Financial Univerity Rebellion

 Oliver Mitchell, a junior at Georgia State, wrote an article on how the education system needs to be changed as it is currently unfair to students. The article is titled “Let’s start an education revolution." Oliver created a proposal to college students and members of those who govern our education system and how it is currently unfair.

The education system does not take into account those who could not get a high earning career after college, and making people pay their loans back when they can’t afford it. Oliver has a great example about a girl (Jane) who gets a job at Geico making $40,000 meaning she would only pay 10% of her income for the next ten years. However, she would be “debt free […] making $36,000” so she’ll be well off (Oliver 371). On the other hand, if she was working at McDonalds “she would still have to pay only 10 percent of her yearly income” (Oliver 371). This is unfair as, if the girl made $2 million for ten years only, “$20,000 per year for her is not going to break her bank”, unlike if she was working for McDonalds (Oliver 371). Later, Oliver talks about how “students choosing cheaper schools and ‘safe’ degrees because they feel trapped in their student loans.” Even he talks about how he would be “hesitant to take out a $50,000 loan” in case he “couldn’t find work” (Oliver 372). Oliver wants to solve this situation by informing our government that we are not investments and should have sympathy towards those who cannot afford to pay back their loan after college.

 

 Oliver understands the issue as he is a junior in college and understands the impact of having loans. Further, Oliver made it sound very relatable by describing the “Human Capital Contract”, of being nothing to society until you have a degree (Oliver 370). Later on, I will have to deal with the stress of paying loans of and hoping I have a good career right after college. Therefore, this article was very relatable. He explains both sides of the story, regarding “Jane”, explaining the dependence you have if you have a sustainable job or not (Oliver 371). However, it is definitely in favor of changing the system, as he never referred to the implications of having the system stay the same. Overall, I agree with Oliver and a lot of youths today will have to face this issue and the stress that comes with it. Do you agree that the system should change too? What law(s) do you believe we could create to combat this problem?

Written By: Angelique Domingo PSU Undergraduate 2019

Work Cited:

Oliver, Mitchell.  “Let’s Start an Education Revolution.”  [First published in 2014.]  Everyone’s an Author: 2016 MLA Update, 2nd ed., edited by Andrea Lunsford et al., W. W. Norton, 2017, pp. 370-372.  Originally published as “Let’s Start an Education Revolution,” The Signal [Georgia State University’s independent student newspaper], 2 Nov. 2014.