One of the advantages to our recent football success was I could go to the library during games and find myself plenty of places to settle in for a day of research and writing.

I’m enjoying reading this debate, so I’ll wade in. You can argue about the merits of their tactics, but I’m convinced these kids are protesting out of sincere concern for the university and its students. For what it’s worth, I happened to be sitting next to two of them at lunch yesterday, and I can tell you from what I overheard that they didn’t take the arrests lightly. I also found it interesting that they were still wearing OU shirts after how they were treated at the meeting. You can say they were wrong to disrupt the meeting, but you can’t say they did so thoughtlessly or stupidly. These are bright kids who love their school and did something they believe in without harming anyone. The campus is a better place with kids like them on it.

Bobcat Dragon is so disappointed in you.......

1. The Student Trustees position on this issue is closer to the average student's than the position of the vocal minority that is protesting. The Student Trustees are actually representing the students by not adopting these protesters' stance. 

2. There was an article in The Atlantic this month about how a college education is still the best investment you can make, despite skyrocketing tuition. The student loan debt crisis has been way overblown by the likes of Richard Vedder. 

3. The education at Ohio University is top notch and is still affordable compared to many other places. When I factored in aid and scholarships my education at Ohio was less expensive than my sister's at Shawnee State University. With all due respect to my sister and to SSU I think that I received a better value for my dollars. 

4. I've talked with some of the people who are so vehemently anti-athletics and they really are some of the least intelligent Ohio University students I've ever met. They are very close-minded and outwardly ignore evidence that is presented to them. I will gladly admit that there are issues to be weighed when deciding whether to pump more money into athletics, but these people think that we should eliminate varsity athletics altogether--even if it is a drop in the bucket when looking at the total budget. Granted, I haven't met all of the anti-athletics crowd but that's what I've seen in my sample.

Unemployment rate less than HS grad - 12.4%
Unemployment rate for HS grad - 8.3%
Unemployment rate for associate's degree grad - 6.2%
Unemployment rate for college grad (Bachelor's) - 4.5%
Unemployment rate for college grad (Master's) - 3.5%

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Thoes stats mean nothing.   My girlfriend is an OU grad, and she works as a waitress because she cannot find true employment.  So yes, check her off as 'employed,' but don't kid yourself into thinking she's able to pay back her student loans.

College is to a large degree a sham that fleeces money from people and inspires great amounts of debt.  When a school is producing so many worthless degrees.  Just look at our own beloved institution, what are kids doing with Sports Industry Degrees?  Coaching?  Adventure Recreation? Campus Recreation? Classical Civilization? Greek and Latin? Outdoor education and camping????? Any jobs that exist in these areas are not justified by a $60k degree, and the burden to repay the debit, and I did not even begin to go down the areas such as English, Art, and so forth that at one time were great classic degrees but a classic degree in today's world of economics is kind of hard to justify.

Not enough info. Her degree is in what?  How far has she extended her job search and how willing is she to relocate?

Good God man have you looked into Income Based Repayment? My minimum went from about $500 to $280.

It's impossible to work and attend school without borrowing any more. College is more expensive than ever and you will not find a job that pays enough to pay for tuition, room, and board. Luckily, student loans have interest rates that are much lower than the average return on investment on a college degree. College is one situation where it is okay to borrow the money you invest. See the graphs I posted earlier in the thread. 

Also, to Orlando Cat: Sallie Mae allows income based repayment. There is no reason you should be paying that much every month.

Without going into to much about her on a public message board.  She graduated with an English degree and would like to teach middle or high school english.  She's willing to go just about anywhere. She has an interview with Palm Beach County on Thursday...which is a 2 hour drive from where we are in Orlando.

When I graduated from OU I recieved an internship at Disney World.  During the interview I asked what the correlation between an internship and full time employment at Disney was.  he lady told me that 98% of the people who wish to continue working for Disney are able too.  What she didn't say is that it's as front line hourly - with average pay of 8/hr.

Has my degree helped me gain employment?  Sure.  Has it pulled a salary that offsets the cost of going to college?  Not by a long shot.

Don't get me wrong, I loved my time at OU, but to say that the media is 'sensationalizing' how many people are struggling with student debt is a slap in the face.

Edit to add:

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-05-12/business/bs-bz-jobs-college-grads-20120512_1_college-grads-graduates-job-market