http://www.southbendtribune.com/article/20100627/Opinion/6270466/1065June 27. 2010 6:59AM
VIEWPOINT
By LESLEY H. WALKER
This spring, a student nearly broke my heart when she asked if a BA in a foreign language was worth it.
She spoke of her love of things Spanish, of how much she enjoyed reading novels and watching films from all over the Spanish-speaking world. But could she afford to finish her degree? As she contemplated enrolling in her third year, she was already $15,000 in debt. As a result, she was deadly serious and anxious.
I, of course, reassured her that it was "worth it," citing affirming statistics that those with four-year degrees always fare better financially. I reminded her that her education was about more than just economics, that it was also about intellectual and cultural enrichment — things that would stay with her forever. snip
In 1982, I paid roughly a third of what it cost to attend IU; the state picked up the rest of the tab.
Today, it's the opposite: The student and her family pay two-thirds of the costs, while the state only contributes one-third.