  You can't blame the new generation for being the way they are, with advancing technology, debt, and a declining economy I guess you can say they have bigger things to worry about.  I feel like I agree with this article because I consider myself atheist, I have no interest in politics, and I am in no way shape or form patriotic.  With the way things are looking now, I don't think any of these categories will become as popular as they used to be.

English 1B First Article Summary

In the article "A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College" Martin and Lehren outline the ways in which rising tuition prices have impacted the financial situation of college students across The United States. Currently around 2/3's of bachelor degree recipients had to borrow money to attend college, compared to around 45% in 1992. As a result the average debt held by college students who had taken out student loans was approximately $23,000 as of 2011. The article suggests that as the government spending on higher education decreases, student debt increases, with a total debt of nearly 1 trillion dollars nation wide. This is a crippling amount of debt to be held by a country that prides itself on freedom and upward mobility. Students can no longer expect to achieve a higher standard of living than there parents generation with such insurmountable debt. The result of student loan debt is an increase in service based jobs rather than the skill based jobs that are implied by the colleges in the first place. Service oriented jobs are taken because they are more readily available and many students are financially forced to move back in with their parents where higher paying jobs may not be available. Martin and Lehren shed light on an important issue concerning the upcoming generation in The United States
Joshua Holland, in his article, "Millennials didn't abandon our institutions--our institutions failed them" outlines the changes in attitude from the Gen X to those born after 1980. The wars fought today seem much less necessary than the wars fought nearly 100 years ago, corporations and schools seem less concerned with public welfare and more concerned with turning a profit, and religion seems more about prosecution than it does about acceptance. These factors contribute to declining faith in the current institutions. As Holland puts it, "A stance of intolerance from a religion founded on principles of radical inclusion is a losing strategy" and this sentiment echoes into other institutions as well. Holland does an exceptional job summarizing the loss of faith in modern America in the face of declining standards of living.
-Mike Needle

English 1B Response

A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College is a fitting title for Martin and Lehren's New York Times article, since it tries to address the debt inducting cost of college and the finical hole that college students have to struggle with. College loans form a wall in front of the American Dream by shackling students to an enormous debt that can take years to pay off and cost, in Ms. Hagan's case, "1,000 dollars a month"(4). Currently, only "38 percent"(3) of active "federal student loans"(3) are being paid and that means 62 percent of student loans are being defaulted on or have been postponed. It seems impossible for anyone to become better educated and more financially successful in life without accruing deadly debt.

It is easy for me to relate to Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions - Our Institutions Failed Them  by Holland since I am from the millennial age group and agree that institutions have failed us. I find it comforting to know that I am not the only one that believes "it's no longer scandalous to live with a significant other"(2) and that it has become publicly acceptable. Religion is finally being exposed for its "toxic"(2) teachings of "homophobia, and the ill-treatment of human beings"(2) but the American Dream seems to be slipping out of my grasp because the world has become a less trustworthy place that is ruled by "the faceless few"(2) with their "dark money"(2). It's funny, life used to be so simple as a child, wake up and go to school and play with friends, but now I am concerned with the geopolitical landscape and trying saving to pay off my debt. The American Dream just doesn't seem real anymore. 

Response to Education Articles on the American Dream

A Generation Hobbled by the Soaring Cost of College, by Andrew Martin discusses several different cases where students have been tricked by the american college system. The american dream says that this is the land of opportunity and freedom to do what someone wants with their life. On the other hand, the US government is doing the opposite of that. The lawmakers cut the state financing which makes the school raise tuition in order to get the money. Because of this, the balance of the federal student loans is 902 billion dollars nationwide. Many colleges also do not warn their incoming students about the serious amount of debt they could be in as a result of going to their college. This is why some students are forced to drop out half way through because they are drowning in debt. This means they not only have to work nonstop to pay off their debt but they also never even graduated with a degree. After reading this article, I think the american dream is spiraling downhill because the rate at which education costs are rising will make it impossible for people to get the opportunities they were promised. Ms. McGill say's "I was promised the world and was given a garbage dump to clean up". This is how many students feel when they find that they can't afford to borrow more money or pay their debt. The second article, Millennials Didn't Abandon Our Institutions-Our Institutions Failed Them, talks about how students now days are more likely to be discouraged from going to college because of the risks of too much debt. Studies show that the Millennial generation has become less trusting in general. This is because the government has failed them and they do not see the point in getting involved by investing their time in patriotic views. This shows that people are starting to realize that the american dream is disappearing quickly. The world we live in is not the way it used to be and it is understandable that the Millennial generation is losing faith in American's government.