Arguments on the Student Loan Crisis

Discussion Questions
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Discussion Questions
Question 1
Richard Vedder and Andrew Gillen caution that student loan debt loan crisis will worsen if no mitigating actions are taken. They propose cutting federal aid and replacing it with private investment. In her article, Carolyn Maloney affirms the debt crisisand links it to devastating effects on an individual and the overall economy. Unlike Veddar and Gillen, she argues that cutting federal aid will actually exacerbate the problem because the private sector has a tendency to charge exorbitant interest rates and engage in many unethical practices. Accordingly, she argues for free tuition in community colleges, investing more in Pell Grants, and interstate partnership to increase education access. I agree with Maloney’s claim. The private sector has proven to pursue a profit-making goal rather than ameliorating the crisis; realigning priorities to strengthen public commitment in higher education thus making it free and accessible to all seems more plausible.
In constructing an effective P/S proposal, both sources would be appropriate. Vedder and Gillen’s article can help to establish the origin of the problem: assuming that everyone is capable of handling collegiate environment, ignoring basic labor-market basics, and initiating a byzantine system of federal financial aid. Conversely, Maloney’s perspective can establish a case for increased federal and state spending in higher education.
Question 2
An analysis of Jillian Berman and Fresh Air’s articles reveals certain similarities and differences in the way they frame the problem of student loan debt. Notably, both articles articulate the drivers of the loan crisis, its implications, and the possible solution. Besides emphasizing that rising student loans is an issue of the hour, the fir...