Incarcerate or Educate

First-generation college minority students who start at four-year institutions are at a high risk of leaving without bachelor's degrees, particularly if they are lower-income. A recent paper, "Institutional Transfer and the Management of Risk in Higher Education," presented at the American Sociological Association national meeting by its authors, by Regina Deil-Amen and Sara Goldrick-Rab, illustrates what sets them apart from those disadvantaged students who do leave with degrees. Deil-Amen and Goldrick-Rab suggest the likeliest reason is that students who stay enrolled at four-year institutions had four important resources: guidance in developing their college plans, clear goals, advocates pushing them to earn bachelor's degrees, and an ability to find academic and financial help. The authors' findings are based on interviews conducted over three years with 44 students who graduated from the Chicago Public Schools and enrolled immediately in four-year colleges. All of the students interviewed were black or Hispanic, and most were low-income and first-generation college students.

This study is being released at the perfect time considering the fact that we are in the midst of several states reviewing and modifying their budgets due to our economy. Some states are cutting the money that would otherwise go towards financial aid programs to save funds. For example, Illinois officials are telling low-income students who receive the state's need-based grants to expect no help in the spring because money will run out. The state of Massachusetts’ financial aid budget was cut 10 percent, resulting in officials making deep cuts to aid programs in the state. Philadelphia is currently reviewing its state budget and Bill Cosby has lent his voice to advocate for education urging lawmakers to avoid making cuts. Cosby argues that it costs more for a young person to go to prison versus going to school; $5,000 to educate compared to $33,000 to incarcerate.

I understand Cosby’s argument in that there are obviously more benefits in a young person choosing education over a lifestyle that will lead them to incarceration. However, young people may not be able to even entertain the option of continuing their education due to the risen costs and increasing lack of financial aid. The Deil-Amen and Goldrick-Rab study shows the importance of financial aid to first-generation minority students from low incomes. By cutting the aid these students desperately need, states are increasing the likelihood their youth will turn to other options rather than education which will not yield the results that those who are fortunate enough to continue their education will enjoy. Are we setting first generation students up for failure? What message is being sent to the youth who have the intelligence and character to be successful in college but are denied due to a lack of money? What effect does this have on one’s development?

These students who cannot attend college will not be able to find a quality employment and will have to settle for mediocre jobs if they can find them. Imagine how this can impact one’s outlook on life. What if their families are in a situation where they must depend on the student to bring money to the household? What if I’m a student in Illinois receiving the state’s grants in the fall but not in the spring causing me to withdraw from college? What if a student and his/her parents depend on the student’s on-campus job to help pay the parents’ mortgage but the student has to drop out of college due to no financial aid and thus loses their job? There are many what ifs that can be posed but the magnitude of these decisions surrounding money need to be considered. I believe that’s what Cosby is asking Philadelphia lawmakers to think about as they decide on a final budget. Erik Arneson, spokesman for PA Senate Majoirty Leader Dominic Pileggi, said "I have nothing but respect for Mr. Cosby, but our members are much more interested in what their constituents have to say than in what Mr. Cosby believes” in an Associated Press article. Well, I hope these constituents and YOU believe in education over incarceration.