President Obama discusses affordable student education

President Barack Obama delivered the State of the Union Address on Jan. 24. One main aspect of his address focused on students and affordable education.

“Higher education can’t be a luxury—it is and economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” Pres. Obama stated in his Address.

            Unless you attend a state owned university, private colleges and universities as well as Ivy League institutions can be daunting for parents and students.

            The thought of paying back loans that are inevitably increasing can be very frustrating for graduating seniors who might want to continue their education or find a job, when it comes to the cost of tuition.

            “I think we already pay enough for dorms, books, and living in the city. Tuition should not be something that costs so much. The University is good, but the tuition feels like we should be in an Ivy League school,” expressed freshman Camila Camilo-Rodriguez.

            The University’s tuition has only been increasing, with the direct costs which includes tuition, fees and room and board increasing yearly, according to the University’s website.

            For the 2009-10 academic year, the estimated direct costs was $44,186 for a resident and $32,896 for a commuter. For the 2011-12 academic year, the estimated direct cost is $49,262 for a resident and $35,282 for a commuter.

            “Based on tuition, our campus should have more facilities, maybe a recreation center/room for commuters and better cafeteria food with student affordable prices,” claimed sophomore Adhanan Sulaiman.

            One of the topics Pres. Obama addressed in his speech was student resources, such as work-study jobs available a most universities. “…Give more young people the chance to earn their way through by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years,” Pres. Obama said in his Address.

            One of the best resources the University offers is Career Services, which has the eRecruiting website, where students can upload their cover letters and resumes and apply for internships and jobs.

            But one student, senior Phil Medina, is concerned about how finding a job after graduation might affect the debt from loans he has accumulated while being a student.

            “I feel that President Obama is making a great point because students nowadays graduate from school with overwhelming debt; and the fact that the economy is recovering at a slow rate, students are not guaranteed a job when they finish school,” Medina said.

Taking the students’ side, Pres. Obama declared an important proposition regarding higher education costs that could alarm higher educational institutions.

            “The point is, it’s possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down,” said Pres. Obama in his Address.

            Despite high costs, our University holds a high reputation for employment rates after graduation. According to the University’s Career Services website, “Pace 2011 Bachelor graduates surpassed the nation employment rates by 12 percent. At graduation, 36 percent of Pace Bachelor candidates who had begun their job search were employed. The national average was 24 percent.”

            The University was ranked in the Top 30 list of  “Best Northeastern Colleges in the U.S. by Salary Potential” according to a Payscale.com survey.

            Pace’s President, Stephen J. Friedman said, “I think Pace will do well under President Obama’s standards for providing good value to students and their families. The value proposition of a Pace education is high. Last year, Pace placed nearly 1,500 undergraduates in internships at more than 500 companies.”

            “Finally, Pace offers several combined degree programs that allow students to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a graduate degree in a shorter time frame than usual, such as a combined BS in Criminal Justice/JD, a BA in History/Master’s of Science for Teachers, and a BS in Biology/Master’s in Environmental Science” President Friedman added.

            In reality, whether the amount of loans taken out by each student eventually matches to a graduate’s salary in the long run ultimately depends on what the student chooses to do after graduation.