In the upcoming presidential elections, Sen. Bernie Sanders has run on a particular goal of providing free college to students. He describes his 6-set process to make college debt free:

1. Make tuition free at public colleges and universities. 

2. Stop the federal government from making a profit on student loans. 

3. Substantially cut student loan interest rates. 

4. Allow Americans to refinance student loans at today’s low interest rates. 

5. Allow students to use need-based financial aid and work study programs to make college debt free. 

6. Fully paid for by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculators. 

However, currently there are hundreds of students on campus who have not attained scholarships, are getting paid monthly just to attend school and achieve a C or higher in there classes and have gained unique and applicable experiences all over campus and the world.

These people are the former soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have served the country and the reserve components that serve the state of Iowa and on call for the president. They have earned the benefits of full-tuition reimbursement and the GI-Bill to put them selves through college, and this is how you earn a free education.

So why are people so adamant about the Bernie Sanders campaign for “free college?” The ignorant view is that these people are those who are “privileged” and feel that the government should look out for the best interests of an individual’s aspiration, with no work to put into it. The more relatable and realistic view is that college has become so monopolized and expensive that student’s can no longer afforded it, spending years after college to pay off loans.

My viewpoint is that college has never been completely free on a national level, for reason. Knowledge is power; the idea that it could be free is not applicable on a national level due to state-by-state standards, needs of individuals and different boards regents. If an individual wants free tuition, in the classical sense, they should earn it to prove their worth to those who will give it to them.

We are a generation that has gown up in a recession, technological achievements, mass data, social media, political upheavals, globalization and endless war. One cannot assume or even consider that they should be entitled to aspects of a higher education based on the insinuation of “I pay taxes and am an American”. The United States has followed a policy since the end of World War 2 that if you serve your country, then you will be given assistance to better your life and achieve a higher education of your own choosing.

Those who walk around campus, knowing that they have done/are doing their time in service can understand the value of education. They have given themselves to the country for service and understand that nothing in this world nowadays is free, and anyone who tries to argue the opposite are not in the mind set to serve the state and the nation. The millennial who believes that something like college should be free does not truly understand the value of the institutions of higher learning.