You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to demonrail666 again.
(but the debate has shifted from what do with universities to the fundamental question as to if higher education should be free in the first place, the answer is yes, but as you pointed out it should be better regulated. The CSU/UC system spent $457,000,000 last year on 1st year students who did not return. Of course this raw data does not serve as evidence to sways point about party college life, because a lot of the 1st year drop outs left because of a) money b) no classes/bad scheduling c) university wasn't necessarily for them and these people should not be so discouraged. But still, the number does suggest that public university should begin to shift its recruiting philosophies, and I agree with this. The CSU/UC or any university is not necessarily for everybody, but this does not negate that it should be a universal opportunity for anybody in regards to finances. Perhaps people should not get into a university because they are not university material, but they should never be turned away strictly over money, and that is the substance of the issues we have been discussing. My point, higher education should be better invested by the government and by our communities (first and foremost universities are boom to local cities where students live, eat, buy shit etc etc $$$) which even Gov. Governator agrees with highly. I say not just the CSU/UC, but follow the genius and brilliant Master Plan for Education from 1960 which designed a delightfully efficient system. Unfortunately we stopped following it, and we deprioritized the community colleges and vocational schools and the certificate programs, and began to forcefeed univeristy to ALL the students, and yet failed to invest properly in the middle-level system which better suits quite a few people who don't need to go to University at all, but would highly benefit from a trade certificate or AA degree to advance in their respective careers/jobs. I like what Detroit is doing, they have a true Polytechnic High School that offers as mandatory as college prep classes that kids graduate with TWO vocational certificates which either they offer directly at the high school are ready make available streamlined in the local community colleges. LA, America, and the world would benefit from California's Master Plan of 1960 and combining it with the developing trend (this is exceptionally popular in Ethiopia by the way
) of combining trade school/community college certificate programs directly from the high schools, which makes it much easier and efficient to get kids where they need to be. When you are a teacher or an administrator, its much easier to be able to guide and mentor students into the right direction for them, and have many of the necessary options readily available, and high schools that not just have a machine shop class, but offer competitive certificate programs and also streamlines transfer programs to colleges, provide ALL the needed options which (we) educators need.)