Tennessee Offers Free Community College for All Adults

[coolman298]

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/11/pf/c...ege/index.html

Glad to see this and hope that this will happen across all states. Very useful that it is available to all residents without any kind of college degree and it is only projected to cost 10 million dollars!

[Theinquisition]

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/11/pf/c...ege/index.html

Glad to see this and hope that this will happen across all states. Very useful that it is available to all residents without any kind of college degree and it is only projected to cost 10 million dollars!

To be eligible, students must have been a state resident for at least a year before applying, maintain a 2.0 GPA, enroll in enough classes to be a part-time student, and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Cool I guess?

I mean I think the GPA requirement is a bit low, I'd like to see it at 3.0. furthermore after FASFA thee wouldn't be much cost left over.

I think the problem would revolve around rising costs associated with the law, schools charging the government more, and other administrative costs.

If the gov't of TN can afford it, good on them I guess.

[coolman298]

Cool I guess?

I mean I think the GPA requirement is a bit low, I'd like to see it at 3.0. furthermore after FASFA thee wouldn't be much cost left over.

I think the problem would revolve around rising costs associated with the law, schools charging the government more, and other administrative costs.

If the gov't of TN can afford it, good on them I guess.

I actually think that the 2.0 GPA is perfect. Not everyone is a great student but that doesn't mean they don't deserve the opportunity to learn and it keeps people that don't care about their education from milking the system.

As far as costs go, we'll have to see how the market responds.

[GennGreymane]

Cool

I hope it works for them.

[NicoWolf]

I know a lot of people are against the idea of free college, usually citing everything from economic concerns to entitlement, but no one ever brings up the simplest counterpoint:

We already have public education that carries a child from kindergarten to 12th grade, funded by taxpayers. Why does that public education stop there? Why should college be optional in an economic environment that practically demands a solid higher education for anything beyond flipping burgers?

Why are people against the idea of pushing education past the 12th grade?

[Berengil]

Cool I guess?

I mean I think the GPA requirement is a bit low, I'd like to see it at 3.0. furthermore after FASFA thee wouldn't be much cost left over.

I think the problem would revolve around rising costs associated with the law, schools charging the government more, and other administrative costs.

If the gov't of TN can afford it, good on them I guess.

Very proud of our Governor, Bill Haslam, a Republican. He saw that the workforce needs training for the jobs of the future. He also saw that a great many people were turned off by the cost and even the very idea that they should have to pay for their own training.

I've never understood that: if a company wants someone for a job, train them you cheapskates. If they are worried about them jumping ship too soon, training comes with a contract for how long they need to recoup the costs.

In any case, if this can get done in a GOP stronghold like Tennessee, it can get done anywhere.

If the worry is cost, the state legislature can simply take away from the community colleges the ability to set their fees, and have them set by the state house.

[Beazy]

I hope this works out and becomes a model for the rest of the states.

*fingers crossed*

[Theinquisition]

I actually think that the 2.0 GPA is perfect. Not everyone is a great student but that doesn't mean they don't deserve the opportunity to learn and it keeps people that don't care about their education from milking the system.

As far as costs go, we'll have to see how the market responds.

I don't think the market will respond too much to CC being free, especially since FASFA will eat most of that cost. As a veteran I feel it's a bit annoying as I spend time, blood and sweat to earn my college benefits, but if this is going to be done it's better at a CC level than university.

As far as the 2.0 think though, I disagree, I feel that if I was a TN tax payer, I'd expect someone to get good grades if they are going to school on my dime.

Honestly, as a CC grad, and senior year university student that has been accepted into grad school, getting a 3.0 isn't hard

honestly, show up, do the work and put forth at least a moderate effort and you will get a B.

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Very proud of our Governor, Bill Haslam, a Republican. He saw that the workforce needs training for the jobs of the future. He also saw that a great many people were turned off by the cost and even the very idea that they should have to pay for their own training.

I've never understood that: if a company wants someone for a job, train them you cheapskates. If they are worried about them jumping ship too soon, training comes with a contract for how long they need to recoup the costs.

In any case, if this can get done in a GOP stronghold like Tennessee, it can get done anywhere.

If the worry is cost, the state legislature can simply take away form the community colleges the ability to set their fees, and have them set by the state house.

As a conservative, I'm still a bit skeptical of this, however, I think that at least at a CC level, it's a worth while investment, especially since FASFA will pay for the bulk of it.

I feel CC is great, it teaches basic analytical and critical thinking skills that are neglected in k-12.

As far as your comment about companies paying for school, I agree. It's one of the things I look at when I seek employment. If a company is willing to invest in you, they generally are going to care about treating you well enough that you want to stick around. The company I work for now has TA assistance all the way through a masters degree (select programs).

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I know a lot of people are against the idea of free college, usually citing everything from economic concerns to entitlement, but no one ever brings up the simplest counterpoint:

We already have public education that carries a child from kindergarten to 12th grade, funded by taxpayers. Why does that public education stop there? Why should college be optional in an economic environment that practically demands a solid higher education for anything beyond flipping burgers?

Why are people against the idea of pushing education past the 12th grade?

Because it's not always necessary to be successful. I also think people are reluctant to pay for degrees that might not see a return on investment. Take something like medieval history, outside of a art museum or antique book stores, what are you going to do with that degree that is worth the tax payer spending 50k on you?

Additionally, there are ways of making university cheaper without having the gov't step in, in fact part of the reason university is so expensive is because of gov't involvement.

[Forgettable]

Good effort, but I agree with the 3.0 minimum sentiments already expressed. Anyone who legitimately tries should be able to average at least that much.

[Mistame]

I know a lot of people are against the idea of free college, usually citing everything from economic concerns to entitlement, but no one ever brings up the simplest counterpoint:

We already have public education that carries a child from kindergarten to 12th grade, funded by taxpayers. Why does that public education stop there? Why should college be optional in an economic environment that practically demands a solid higher education for anything beyond flipping burgers?

Why are people against the idea of pushing education past the 12th grade?

Can't speak for anyone else, but as long as my taxes don't go up, I don't care. I'm already paying out the ass for other people's breeding habits and I've no interest in paying more. Not my kid, not my problem. /shrug

[purebalance]

I actually think that the 2.0 GPA is perfect. Not everyone is a great student but that doesn't mean they don't deserve the opportunity to learn and it keeps people that don't care about their education from milking the system.

As far as costs go, we'll have to see how the market responds.

Does a 2.0 even imply that you actually learned? I'm pretty sure you can't get through med school with a 2.0 so..... yeah.

[PACOX]

More states need to hope on the bandwagon.

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Does a 2.0 even imply that you actually learned? I'm pretty sure you can't get through med school with a 2.0 so..... yeah.

Its community college...not med school.

[Zylos]

For the type of jobs you get with a 2 year degree ...a 2.0 is 100% fine. 2 year degree is a great way to break into the work force with a decent wage and very little if any debt. It also makes transitioning into a 4 year degree a lot easier for those who decide they want more.

[purebalance]

More states need to hope on the bandwagon.

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Its community college...not med school.

2.0 means you didn't learn. 2.0 is basically barely passing. Why should the government be paying for barely passing when you clearly aren't going to apply that. I mean hell you can barely spell when most search engines will auto spell check for you. I wouldn't want to be paying for your education thanks.

[Crissi]

I'd support a 2.5, but yeah I think 3.0 is too high. That's all Bs, with any C being balanced by an A. Shit happens sometimes and I know I had courses I struggled in but pushed though and got the C despite finally getting itvthe last half of the course

[Mistame]

This is basically a mentality against how a society functions. You're more than welcome to remove yourself from society.

Not, it's really not.

[yurano]

furthermore after FASFA thee wouldn't be much cost left over.

I think the problem would revolve around rising costs associated with the law, schools charging the government more, and other administrative costs

Community Colleges are dirt cheap, something like $25 a unit. The majority of cost will be due to room and board (which I doubt is covered by this policy).

The reason schools charge the government more is due to the GI Bill, a bipartisan bill for vets which was overfunded. The committee overseeing the distribution of funds allocated more money per vet than schools normally charge, but 'forced' the schools to take the entire allocation. Instead of just taking the extra money and be done with it, schools started revamping their systems with trivial upgrades (eg big money for slightly nicer dorms). Instead of only raising prices for vets funded by the bill, schools raised prices for everyone. So even though the GI Bill is no more, the impact of mismanagement is still felt today.

A system fully funded by the government is almost guaranteed to be gutted in a few years, due to budget cutting measures. Therefore, in this case, a government funded system would be ideal for cutting costs.

On the other hand, this would never work for 4-yr universities, because they are currently way too overpriced (compared to CCs). There is no way for the government to convince schools to reduce their revenue and budget overnight, therefore they must cover 100% of the inflated cost.

I know a lot of people are against the idea of free college, usually citing everything from economic concerns to entitlement, but no one ever brings up the simplest counterpoint:

We already have public education that carries a child from kindergarten to 12th grade, funded by taxpayers. Why does that public education stop there? Why should college be optional in an economic environment that practically demands a solid higher education for anything beyond flipping burgers?

Why are people against the idea of pushing education past the 12th grade?

A lot of liberal policies look good on paper, but don't make sense in practice. Read my post above, and you'll see why.

As far as the 2.0 think though, I disagree, I feel that if I was a TN tax payer, I'd expect someone to get good grades if they are going to school on my dime.

2.0 is the same pass bar for universities... Based on the current grading system (as inflated as they are), people still fail out with such a low bar.

If you set it at 3.0, half the school will suddenly be ineligible for support, even though they're still passing and still able to graduate.

Realize that CCs are the catch all, bottom rung for post-secondary education. Its meant to be accessible for all.

As a conservative, I'm still a bit skeptical of this, however, I think that at least at a CC level, it's a worth while investment, especially since FASFA will pay for the bulk of it.

FAFSA will LOAN part of it, and maybe cover a small amount of interest. At the end of the day, even with Tennessee's policy, the cost of room and board is still entirely the fiscal responsibility of the student.

[Vlaid]

2.0 means you didn't learn. 2.0 is basically barely passing. Why should the government be paying for barely passing when you clearly aren't going to apply that. I mean hell you can barely spell when most search engines will auto spell check for you. I wouldn't want to be paying for your education thanks.

But 2.0 is passing.

Barely passing is still passing, as in "you learned enough to be acceptable". If you disagree 2.0 fits that criteria, what you are actually suggesting is tougher regulation of what is considered passing in schools.

[Theinquisition]

A 3.0 means if you're making mostly B's, a single C or less in a course can make you lose your funding. Which means all that time you invested already and the money the government invested is completely wasted. A 2.5 should be the max but a 2.0 is fine. It gives some wiggle room for people who possibly choose something too difficult for them to study, fail miserably, then switch after their first couple semesters to something they're more capable at or enjoy more which in turns makes them try harder.

The way education is funded now is what drives up the costs. Giving any and every student tens of thousands of dollars a year in loans. Schools just drive up costs then because they know their "customers" have loans to pay for it. It fucks with the supply and demand and artificially boosts the demand so they can raise costs. If the government is directly paying for it, they have some actual negotiating leverage in how much it will cost. It also prevents people from going into debt and owing tens of thousands of dollars even when they don't finish school. Which is a waste of money overall, but even if the loans went directly to the students, it's still a waste but it's more efficient this way.

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Pretty much this exactly. It's almost an unwritten rule at many schools to not discourage students from trying to pass that calculus course a 4th or 5th time, if you try hard enough, anyone can be an engineer! In reality, any decent math professor knows when a student just won't be able to grasp the concepts and has no chance of being an engineer. The school doesn't care, as long as they're getting their money for a few more years while they take electives.

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Most people going to community college likely aren't planning on going to graduate school anytime soon. Again, think about it a bit. If you think a 3.0 is the cut off, that's just getting all B's. So, if a student is getting 90% B's, 10% A's but comes across a very difficult course whether it's because of the course work, the professor, some personal issues going on or whatever, and they fail or even get a D or C, they could possibly lose that funding if they don't have enough A's to average out that grade to keep their GPA. Usually there's some leeway on this and you're just placed on probation for a semester or two but still, a 2.0 for community college is fine.

1. I understand your point, but honestly, from my experience, a 3.0 isn't that hard to get, and if you are in a class that you are finding to be too hard, or don't have the time to invest in it, you can usually drop the class for a few weeks without any adverse consequences.

I do believe that there should be a appeals process through, to cover the rare situations in which you described.

2. I agree with some of your post on loans driving up prices, but that is only part of the problem. The root of the problem is the gov't backing student loans, the school gets paid no matter what and the student gets hooked with a 50k loan debt. there is no incentive for schools to keep the prices reasonable.

[PACOX]

2.0 means you didn't learn. 2.0 is basically barely passing. Why should the government be paying for barely passing when you clearly aren't going to apply that. I mean hell you can barely spell when most search engines will auto spell check for you. I wouldn't want to be paying for your education thanks.

2.0 is barely passing? Its not stellar but its means your have a well enough grasp on the material. This must some sort of special snowflake projecting that Im not understanding.

I rather that 2.0 student spending my tax money in the classroom learning than paying for their welfare or jail expenses.