The Los Angeles Times: Letter To The Editor, Hidden Fees Abolished (Essay Sample)

The Los Angeles Times
Dear Editor,
Hidden fees should be abolished! Why do institutions of higher learning charging hidden fees? Or is education meant for the chosen few? With the ongoing economic crisis, it is alarming how the miscellaneous fees in the public Universities in United States are rapidly rising at a rate that is three times that of inflation! Even after the freezing of the tuition fees, the money being asked for as fees is increasing tension among all stakeholders. The costs range from activity fees, graduation fees, maintenance fees and other fees that people do not even dream of paying until parents are forced to take loans to cover for all these and when it is impossible, the students drop out of school. Whose fault is it that everything appears ballooned? This blame should go to the administration and the Board of Education. The purpose of this Newsletter is to unmask the people who are stealing for the students and parents in the name of creating a bright future for the students by making it known to my audience that hidden costs are draining their pockets and making them poor.
It is crystal clear that the future of the young generation has been put in the filthy hands of greedy people who do not care about anyone else for as long as they keep their pockets loaded. This is the reason why the fees have been increasing from around 1999-2000 and there is no significant step that has been taken to salvage the situation. The parents are complaining about the fees that they have to pay yet they were not included in the fees structures. All these fees come in names that are so convincing that the parents end up paying them. Why do these institutions of high learning want to take everything from the parents in exchange for their children education? It is a merciless and unjust trend that needs to stop.
The measures being taken by some universities are so discouraging. How can one call a summation of all the fees into one huge sum a reduction in the fees? The Dayton University has given a single figure of $26,590 and promised that the fees do not change as long as the student is in the university. This amount is too high to be called a solution to the hidden fees. Someone needs to come in and save the parents of United States of America from going bankrupt in educating their children.
The hidden fees are coming from all the sides in the universities. The university asks for mandatory fees while the departments ask for the supplement fees which are said to cater for things like the laboratory expenses. While this may make sense a little bit, it passes my mind why such fees rise so fast. Students in universities such as University of Virginia are charged around $2500 extra money as tuition fees while in Massachusetts it raises up to $8280 which is around five times higher. Why these costs? Do they benefit our students?
The only solution to this robbery in the name of maintenance fees, solar energy fees, lab fees and all those fun...