Article Summary
Glater (2020) argues that, “back in 1965, lawmakers who created the federal the federal student aid structure focused on providing grants and not loans.” Currently, the objective of the higher education financing model has been lost. Students are forced to finance their education through loans and end up struggling in an environment where there are limited jobs as compared to 1965 when the law was passed. The student loan crisis is a threat to economic progress. It reinforces racial wealth inequality and further promotes classism since the poor continue receiving poor education while the rich have access to quality education as they wish. Glater (2020) highlights some of the challenges prevalent in the U.S. society that calls for canceling of the student loan. First, Black families have been disadvantaged by historical injustices and generational wealth disparities. These families are struggling to manage the pace of other people in the U.S. society. Instead of providing free education to such groups to help them bridge the wealth gap, the current loan model pushes them deeper into poverty by making education too expensive. The students are forced to leave school forcing the disparities to continue.
Analysis
America’s student debt crisis is a civil rights crisis. With increasing costs of tuition fees, it is clear that the student loan is serving as a tool to foster inequality and further push minority groups such as Latinos and African Americans down the poverty grid. In the article “The Social Justice Case for Canceling College Debt” published on December 20, 2020, Jonathan D. Glater presents the paradox of the student loan based on the goals set when passing the Higher Education Ac in 1965 and the current situation where the loan model is serving to promote inequality. Glater (2020) argues that the idea behind the 1965 Higher Education Act was not to create a loan burden to students and so the model has to be reviewed. Razaki, Koprowski & Lindberg (2014) argues that many Americans viewed achieving college education as their pathway to achieve the American Dream, but unfortunately, the dream appears to be a mirage that can no longer be achieved. The graduates are left with huge loans to service and scarce jobs to scrabble.
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The student loan crisis is a hotly debated subject in the United States. It has also been given substantive scholarly attention in the recent years. According to Scott-Clayton (2018) the looming student loan default crisis is worse than people thought. Scott-Clayton (2018) provided loan default data showing that approximately 40% of loan beneficiaries will default by 2023. The data provided supports Glater’s position in the Op-Ed article about the student loan crisis. The opinion provided is therefore backed up by other scholars. Glater (2020) highlights several points which are used to capture the interest of the reader. First, he basis his argument on the 1965 Higher Education Act. In this approach, he appeals to logic (logos) helping the reader reflect from a factual perspective. He also invokes the issue of inequality hence creating an emotional appeal (pathos). Lastly, he asserts authority (ethos) by clearly showing the wrong direction taken by the current trend when students are forced to take loans to finance unsustainable educational goals.
Conclusion
An analysis of the text reveals that Jonathan D. Glater used different approaches to convince the reader and pass the intended message. On top of using logical appeal by citing laws and data about the student loan crisis, he also uses an emotional appeal by invoking the issue of inequality that is soft among Americans. Nonetheless, Glater creates a sense of urgency when addressing the student loan crisis in the United States. Many students are dropping from school while many more are forced to default as the loan burden becomes unbearable. It is the high time the loan was replaced by educational grants.
References
Glater, D., J. (2020, December 20). Op-Ed: The social justice case for canceling college debt. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-12-20/college-student-loans-cancellation-forgiveness-equality
Razaki, K. A., Koprowski, W. & Lindberg, D. L. (2014). The student loan crisis: Background, motivations or participants, and regulatory issues. Journal of Business and Accounting, 7 (1), 94-150.
Scott-Clayton, J. (2018). The looming student loan default crisis is worse than we thought. Evidence Speaks reports, 2 (34), 1-10.
