Friday I wrote about the "first" problem with free college--which is if you give the funding to the student.  That system means: the student has the government's money, and the only way the college can get the funds they desperately need is if they can recruit the student that has that funding.

The second problem with that system is that government grants don't depend on whether the student is prepared or not.  Once you recruit a student who is government funded--you then have to keep him enrolled to get his government funds--meaning: college teachers have to pass him for another semester for the college to get the money it needs to survive.

Every semester I got a notice from the administration--a record of my pass/fail average for every class.  Why?  Because the administration wanted me to pass more students.  Colleges are trying to survive. And that means marginal students must pass classes for the college to get federal funding they bring with them.  "Just pass them," is implied.

Some instructors complied--probably to keep their jobs.  I didn't.  It was just wrong.  I also got calls from coaches all over the U.S. asking me to change grades for football players I had failed.  Failed because they didn't come to class and didn't make a passing grade. "Just change the grade to a D-." Years later I checked grade books I had submitted (before computers) and found out "someone" had changed some of my grades.

A better system would be to adequately fund colleges--perhaps for a certain set number of students.  ACT and SATS scores would then have some meaning.  And students that weren't prepared for college could remediate at the local level.  Everyone should have an opportunity--but with the current system, a lot of tax money is going down the drain.