Given the loose standards and high default rates that plague the student loan machine, the federal government might as well just be handing out credit cards so everyone can buy more stuff with subsidized loans.
The increasing importance of elite higher education is a symptom of "political capitalism" in which success is determined by political connections rather than by the satisfaction of consumer preferences in the marketplace.
Wealthy Hollywood types, being relentless and cynical social climbers, figured out years ago that college is mostly about social status and certification.
Since public schools are funded through tax dollars, the schools don't really care if their safety measures are done in a way that treats students with the sort of respect paying customers would likely receive.
