Learning is Dead
Critiques on the franchise that is higher education
By Andrew J. K. O’Donnell
The Progressive Teen Editor-In-Chief
THERE IS A DAUNTING DARKNESS, which never submits to slumber. It is ever present in the lives of too many communities, families, and individuals. It breathes hopelessness down the throats of its captives, weighs on their already cracking spines, and demands of their legs to succumb to a disillusioning inertia.
Poverty is a beast which leaves craters of havoc within those it preys upon. On this fertile sphere, it is estimated that almost half of humanity lives on less than $2.50 USD a day in 2005 — according to online data offered by Global Issues. Moreover, in the international microcosmos of the United States, roughly 46.7 million people fell under the poverty line in 2014. These unsettling statistics can be broken down further, showing that around 21% or 16 million people in poverty are under the age of 18, as indicated by the website Feeding America. This atrocity has been addressed by thousands over the years, and many noteworthy groups have spearheaded movements to aid those afflicted. However, the influence and destruction of poverty remains a looming “pipeline” — unforgiving and unwavering in its desire to consume those enclosed by its grasp.
The blade of poverty struck me at an early point in life. During my high school career, I was maintaining two part time jobs, while focusing on my studies. I attempted to provide myself with financial stability to purchase food, clothing, and utilize public transportation — coupled with a rusted bike. Paying for clothes, morning coffee, and bus tickets with handfuls of mismatched copper and zinc coins is a method of livelihood I have mastered. After two years and five separate residences, I have finally become accustomed to supporting myself. However, when applying to colleges and paying university bills, I have found myself on a whole new battlefield with a seemingly unnavigable opponent present in the poverty perpetuation of education.
A system as devastating and far-reaching as poverty, makes it extremely difficult to address the entirety of such a problem for a prime reason — it is a conglomerate of intersecting aspects. The entity of “poverty” is rooted in one secular construct — access to education. As a graduated high school senior, embarking on the pathway of undergraduate academics, I have come to know this obstacle all too well.
Education is no longer about acquiring wisdom — it is a franchise, adorned in large sum donations and privileged access.
Academic institutions across the globe require the submission of an application for admission. These applications are a combination of reference letters, personal statements, exam scores, and application fees. During the onset of applying to college, I did not fully conceptualize how expensive submitting applications is, until I began stumbling into roadblocks.
Application fees become obstacles for low-income and homeless students. Eighty-five dollars is a pittance to the privileged, but students who have never held that amount of money, oftentimes find themselves doubting whether education is affordable. Luckily, many universities have the option for students under “free/reduced lunch” programs to receive waivers, but this is not enough.
Once the hurdles posed by preliminary fees are maneuvered, applicants face an alarming onslaught of exam fees, sending fees, and a myriad of miscellaneous payments, simply to complete their applications. If social mobility is essentially rooted in education, then it becomes inexcusably more arduous to progress for those who must start below the poverty line. A process which expects students to pay upwards of a grand, before the application to an institution is even considered “complete”, needs to be pragmatically changed with better modes of financial assistance, the erasure of these fees entirely, or the diversification of control within the “standardized” services industry.
The non-profit organization, College Board, is a multiplex business which produces standardized exams, accelerated courses (AP), and a platform universities utilize to award financial aid (CSS Profiles). Applying to college will eventually lead to interaction with the College Board; whether by AP coursework, SAT exams, or the aid profile. The problem herein lies with a single corporation dictating dialogue between universities and students. There is a limit to how many “fee waivers” students are able to apply toward exams, school limits on CSS Profiles, and only a handful of test scores can be sent to universities at a reduced price. This paradigm hinders students from applying to institutions they desire, while concurrently draining already limited financial resources.
When analyzing standardized testing one will find numerous disparities, along with the continuation of wealth giving select students an advantage over financially struggling peers. Preparation courses for standardized tests, “essay courses” for crafting unauthentic admission worthy essays, and “legacy” accommodations create a system where wealth always has access to higher education, translating into a continued poverty cycle and systemic oppression.
Due to the current atmosphere created by privileged education — racism, segregation, classism, and corrupt pipelines have taken on forms which are easily mistaken for “luck” or “work harder.” If a student raised in a poverty stricken zip code must support themselves, maintain transportation, and work multiple jobs — a grade point average (GPA) of a “2.9” on a “4.0” scale may be the only way to conserve their sanity. However, this numerical value will automatically discredit their intelligence, work ethic, and potential when “holistic” admissions committees only become holistic once a student meets statistical benchmarks.
Poverty is a beast which leaves craters of havoc within those it preys upon.
Education is no longer about acquiring wisdom — it is a franchise, adorned in large sum donations and privileged access. As a deciding factor in finding a stable livelihood, the education system creates a vacuum which sucks many into a poverty cycle that will last their entire lives. This structure demands rebuilding. Sending exam scores should be paid by the institutions requesting them, legacy programs must be dismantled, and students who are passionate deserve the same opportunities as their peers with “perfect” statistics, but stable lives.
The crippling epidemic of the Poverty Pipeline, specifically how it manifests in education, will continue denying opportunities to every individual in the U.S. and globally, if left unacknowledged. During my life, I will continue being an unfailing advocate of those affected by homelessness, dislocation, and poverty in any of its malicious forms.
