如何遏制大学学费上涨风潮

    如今，收入不均越演越烈。在这样的背景下，美国人民应该清醒意识到，当只有富人和特权人群能负担起高等教育的时候，我们的处境会进一步恶化。因为有研究显示，大学毕业生一生能多赚100万美元。

    现实中有了改善院校筹款系统的方案，但是首先，重要的是，学生们要成为精明的消费者。奥巴马针对高昂的大学学费提出一项计划，引入“大学计分卡”，根据大学的债务水平和毕业生就业数据，而非声望和营销花样，来对大学进行排名。我们终于迈出了关键的一步。但是政府又表示，上面说的这种大学排名方法要等到2015年才开始实行，2018年才会开始问责。太迟了。再说，没人敢保证，下一届总统一定会执行这项计划。也没人敢保证，各大学的游说团体最终会不会破坏这个计划。

    学生和家长现在就该组织起来，采取类似“俄勒冈后付学费”计划（Oregon's Pay It Forward ）的坚定行动。这个计划要求州立学院和大学免除学费，作为回报，学生在毕业后24年里将收入的3%付给学校。可供成千上万学生学习的大型网上公开课（Massive Open Online Courses ，缩写MOOCs）也是降低成本的好办法，而且部分院校已经开始采用。这类公开课及俄勒冈计划将有助遏制不断膨胀的高校教育买卖，最终扭转高校偏爱富家子弟的局面。（财富中文网）

    本文作者马太.•席格尔是OurTime.org的共同创始人兼总裁。OurTime.org是一家通过在线组织、新媒体和大众文化等方式反映美国年轻人政治诉求的全国性非盈利组织。

    译者：侯婕   

    In light of growing income inequality, it's time for Americans to realize we're all worse off when only the wealthy and privileged can afford a higher education; this is because studies show that college graduates will earn about $1 million more over the course of their lifetimes.

    There are some excellent proposals in place to ameliorate our system of college financing, but first, it's important for students to recognize that they also must be smart consumers. President Obama's latest plan to reduce higher education costs calls for a "college scorecard" that will rate colleges based on their debt levels and job placement statistics as opposed to prestige and marketing allure. This is a great first step, but the Administration also said it won't start rating colleges until 2015 and will not hold them accountable until 2018. This is much too late, and who knows whether the next President will implement this plan or whether college lobbyists will ultimately destroy the measure.

    It's time for students and their parents to organize in favor of bold measures such as Oregon's Pay It Forward program, which would eliminate tuition at state public colleges and universities in exchange for students paying 3% of their income back to the schools over the course of 24 years after graduating. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), which open curriculums to thousands, are another promising measure to lower costs that some colleges are embracing. Approaches like this and Oregon's will help curb the booming business of college, and ultimately end their complicit role in engendering a system that favors the kids of the wealthy.

    Matthew Segal is co-founder and president of OurTime.org, a nationwide non-profit organization that leverages online organizing, new media, and popular culture to enhance the political voice of young Americans.