College, debt, and a soapbox

Yesterday, I posted this video, which deals with the "slavery of student loan debt".  A friend commented "that was excellent--what is the solution?"  I don't know the solution, but I had a soapbox moment.  Here it is:

Now *that* is the real question, right? I think one thing is to not demand children go to college, but consider other options as well (e.g., the trades). It may be encouraging military service so they can go on the GI Bill. It may be encouraging them to work for a while so that they can discover what they really want out of life. It may be holding our universities and their faculty to more rigorous academic standards and, by extension, the students. It may be telling young people that going to college is not about how often you can get drunk, throwing off the reins of their parents, or seeing how many sexual partners they can amass, but rather to develop their brains. It may be telling them that in college, they do not need a stereo, PlayStation 3, car, motorcycle, full-wardrobe, and a host of other things contributing to a mountain of credit card (or parental) debt. What they need is a desk, some office supplies and a good light to read their books by.

A college education should teach young people to see the world better. They should be learning in class and outside of it how to think well, how to solve problems, and how to love and serve other people, not just gather facts so they can graduate with a 60 cent piece of paper. Too many young people are no smarter after graduating than they are when they started. Indeed, I would happily make the argument that some are worse off because not only have they not learned much, they assume they have, which contributes to a degree of undeserved arrogance.

The university was created by Christians. It was a place where people of all stripes could come together to study, learn, and exchange ideas about God's universe. Unfortunately, the modern university has become much more about multiculturalism and the celebration of "tolerance" (provided you are not a Bible believing Christian--they don't tolerate that) than it is about an open exchange of ideas. In its typically relativistic worldview, the university has lost its pursuit of big-T Truth, leaving many students without any clear sense of direction or purpose. We need to reclaim the idea that the university is a place to pursue truth, that debate is not only allowed but beneficial, and that all opinions may be expressed, even though all opinions are not equally valid.

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox. Do you have thoughts?