The short answer to the question is because it potentially may negatively affect them, both directly or indirectly.  However, it is difficult to find the honest answer on this question.  Try to think reasons why one needs to visit a dental office periodically?  The answer is not for fun, but to avoid potentially bigger and costly dental treatments in the future.  Therefore, for a better future.  But any person has a free will not to (1). Buy dental insurance; (2). Bought, but never use it; (3). Did not buy any or maybe worse yet (4). Only brush his or her teeth on every other weekend, with the hope nothing is going to happen.  Any institution’s decision makers have the free will.

The challenge to this hypothesis is that anything that deal with the future requires the decision makers to think beyond his own interest.  But, not everyone has that kind of wisdom.  People often think that, in the long-run we all will be dead, so why should they care?  Why should I concern of doing jobs for the larger stake holders’ (students and the public) interests, if the School Board will ax my contract when the time has come?

But, those decision makers who stick with the ideas to serve the public will get their reward, may not be in the short-term, but this genuine idealistic attitude is rare nowadays.  The reason is simple, self-interests and egocentric attitude. A simple example, is how often one finds a motorist is driving at the left lane 50 miles per hour, while the speed limit is 70?.  It is annoying, but the driver just does not have the ethical self-govern attitude.  People cannot think how their attitude could effect others’ in negative ways.  Instead of social or common value used on everyday life, some people used her or his own egocentric value.

The same thing with the student loans.  Accumulation of student loans and rising default rate to a noticeable level may send a discouraging signal to the public in that a college education is expensive, unaffordable and, may be, useless.  If the general public has experienced difficulties to pay their loans, then it may scare other prospects away. This is one of many reasons why some colleges are experiencing enrollment drop.  College decision makers have a moral responsibility to the public, especially at a public entity, in addition to the institutional obligations.  Though, no one can enforce this moral responsibility, it does not mean there is none. It should be in the equation when making public policy that will affect young Americans.  One of my favorite line from the Indiana Jones movie–The Last Crusade is when the Knight says “You have chosen wisely“.