By Charlotte Rutigliano
Can California follow in the footsteps of many European countries and offer free tuition for students?
While CSU students across the state are currently protesting a 5 percent tuition hike, in Sacramento Governor Brown reaffirms his commitment to protect access to higher education, and of a plan for free tuition across the state of California. As of now, it’s just talk.
Most current students and prospective students have not heard about this plan, and some have mixed feelings about it.
Jake Morrison a 21-year-old senior communications major said he thought it would be both a good and bad thing.
“It would be good in the sense that it would make knowledge and education more accessible,” Morrison said. “But bad in the sense that it would probably cause a rise in Americans immigrating to California, and we already have a population and housing issue in the state.”
Alyssa Buie a 21-year-old junior business marketing major said it greatly benefits many people in the state though she doesn’t think the state could afford something like free tuition.
“It would be beyond beneficial for students of all ages in all walks of life,” Buie said. “But it’s a little economically unfeasible.”
Even people that have thought about going back to school like 22-year-old McDonald’s general manager, Lindsey Blood, said it seems great and she would be more inclined to go back if tuition were free.
“It would encourage people to invest in themselves,” Blood said. “And it would give a lot of people opportunities they would otherwise not have.”
The idea of free tuition it brings up many questions such as, would students take it just as seriously and go to classes as when they had some type of financial investment? Would they be more likely to choose passion over job security? Would they be more likely to further their education and go on to graduate school or get a doctorate?
