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April 17, 2017

The Battle between Rising College Costs and Students’ Ability to Pay

At the end of 2016 the total outstanding national student loan debt exceeded $1.4 trillion, and that debt grows by $2726.27 every second according to MarketWatch by StartClass. There are 43 million borrowers with an average debt of $37, 172. These startling statistics lead people to ask why the debt has reached this mass, how students are coping with the costs now and in the future, and what aids for relief are available.

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Higher education is highly valued by many students and their parents with good reason. Bob Broshous, Dean of Admission at the University of Dubuque, says that a college graduate will most likely earn $1,000,000 more in a lifetime than someone without a degree (personal communication, February 7, 2016). There are many more opportunities for employment with a college degree, and many professions require a degree for jobs that don’t always actually use that education. Job satisfaction is higher for college graduates, and there are often more benefits in the kinds of jobs requiring a degree. Also, the skills learned in college help graduates to make better choices and communicate more effectively, as well as think analytically. Therefore, for many the value of higher education supersedes the difficulty of paying for that education.

Admissions counselors prepare students for the reality that each year of their college experience will bring higher costs and fees. The University of Dubuque, a private university in Dubuque, Iowa, points to inflation as a key factor in that rise. Inflation for consumers is around 2% per year, but inflation for higher education runs somewhat higher, up to 6% (Clark, 2016). Additionally, some public universities are mandated by state legislatures to keep tuition costs level, but that often means that fees increase more than tuition. There are fees for athletics, building maintenance, libraries, graduation, and supplemental costs for certain courses. These can amount to thousands of dollars per year at some schools, but many colleges are rolling fees into tuition or bundling various fees to help prepare students to plan more accurately for their funding needs.

One of the most prominent reasons public universities give for higher costs is the loss of state funding. State legislatures have cut education funding in favor of other increased mandatory budget items like Medicaid. At the same time that funding has decreased, spending has increased. For example, there is competition for new students, so some institutions are building new buildings, ramping up student services, and spending more on athletics to attract new students. The demand for higher education has increased, which also brings higher costs.

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Another reason for higher costs for many colleges and universities is an increase in non-teaching staff. For example, increased student services call for added staff. Technology adds staffing needs, as well as equipment needs. The number of people in administration has also risen as have competitive salaries for the highest administrative positions.

There are other factors that have affected the cost of an education. The 2007 recession hurt everyone, and colleges and universities were hit hard. For some it meant less income from their endowment, and for others it meant using endowment to survive. Replacing lost endowment is still a high priority as is increasing endowment to better secure the future. Another factor is the use of in-house scholarships which can mean that their cost is passed on to other students. Also, particularly true for larger schools is the problem of class availability. Because of enrollment limits, some students are finding it hard to complete their education in four years. An additional year or more is costly. This is less true in smaller schools such as the University of Dubuque. There are other costs that college students have to bear such as room and board and book costs, which have risen dramatically over the years.

Rising costs affect students while they are in school as well as after they graduate. Many full-time students are working at jobs outside of the classroom, some being nearly full-time. Hunger is a real problem for many students who often turn to food banks for some of their needs. Students and graduates often live with their families to save on expenses, and that is a way that families who might not be able to financially support their students otherwise can help. Some students decide to pursue a two-year degree to manage their debt load, while others drop out because they can’t pay, though many colleges have staff to work with them on finding ways to support their education.

Effects on the futures of graduates are far-reaching. For many the dream of home ownership is put off because saving for a down payment is not possible while paying off loans. Getting married and starting a family are often postponed, and sometimes with long-term repayment schedules of 20-25 years, parents are still paying off college debts when their own children are ready to enter college. Entrepreneurship is also delayed, as is saving for retirement. Some students choose jobs (as well as majors in college) by the amount of income the jobs will provide leaving lower paying jobs unfilled. There are a number of graduates who default on their loans, which affects the economy. The risk to their credit rating is significant, and the government has the power to sue, and garnish wages, tax refunds, and federal benefits.

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Is there any good or hopeful news that graduates can look toward? Legislation to bring relief to students and graduates is being discussed on both state and national levels. Several of the candidates in the recent election proposed free higher education. President Trump has proposed a 12.5% cap of earnings on repayment programs with a maximum loan term of 15 years; after that period, any remaining debt would be forgiven. Another connected piece of legislation under consideration is the elimination of forgiven loans as taxable income. The Student Loan Fair Prepayment Act would make it easier to pay off loans or make extra payments by directing extra payments toward outstanding fees first and then applying the remainder toward reduction of the loan principal. Some graduates with older high-interest federal loans have trouble refinancing those loans. New legislation would make it possible to refinance such loans at lower current rates instead of having to go to private lenders.

There are other programs in place that offer assistance. One of these is the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. This program forgives loans for people who are in certain service jobs. Maryland has a SmartBuy program with funds set aside that help students purchase homes by putting 15% of the purchase towards the repayment of student loans. In New York resident families who earn less than $125,000 have free tuition at public colleges, and there are other schools and states that are following suit.

On a hopeful note for borrowers are several programs that assist employees and families. According to USA Today, a few companies, such as Staples and Hewlett Packard, are adding the benefit of helping employees pay down their student loans. In addition, there are savings plans that give advantages to families saving for their children’s education. One of these is the 529 College Savings Plan which allows parents or grandparents to make contributions to an investment plan for college education for a designated student. The plans vary from state to state, and investments can be made in other states where performance and fees are better. The contributions may be tax deductible as are the earnings. The Coverdell Education Savings Accounts are similar to 529 accounts except that they allow money to be spent for elementary and high school expenses. Also, there are education deductions that some families or independent students can take that will lower taxes.

Having a college education is a valued commodity for many people, but rising costs for higher education have made it difficult to obtain without incurring serious debt. There are numerous reasons why the costs have risen sharply: inflation/recession, loss of state funding, competition for new students, and increased numbers of students/staff. This has had a staggering effect on students while they are in school and after graduation. However, there are programs designed to assist graduates, and new legislation being considered holds promise for even more help. It requires a whole different kind of education for parents and students to navigate the road toward achieving the dream of a college education.

-Diane Repass

Beckstead, R. (2017, February 6). Benefits of a college degree. Retrieved from

https://www.collegeatlas.org/earn-a-college-degree.html

Berman, J. (2016, January 30). Watch America’s student-loan debt grow $2,726 every second. Retrieved

from http://www.marketwatch.com/story/every-second-americans-get-buried-under-another-3055-in-student-loan-debt-2015-06-10/print

Campos, P. (2015, April 4). The real reason college tuition costs so much. Retrieved from

http://nytimes.com/2015/04/05/opinion/sunday/the-real-reason-college-tuition-costs-so-much.html?_r=0

Clark, K. (2016, July 11). Understanding the skyrocketing costs of a college education. Retrieved from

https://www.thebalance.com/rising-cost-college-education-795383

Graham, J. (2017, January 18). Live Nation to help employees pay off student loans. Retrieved from

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2017/01/18/live-nation-help-employees-pay-off-student-debt/96690660/

Hart, L. (2017). The effects of high tuition cost. Retrieved from

http://oureverydaylife.com/effects-high-tuition-cost-15058.html

Holland, K. (2015, June 15). The high economic and social costs of student loan debt. Retrieved from

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/15/the-high-economic-and-social-costs-of-student-loan-debt.html

Josuweit, A. (2017, January 31). These 5 student loan changes could help you pay off your debt in 2017.

Retrieved from http:/www.forbes.com/sites/andrewjosuweit/2017/01/31/these-5-student-loan-changes-could-help-you-pay-off-your-debt-in-2017/#6df10ad36901

Keith, T. (2016, June 3). Politics in real life: The struggle to pay for college. Retrieved from

http://www.npr.org/2016/06/03/480494349/politics-in-real-life-the-struggle-to-pay-for-college

Marcus, J. (2017, January 3). How university costs keep rising despite tuition freezes. Retrieved from

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/01/how-university-costs-keep-rising-despite-tuition-freezes/512036/

Schoen, J. (2015, June 16). Why does a college degree cost so much? Retrieved from

http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/16/why-college-costs-are-so-high-and-rising.html

April 10, 2017

Voice Choice

When my husband asked me last night about what I was writing, I told him and was amazed that one person could crinkle up his face so completely. So, the gauntlet was thrown; I had to take a technical topic and turn it into an invigorating discussion.

Some years ago I read a book entitled Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me). This title is a good example of what this article will explore: voice choice as an element of writing style. It is written in the passive voice, which is frequently maligned by educators and writers. Why would someone choose this for a book title? What other choices are there, and how and when do you use each choice?

Voice in writing can either be active or passive depending on whether the writer wants to emphasize the subject (the doer of the action, active voice) or the object (the receiver of the action, passive voice). Our book title is passive because the emphasis is on mistakes, the receiver of the action. Who didn’t make mistakes? Me, the doer of the action. We can turn that sentence around to make me the emphasis (active voice): I did not make mistakes. However, the original phrase in the title is said to be the “king of non-apologies” (National Public Radio, It’s True: ‘Mistakes Were Made’ is the King of Non-Apologies, 2013) and a phrase used by President Grant, Nixon spokesman Ron Ziegler, President Reagan, President Clinton, Governor Chris Christie, and President G. W. Bush to leave the blame to some nebulous, unknown actor (it wasn’t I who made mistakes, but I’m not going to say who did). Great choice for a book title.

Some sentences are neither active nor passive because there is no object or receiver of some action. For example, the sentence I slept for ten hours last night is not active or passive because nothing and no one received the action of sleeping. Active voice follows the pattern Subject-Verb-Direct Object as in these sentences:

I (subject) eat (verb) sushi (object) as often as possible.

My dog (subject) dug (verb) holes (object) in our yard.

To change them to passive voice,

Make the direct object the subject of the sentence.
Change the verb to a passive verb: a form of to be (am, is, are, was, were, been, be, being) + the past participle of the verb (for example: shaken, walked, or done).
Optionally (and often deleted), put the subject of the active sentence in a phrase that begins with

Sushi (former object) was eaten (verb) as often as possible by me (former subject).

Holes (former object) in the yard were dug (verb) by my dog (former subject).

Note: These passive sentences sound awkward, which is one reason why passive voice does not always work.

Educators frequently discourage the use of the passive voice. There are some good reasons for this, but there are also some times when the passive voice works rather well in writing. Some people call the use of passive a mistake; that is a myth. It has its place, but there are some strong arguments for the use of active voice:

Active voice uses slightly fewer words – being concise is always an advantage.
Dangling modifiers are more often a problem with the passive voice. A dangling modifier occurs when a phrase is not near the noun, pronoun, or verb that it describes/modifies. For example,

Having eaten a full meal, the television was turned on to the football game.

It sounds like the television ate a full meal. I don’t think so.

Passive voice often sounds very impersonal and doesn’t make clear the actor; for example,

Passive: The prisoners were subjected to hideous medical experiments.

I would like to know who the perpetrator was:

Active: Dr. Josef Mengele subjected prisoners to hideous medical experiments.

On the other hand, passive voice is sometimes appropriate.

Many people believe that in scientific and technical writing the passive voice is appropriate because it can focus on the process or materials rather than the actor/doer.

Flower petals were added to the chemical mixture to create a new exotic perfume scent.

Sometimes the direct object of a sentence is the focus and therefore more important, especially when we know who the actor is or if the actor is unimportant.

Six track and field records were broken at last Saturday’s meet.

There are many more arguments for the use of active voice than there are arguments for the use of passive voice, but it is helpful to have some familiarity with the steps to turn active to passive or vice versa because the appropriate choice of voice can be a positive aid in creating a lively writing style.

-Diane Repass

March 20, 2017

China -An Experience To Remember

It was yet another sumptuous banquet with a continuous stream of food delicacies being placed in front us. “Ganbei,” which is the Chinese toast meaning literally “dry cup,” was heard frequently. To allow myself a fighting chance of actually walking out of the room, I learned to just sip the drink even though the expectation was that it be finished and refilled with each toast. A new dish was placed in front of me: three oddly shaped little birdlike bodies on a stick. I tried one and found little meat and a lot of inedible matter, so I asked one of my hosts what kind of bird this was. He said that he didn’t know the English word for it but that it was one that only came out at night. Now I know that there are birds that fly at night, but the first thing that came to my mind was “bat”. I made a show of eating the rest, but I just couldn’t finish.

My experiences from a three-week visit to China with a group of eight other professors from The University of Dubuque in 1990 ranged from the utterly sublime to the slightly bizarre. We were guests of the government, and at all times we were treated like visiting dignitaries with great respect and all the privileges accorded honored guests. The only limits placed upon us were the time constraints of a full schedule. On the contrary, we were free to walk through streets thronging with early morning pedestrians and bicyclists and to engage anyone in conversation. The limits to our inquisitiveness were somewhat self-imposed through a concern for protocol and privacy, but that is not to say that our conversations never left the surface topics of weather and food (which we ate in large quantities and are still talking about).

There were many confirmations of things we already knew about China, but there were many surprises as well. Poverty is still a part of China, but the government appears to have made great strides towards providing for its massive population. While basic needs for us might include several high definition TVs, air conditioning and an automobile (or two), once we focused our cultural eyes, we began to understand better what basic needs are: adequate shelter, clothing and food, and for most it seemed these needs were being met. The surprise was the personal time and funds used by the vacationing hordes to fill the trains, resorts, parks and beaches.

While it is always awe-inspiring to see those wonders of the world one encounters in textbooks and documentaries, this really is not what world travel is about. The Great Wall, the Forbidden City and countless ancient temples were certainly the focus of our cameras, but the focus of our memories will be the people we met. One day we visited a remote mountain village, and we were the first foreign visitors since the territory had been opened a few years before. Spoken language could not be shared, but the extralinguistic communication abounded. Broad smiles, children singing a Chinese version of “Are You Sleeping” and eager helpers and companions said more than any spoken words. A young woman who accompanied me and spoke some English gave me a gift of a leaf on which she had written a short poem. On another occasion at a temple we were visiting, a young man engaged me in conversation on the pretext of practicing his English. He really wanted to know how Americans felt about the Tiananmen Square student protest one year past; he had been a participant in the protest, and his involvement had adversely changed the course of his life. His parting words to me were, “Please tell the Americans not to forget us and what happened.”

In describing our China experience I remind myself of the story of the Indian blind men trying to describe an elephant, each one perceiving the elephant differently depending on which portion of the elephant he was touching. We touched only the leg of China, and so I always temper my descriptions and observations with that reminder. The vast spread of such a geographically, ethnically/culturally and linguistically diverse nation such as China makes it difficult for the casual traveler to firmly draw any conclusion. However, our experiences, while admittedly directed by the Chinese government, were positive, and the people we met were warm. And if the motivation of the students we encountered is typical, China is not a country to be ignored; in addition to the mind-boggling potential China could have if she harnessed all her energy, she has much to teach us all.

-Diane Repass

February 13, 2017

Grammar Nazis and Language Evolution

I have a degree in English, but I break grammar rules. Not on purpose, but accidentally even though I know better (and use sentence fragments for effect). Horror of horrors, I have split an infinitive and ended a sentence with a preposition. I have to stop to think about whether I should say lay or lie, or who or whom. I hardly ever correct anyone except my husband, who reminds me that I have said that the goal is always communication. I am not a Grammar Nazi; however, I believe that Standard English has its purpose, and I also believe that language is constantly evolving so that grammar rules taught fifty or sixty years ago may not apply today.

We all speak some form of dialect. I grew up in Michigan and moved to Iowa to go to college and then stayed on for the next 50+ years. I pronounced the word coupon as “kyoo-pon” and thought that Iowans were all mispronouncing it as “koo-pon”. I used the word pop for a soft drink but thought it odd that some people used soda instead. Dialects represent regional, social and professional varieties of a language, and they should be accorded respect in that they are complex language systems with their own set of rules. On the other hand, Standard English (SE) is also a dialect, but it is the form of language that is taught in English classes and most often used by newscasters and journalists. It is often called a more formal usage of English. I cringe a little when it is defined as the language used by educated speakers and writers because it makes Standard English sound aloof and doesn’t do credit to the rich dialects we hear in the United States.

While I believe arguments can be made to support both Standard and Nonstandard English, I believe that there is much to support studying and using SE in more formal and business applications. Like it or not, many judge people by the way they speak. Just like dress standards, which have changed dramatically in my lifetime, or rules of etiquette, which have also evolved and changed, language use suggests level of education and knowledge. Most every language has a standard and many dialects. We all know hundreds of grammar rules for the dialect we speak, so it isn’t a leap to learn the rules of SE. Also, if there is a standard, it can be the common language that is more universally understood. Some countries have language academies or institutes for language planning (i.e. France and Malaysia) that prescribe what rules are to be followed and what changes are acceptable. American English does not have such an institute, but there are thousands of people who study the language and describe what the speakers know about it. Teaching what is known about the rules of the language can slow down the inevitable changes that language undergoes.

Grammar Nazis rebel when language changes. The rules are the rules and are never to be broken, but in truth language is ever changing. There are many rules I learned in school that are no longer used today.

The rule for the use of shall vs. will has changed. It used to be that we said I/we shall, while will was only used with you, he, she, it, or they. Except in some legal documents, shall is hardly used anymore in American English.
The past tense of dive is dived, but today dove is equally acceptable and probably more common.
The distinction between who and whom will probably be gone in the foreseeable future.
Ending a sentence in a preposition is not uncommon, and actually it seems like a ridiculous rule which was created when linguists wanted English to be more like Latin which would never end a sentence in a preposition. Besides English is not a Latin language; it is Germanic.

In all writing or speaking, the first consideration should be the audience. Business writing, job interviews and public speaking call for more Standard English choices, but blogs, emails and social media posts can be less formal and rule-governed. Respect should be given to dialects, but the standard still has its place.

-Diane Repass

January 16, 2017

Clear Talk

Jargon, lingo, slang, gobbledygook – all have one thing in common: they represent language choices of a particular group of speakers or writers. While it is true that they also represent different levels of formality, they can also baffle and intimidate listeners or readers, so when the goal of writing is to communicate, they can get in the way.

Some years ago, I developed a speech communication course entitled “Language Choice and Communication Barriers” where students explored how word choices can interfere with making themselves understood or can bring negative reactions. Jargon was one of the topics the class considered, concluding that it has its place, but it can interfere when listeners and readers are not part of the ingroup that understands that language. Most people have encountered situations where they struggle to understand what they are reading because the language is so unfamiliar. It is frustrating and irritating.

Jargon can be the unique language of any specific group, but most often jargon is connected to a particular trade, profession, or academic field. There are three types of jargon: specialized language, inflated expressions, and euphemisms. Many computer terms have become so familiar that almost everyone understands and uses them (i.e. network, folder, download, or browser); however, there is a surplus of specialized terms dealing with computer hardware or computer programming that only people in the field understand. “Monetary remuneration” (pay) or “learning facilitator” (teacher) are examples of inflated expressions.

Wikipedia lists many terms that are better replaced with plain English terms, such as “close proximity” (near), “elucidate” (explain), or “incumbent upon” (must). Business jargon is often filled with euphemisms (i.e. terms for firing someone: dehiring staff, strategic downsizing, or career change opportunity), and politicians use such jargon, often in an attempt to make the ugly more acceptable; for example, “recession” is replaced with “a period of economic growth” or “meaningful statistical downturn”.

The use of acronyms and abbreviations is another form of jargon. Acronyms such as “PC” (political correctness OR personal computer), “PIN” (personal identification number) and “ATM” (automated teller machine) have invaded common language even though many people can’t tell you what they actually stand for. The military has an overabundance of acronyms such as “SNAFU” (situation normal all ‘fowled’ up), which is used by many who don’t know the vulgar term included in the exact translation. PlainLanguage.gov suggests that acronyms should be avoided or limited to two on a page. They should be spelled out the first time they are used if the audience would not understand them, or an alternative term should be substituted (i.e. “computer memory”, not “RAM”).

Jargon can be useful, but the best writers keep the needs of their audience in the forefront. Language that excludes readers and listeners is not only ineffective, it is also exasperating. When a writer must use jargon, it should be for an audience of peers who understand the terms well, or it should be defined if the target audience will probably not understand. One myth that needs to be dispelled is that defining terms is a way of “dumbing down” language for readers and listeners. If the audience is a group of Information Technology graduate students or a group of medical doctors, then using technical terms is a type of shorthand for communication; however, if the audience is outside of these groups, then defining terms is not “dumbing down”, it is a means towards clarity. Some believe that jargon makes them sound knowledgeable or professional, but for many audiences, it just sounds aloof.

There is a movement called the Plain English Campaign which aspires to have audiences understand what they are reading the first time through and without a dictionary in hand. In 2010 President Obama signed the Plain Writing Act which requires that federal agencies use “clear Government communication that the public can understand and use”, which is refreshing and ironic because the government is known for its use of confusing “Government Speak”. When jargon is used for a knowledgeable audience, when it is defined, or when it is limited, it is effective, but it is important that writers and speakers thoughtfully consider their language choices to prevent barriers to communication.

-Diane Repass

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