Is debt a sentence or choice?

Students should be held accountable for their debt

Corey King

Having paid off my debt last April while still attending university, I began to notice a pattern between those students with a high amount of debt and those students with much unnecessary expenditure. What I’ve observed is that, more often than not, those students were the same people. The unsettling issue is that there are many of these people. If you’re someone who needs their cellphone as much as their education, then I may be talking about you.

Much grumbling comes from the mouths of students about the issue of debt. I’ve seen many posters around school proclaiming that “education shouldn’t be a debt sentence.” Now before anyone accuses me of being a wealthy student, let me reassure you that I am not. I work hard all year round to earn money to pay for school, and I live with my fiancée who is in the same situation. I currently work 30 hours a week, all the while attending four classes, and though I’m sure some people have it worse than me, I work very hard to ride my bike to school and keep all unessential expenditures to a minimum. I do this because I have a strong belief that a person should only spend the money that they have. And if they don’t have much money, then a person had better figure out what things they want, but more importantly, what things they need.

For me, “need” has a strict meaning: if I don’t have it, I will die. According to this definition, I need food, water, and for when it’s —40 C outside, some type of shelter (and probably clothes, but not nine pairs of designer jeans). For many people, though, the word “need” has become replacement for the word “want.” Question: do you really need cable television? Do you need Halo 3? Do you have problems understanding that a car is in fact a luxury item? If you answer “Yes” to any of these or other similar questions, then your values are diluted.

If you are a student who is frustrated about the amount of debt you’ve accumulated, before you get mad at the University of Manitoba (which compared to other schools in Canada has pretty reasonable fees), your cheap parents (it’s your education, bud), or the government (for having been the ones who lent you the money in the first place), please just take one moment and look at your own lifestyle choices. University is not high school, and no one is going to laugh at you if you do not buy a $10 beverage from Starbucks. It’s really not that hard a concept and I don’t mean to sound like I’m beating you over the head with this, but there is good student tuition money being wasted on posters here!

Perhaps I’m being too hard on people. The concept of spending beyond one’s means was preached to me as a child, as I’m sure it was to you as well. I also asked for expensive gifts meaning: if I don’t have it, I will die. According to this definition, I need food, water, and for when it’s —40 C outside, some type of shelter (and probably clothes, but not nine pairs of designer jeans). For many people, though, the word “need” has become replacement for the word “want.” Question: do you really need cable television? Do you need Halo 3? Do you have problems understanding that a car is in fact a luxury item? If you answer “Yes” to any of these or other similar questions, then your values are diluted.

Perhaps I’m being too hard on people. The concept of spending beyond one’s means was preached to me as a child, as I’m sure it was to you as well. I also asked for expensive gifts university has more extra fees than WestJet and Ticketmaster combined, but I’m also aware that I’m choosing to pay these fees. I’m aware that if I don’t want debt, then there are things I can stop spending my money on (in order to stay in the green. Stop blaming people for the choices you’ve made and remember you’ve still got it pretty damn good.

Corey King is a third-year film and philosophy student at the University of Manitoba.





Volume 95 Issue 9	The Official University of Manitoba Students' Newspaper Website	October 17, 2007

Home About Us Advertising Rates Contact Staff Current Issue PDF Employment Letters to the Editor Meet the Staff Online Archives Volunteer Online Classifieds St. Vincent's Academy Diaries	Font Size Respond Email Print-Friendly Is debt a sentence or choice? Students should be held accountable for their debt Corey King Having paid off my debt last April while still attending university, I began to notice a pattern between those students with a high amount of debt and those students with much unnecessary expenditure. What I’ve observed is that, more often than not, those students were the same people. The unsettling issue is that there are many of these people. If you’re someone who needs their cellphone as much as their education, then I may be talking about you. Much grumbling comes from the mouths of students about the issue of debt. I’ve seen many posters around school proclaiming that “education shouldn’t be a debt sentence.” Now before anyone accuses me of being a wealthy student, let me reassure you that I am not. I work hard all year round to earn money to pay for school, and I live with my fiancée who is in the same situation. I currently work 30 hours a week, all the while attending four classes, and though I’m sure some people have it worse than me, I work very hard to ride my bike to school and keep all unessential expenditures to a minimum. I do this because I have a strong belief that a person should only spend the money that they have. And if they don’t have much money, then a person had better figure out what things they want, but more importantly, what things they need. For me, “need” has a strict meaning: if I don’t have it, I will die. According to this definition, I need food, water, and for when it’s —40 C outside, some type of shelter (and probably clothes, but not nine pairs of designer jeans). For many people, though, the word “need” has become replacement for the word “want.” Question: do you really need cable television? Do you need Halo 3? Do you have problems understanding that a car is in fact a luxury item? If you answer “Yes” to any of these or other similar questions, then your values are diluted. If you are a student who is frustrated about the amount of debt you’ve accumulated, before you get mad at the University of Manitoba (which compared to other schools in Canada has pretty reasonable fees), your cheap parents (it’s your education, bud), or the government (for having been the ones who lent you the money in the first place), please just take one moment and look at your own lifestyle choices. University is not high school, and no one is going to laugh at you if you do not buy a $10 beverage from Starbucks. It’s really not that hard a concept and I don’t mean to sound like I’m beating you over the head with this, but there is good student tuition money being wasted on posters here! Perhaps I’m being too hard on people. The concept of spending beyond one’s means was preached to me as a child, as I’m sure it was to you as well. I also asked for expensive gifts meaning: if I don’t have it, I will die. According to this definition, I need food, water, and for when it’s —40 C outside, some type of shelter (and probably clothes, but not nine pairs of designer jeans). For many people, though, the word “need” has become replacement for the word “want.” Question: do you really need cable television? Do you need Halo 3? Do you have problems understanding that a car is in fact a luxury item? If you answer “Yes” to any of these or other similar questions, then your values are diluted. If you are a student who is frustrated about the amount of debt you’ve accumulated, before you get mad at the University of Manitoba (which compared to other schools in Canada has pretty reasonable fees), your cheap parents (it’s your education, bud), or the government (for having been the ones who lent you the money in the first place), please just take one moment and look at your own lifestyle choices. University is not high school, and no one is going to laugh at you if you do not buy a $10 beverage from Starbucks. It’s really not that hard a concept and I don’t mean to sound like I’m beating you over the head with this, but there is good student tuition money being wasted on posters here! Perhaps I’m being too hard on people. The concept of spending beyond one’s means was preached to me as a child, as I’m sure it was to you as well. I also asked for expensive gifts university has more extra fees than WestJet and Ticketmaster combined, but I’m also aware that I’m choosing to pay these fees. I’m aware that if I don’t want debt, then there are things I can stop spending my money on (in order to stay in the green. Stop blaming people for the choices you’ve made and remember you’ve still got it pretty damn good. Corey King is a third-year film and philosophy student at the University of Manitoba.


Terms of Use RSS Feeds © Copyright 2008 The Manitoban Newspaper Publications Corporation