Jay’Mi Vazquez – News Editor
The average cost of college in Conn. Is $14,549 dollars for in-state tuition and fees. At Southern, the average cost after aid is $18,231. Students and faculty have different opinions based upon the expenses of college.
Sophomore Matthew Showalter a sports management major, is a resident on campus. Showalter currently pays $12,000 dollars per semester to stay on campus.
“College should be more lenient on the different fees that they enforce on students,” Showalter said.
Sophomore Nickolas Charles physics major thinks college should be free because of the debt it leaves students in.
“If it’s free anyone would be able to go to college” and not have to worry about potential debt acquired from attending a university Charles said.
“I am not trying to go in debt over an education that is needed by most employers to be successful in life. I would rather save money while I am here instead of graduating and having to owe like thousands of dollars,” Charles said.
Freshman Hanna Graham a journalism major feels a college education should be free.
“College should be free because with the way things are going it’s becoming more of a for profit industry instead of just being for education,” Graham said.
Graham feels that the quality of education certain schools offer does not correlate with the price. Students could get the same level of education anywhere, but some people are infatuated with the name attached to the school, Graham explained.
“People are mostly paying for their living situation and the price of classes is close to nothing compared to where they’re living,” Showalter said.
Sophomore Oscar Magana a business economics major, says college should be free because not everyone’s family income is the same.
“Not many people have much money. Not everyone receives the same amount from financial aid based upon their family’s income which makes the costs of college different for people. It’s unfair if some pay close to nothing and some struggle to just get books,” Magana said.
Junior Catherine Tancreti a sociology major feels college should not be free but should be less expensive.
“I think it should be a lot cheaper than what it is. The university has to pay for all the buildings, professors and food. It should not be free, but way more affordable,” Tancreti said.
“So many people want a good education to get a good career in life, but they cannot afford it. So, then they cannot jumpstart that career” without having a degree attached to their name, Tancreti said.
Lew DeLuca, Director of student financial literacy & advising believes college should not be free. Evaluating that college should have a cost from a financial and ethical standpoint.
DeLuca compared college to running a business. For a business to thrive, it would need a stream of income, DeLuca said.
“If college were free for students, then somebody is paying for it, most likely taxpayers would,” DeLuca said.
“It is not realist for that to be free or our taxes would likely go way up, or the university may close due to insufficient funding. Oftentimes, costs rise annually as the cost to run the business/organization increases,” DeLuca said.
The university needs to “Depend on the revenue from tuitions, fees, room and board to pay the bills such as faculty and staff salaries and all the maintenance needed to run a 172-acre campus with nearly 10,000 students,” Deluca said.
