As the primaries continue and the general election gets closer, free college tuition is a front burner issue on the debate and campaign stage, but there are clear contrasts in the way the issue is being framed nationally.
On one side Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ argument for free college tuition has resonated with many Americans. For example Matthew Yglesias talks about why we need free college tuition arguing that the benefit should be universal like Social Security in his article you can read here.
Meanwhile, Former Secretary Hillary Clinton argued for the need for cost controls in any proposal to make college tuition free in her Town Hall appearance with Senator Sanders. “Tuition has gone up 42 percent over the last 10 years. I don't understand how that can be justified.”
On the Republican side, Ohio Governor John Kasich pointed to the progress his state has made on the same issue. “The presidents of Ohio’s 14 public universities and 23 community colleges have worked together productively to make a college degree more attainable and affordable. ... the Kasich administration ...is offering several proposals to cut college costs and pass savings on to students.”
While there is sure to be further debate on how to make it happen, a clear consensus for affordable college is emerging. The Campaign for Free College Tuition previously put forth a 4-step plan that tackles how to make college tuition free at the federal level while addressing the issue of cost controls. You can read it here and endorse it today!
Our goal is to make higher education a possibility for every American, without regard to their financial circumstances.
We have a lot to do and not much time to do it, so your support is critical for our campaign to succeed. It’s with your investment that we can fundamentally reform how higher education is financed in this country, opening the doors to a more equitable society.
If you agree with our goal, our plan, and the urgency of the problem, we ask that you give what you can to help us write the next chapter in our nation’s history of continuously expanding access to universal, free education.
