Murphy Visits MCC: Discusses Affordability And Accountability In Higher Ed

On Friday October 18th, US Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) hosted a roundtable discussion at MCC.

Photo By TJ Barber

Murphy, who defeated GOP candidate Linda McMahon in 2012  for Joe Lieberman’s seat, plans to introduce a bill geared towards increasing the affordability of post-secondary education.

Murphy would like to see performance incentives handed down to institutions taking steps to reduce their tuition while reducing the time it takes to get a Bachelor’s degree. Murphy’s bill comes at a time when UConn is planning to raise next year’s tuition.

 In the past 20 years, the cost of college attendance has increased by 300%. Murphy’s bill hopes to curb this trend. The US was once a leader in the world when it came to education but now currently ranks at number 12. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranks the US at or “below average” in the areas of mathematics and science, where it placed 25th and 17th, respectively.

Murphy took questions from students and even admitted that he himself was still dealing with the hassles of paying for a post-secondary education.

“As someone who is still paying off my student loans, I understand the squeeze students are in today as they try to fund their education, and the financial burden they will face upon graduation. But the debate Congress has been having over student loan interest rates misses the bigger picture: rapidly increasing costs of college. The most important thing Congress can do for students is to pressure schools to use innovative methods to bring down the cost of tuition, and that’s what my proposed legislation — which I am improving with feedback from students in Connecticut — aims to do.”