What has happened to our citizens-in-training.

• Author: Coplin, Bill
• Position: Education

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"... Students are not connected to the larger purposes and aspirations of the American democracy: voter turnout is low; feelings that political participation will not make any difference are high; and there is a profound sense of cynicism and lack of trust in the political process."

HIGHER EDUCATION leaders publicly claim that their undergraduate programs develop active and responsible citizens. Lobby groups and nonprofits such as the College Board and the Institute for Higher Education present studies to "prove" that undergraduate programs are making good on that promise, showing that college graduates vote more, express higher trust in social institutions, and participate in community groups more than noncollege graduates. Because these studies do not control for the income of the parents, despite these assertions, there is no definitive way to tell if there is a cause and effect relationship between a college education and the civic responsibility of its graduates.

Moreover, there is a chorus of studies demonstrating that students are not connected to the larger purposes and aspirations of American democracy: voter turnout is low: feelings that political participation will not make any difference are high: and there is a profound sense of cynicism and lack of trust in the political process.

So, how can undergraduate institutions do more to develop civic responsibility among graduates? The general answer is to treat undergraduates as citizens-in-training. In addition to providing at least one course on participating in government, administrators and faculty need to establish the types of relationships with students that would reduce cynicism and increase trust. Students who learn to trust authority in college will find it easier to trust governmental institutions. However: the reverse also is tree. and may be a reason why college graduates treat political institutions with cynicism and distrust while exhibiting hostility or apathy to college rules, regulations, and programs.

The first and most important action would be for colleges and universities to stop raising tuition two or three times the rate of inflation--with no transparency on what the increases pay for. as this is a form of "taxation without representation." Universities claim to raise tuition because their costs are higher but. the truth is, they have done it simply because they can. There are various factors leading to higher fees, one of which is too many students. Blessed with an increasing demand--which they have helped to generate through lobbying for government subsidies and massive advertising campaigns--colleges have enjoyed market conditions that will bear just about whatever prices they decide to charge.

Students see high tuition as only one form of an arbitrary and excessive source of taxation. They feel overcharged for everything from books to bagels...