Responses
When responding to your peers, be sure to address your position for or against the policies that your peers identify and explain why.
Respond 2 classmates discussion
speak in first person. Speak as you are talking to each classmate directly
Tiffany Discussion:
A prime higher education policy, at the state level, which promotes controversy is state funding of higher education institutions. In general, the American economy plays a key role in the funding of colleges and universities. For example, the health of the economy will affect not only state budget revenue but also student enrollment numbers, endowment growth and demand on state financial aid programs (Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2019, 2019). Therefore, if the economy is in a downturn, enrollment may decline, as well as state funding.
State funding of higher education institutions has been, and continues to be controversial, as when funding gets cut, it contributes to rapid, significant tuition increases and pushed more of the costs of college to students, making it harder for them to enroll and graduate (Mitchell et al., 2019). Pushing the costs onto its students impacts access and affordability, and also has a negative impact on the learning environment. For instance, many colleges and universities have no choice but to reduce faculty, limit course offerings, and in some cases close some of their campuses (Mitchell et al., 2019) in order to reduce costs. While most colleges and universities mission statements focus on access and affordability, a reduction in funding can impact their ability to meet their mission and goals.
References
Mitchell, M., Leechman, M., & Saenz, M. (2019, October 24). State Higher Education Funding Cuts Have Pushed Costs to Students, Worsened Inequality. Retrieved August 17, 2020, from https://www.cbpp.org/research/state-budget-and-tax/state-higher-education-funding-cuts-have-pushed-costs-to-students
Top 10 Higher Education State Policy Issues for 2019. (2019). Retrieved August 16, 2020, from https://www.aascu.org/policy/publications/policy-matters/Top102019.pdf
Vera Discussion:
The recent school closures and COVID 19 changes have instigated a litany of complaints and lawsuits. Most institutions elected to respond to the crisis by taking all classes on-line, but not refunding room and board or decreasing tuition. Students, not surprisingly, felt this was unfair and began a grassroots effort to protest these decisions. Both the federal government and some states stepped into the fray to protect colleges, but some institutions have relented and given at least a partial refund. Duke University in North Carolina offered students a prorated refund for food and board (Burke, 2020). These partial measures have helped, but a large vocal group of students feels their college experience has been damaged by the virus response and want a more meaningful and empathetic policy from colleges (Smalley, 2020).
For many, the college experience is not all about lessons and assignments. College students want to must more from their time on campus. In their estimation, without the in-person lectures and peer interaction, the money could be better spent on a strictly on-line degree. Asking students to pay the entire tuition without the elements they missed is very unfair. However, schools did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude and they did the best they could to compensate. To stay afloat, the tuition money allowed schools to fund faculty salaries and make adjustments to help students continue classes (McGee, 2020). This is a very difficult situation and neither colleges nor students are happy with the outcome. The hope is that solutions to the virus itself will be found, but in the meantime, a better policy to manage tuition must be found.
References:
Burke, L. (2020). NC Legislature Protects Colleges From COVID-19 Lawsuits. Retrieved August 18, 2020, fromhttps://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/06/29/nc-legislature-protects-colleges-covid-19-lawsuits
McGee, K. (2020, July 07). DePaul University Students Are Suing For Tuition Refunds After COVID-19 Shutdown. Retrieved August 18, 2020, fromhttps://www.wbez.org/stories/depaul-university-students-sue-for-tuition-refund-after-covid-19-shutdown/80240207-fcc3-4133-a700-a812aa080550
Smalley, A. (2020). Higher Education Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19). Retrieved August 18, 2020, fromhttps://www.ncsl.org/research/education/higher-education-responses-to-coronavirus-covid-19.aspx
