Because of mounting student debt, the majority of freshly graduated college students are choosing to go into the private sector to earn enough to begin chipping away at loan repayment. Thus, our country's top programs for doing public good - AmeriCorps, the Peace Corps, Teach for America - aren't always the most appealing or reasonable choices for post-college life. Not to mention that to our generation, community service is a term associated more often with punishment than altruism.
But giving back may, and should, become the way to cope with the financial burden of college. Harvard Law School recently decided to waive tuition for third-year law students in return for the students' promise to work for the government or nonprofit organizations for at least five years after graduation. The value of those five years of public service starts at $40,000 - the cost of one year at Harvard Law.
On a larger scale, Barack Obama is championing a nationwide movement to get college students into action. Through his proposed American Opportunity Tax Credit plan, students are expected to perform 100 hours of public service per school year in exchange for $4,000 in tax credits to cover a portion of their college expenses. And besides significantly increasing enrollment in the Foreign Service, the Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, Obama wants to create five new corps sectors: Health Corps, Clean Energy Corps, Classroom Corps, Homeland Security Corps and Veterans Corps.
Here at UT, rising tuition rates have been thrust upon us with unfair velocity, and we'll likely see the approval of yet another increase by the Board of Regents today. The price of college is not going to go down, and we cannot count on handouts from our school or the government to keep us financially afloat. At our age, time is money. Since it's becoming more common for 20-somethings to employ themselves with self-exploration and career-hopping, there's no better time for public service - and there's no better salve for the country. The lure of the private sector has taken some of our generation's boldest minds from the places that really need them to repair America's foundation.
The lingering question is if we are ready to meet these leaders' lofty expectations. It helps when those setting the bar bend to meet us in the middle. UT should explore options such as Obama's tax credit plan and Harvard's exchange between tuition and public service so we can truly begin to see the benefits of giving to get.
- L.F.
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