Student Loan Crisis: A Problem of Cultural Bias

H. H. Howyflyl - President Emeritus

Student loan debt in the United States recently exceeded $1.5 trillion, growing exponentially as enrollment continues to rise and defaults by former students continues to increase. Republicans arguing against loan forgiveness and federally funded tuition are quick to blame educational institutions for not properly providing degrees that command career earning power commensurate with their costs. Typically, the true nature of the problem is being ignored - the inability to satisfy educational debts is a direct result of cultural bias rampant in corporate America.

Here at Howyflyl University, we strive for equality amongst all educational disciplines. Each of our tenured professors are top scholars in their fields, all students eat in the same halls, sleep in the same dorms, hence a degree in any field of study will come at a similar cost. The inequalities arise due to a free market economy that places a premium on degrees in fields such as engineering and business, while graduates in studies described by Republicans and Conservatives as 'liberal arts' find little opportunity. Prospects that are available for said students offer drastically reduced salary probabilities.

Case in point - a recent Howyflyl graduate received a Magna Cum Laude Masters in Sub-Saharan African Cultures but has been unable to find employment sufficient to pay her $350,000 loan debt. Efforts to procure an adequate career path have been met routinely with derision and snide remarks over educational choices. This scene is reprised on daily basis in all parts of the country. Tragically, this slippery slope typically ends with advanced degreed students accepting employment outside of their field of study and at greatly reduced salary expectations.

Superseding the mounting student debt problem, the true danger is that potential students may shy away from vital fields of study simply due to future earning potential. In lieu of student loan debt forgiveness, the Howyflyl Board supports the creation of federal programs to employ graduates cast aside by the free market economy. Individuals would be paid in proportion to their debt until the loan is serviced, and corporations would be required to hire prospects exiting the program. This prudent policy would ensure the long-term viability of educational disciplines currently suffering unjust bias from the corporate world.