Who should pay?

A rather interesting court case in New Jersey is  
unfolding. Rachel Canning is suing her parents for financial support.

The 18-year-old high school senior and cheerleader ran away from home and now expects her parents to continue paying her private high school tuition, eventual college tuition and, among a few other things, reimburse the family who is paying for her legal fees.

Once again the stereotype that Americans like to solve their problems in court, no matter how personal, seems to be accurate.

What I find most intriguing is the issue of parental responsibility. Namely, who should pay for what and for how long. It’s an issue that affects us all, one way or another, here on campus.

The cost of attending university, even for in-state students, is not exactly cheap. In fact it seems at times unaffordable. That’s probably because it is.

If you are unfortunate enough — and I only mean financially as you may be quite fortunate, and probably are, all things considered — to have to go it alone when it comes to forking over to the big, evil bursar, piling on mountains of debt is probably your only option, even with scholarships and savings.

I’m not actually quite sure on the good and bad of it all. On the onset, and as a student grappling with this situation personally, I want to say it’s bad.

Parents need to foot the bill. If they can’t, then they need to help shoulder the debt. Seems reasonable. Parents have had a whole lifetime to plan ahead, to save and to earn an income. College students have had a summer — maybe.

We want our parents to pay because it’s best for us. It gives us what we want.
But does it? I don’t mean to be antagonistic — I just wonder who is being served. Responsibility, ownership, hardiness, resourcefulness and independence are all virtues gained by shouldering the weight of our future, whether we like it or not.

I know that we all face different circumstances, but I’d like to believe that my generation could break the cycle of evaded obligation and responsibility. In reality, even we need to take some responsibility. You’re probably wondering how I could assert, just a few paragraphs above, that paying for college on your own is unaffordable and then charge everyone in my generation to take responsibility.

Just remember there are areas for which we can be responsible. This includes going to school out of state instead of in-state, not working throughout the school year or even during the summer because you’re really hitting your studies hard.

Or taking that spring break trip south because all your friends are going and eating out when the microwave should suffice — all of these things might have to change.
We would be the better for it. It might actually make us as independent as we pretend
to be.

cgerst@indiana.edu
@CameronGerst