Berkley protests make NYTimes ponder tuition sliding scale

In light of the recent protests over 32 % tuition hikes at the University of California at Berkley,  many are looking to resolve the idea that college should be affordable to all,  with the truth of extreme disparity of incomes.  

Some are questioning whether a college degree in these times is even a wise investment for students and parents.

  Others believe that in a highly technical and specialized society in which higher education has become the prerequisite for nearly every sort of decent paying job,  that college simply must be made affordable to all.  

There has been much talk also about tuition being used to pay ever increasing construction costs;  also, that some who are not college material,  and who would do better to learn a trade,  are being forced to get a degree without reason.  

In any case,  college should certainly be available for all who are qualified to be good students, and who need the degree to make a living in a reasonable manner.  

And this was the response of a distinguished professor of public services:  

The Robin Hood SolutionStephen Joel Trachtenberg is president emeritus and professor of public services at the George Washington University. He is also chairman of the Higher Education Practice at Korn Ferry International.

The student body at the University of California is composed of students from all walks of life. Every socioeconomic group is represented. That is as it should be. Brains not bucks needs to be the north star of admissions.

Charge each student what they can afford. Some will pay list price. Some will pay nothing.

That does not mean that every students should pay the same tuition. Robin Hood is our teacher. He says take from the rich and give to the poor. Charge each student what they can afford. Some will pay list price. Some will pay nothing. We do not have to discount tuition for 100 percent of the class in order to do the sound thing for a portion of the class. Tuition should be scaled to the economic capacity of the individual undergraduate.

Scholarships should be provided to those who are able students but can’t pay. Others who are able and can afford the fees should be expected to do so. That is the way it is done at the independent universities. And loans and jobs need to be used to support tuition relief as well. Its not all black and white. Sound thinking can result in a just outcome.

Mr. Trachtenberg published an Op-Ed in The New York Times on Sept. 13, 1983, titled “Public Subsidies for Rich Students.”

From today's New York Times online OpEds