That’s what some educators would have you believe. Meet Jesse Yeh, a student at the University of California, Berkeley. He voluntarily suffers the indignities of using library books instead of purchasing text books; he seeks out free food at campus events and skips meals (gasp!); and he loads up on courses, taking 21 credit-hours in one semester, presumably to get the most out of every tuition dollar spent. And he won’t take out a student loan–because he doesn’t need to.

Yeh is ahead of his time. He sees how debt has robbed graduates of economic prosperity. From the Associated Press:

“I see a lot of my friends who took out student loans, then they graduated and because of the economy right now they still couldn’t find a job,” said the third-year student [Yeh], whose parents both lost their jobs in 2009 and who grew up in the boom-and-bust town of Victorville, Calif., on a block with several houses in foreclosure. “The debt burden is really heavy on them.”

Students like Yeh worry educators. They fear that if students don’t take out loans, they can’t raise tuition. And if they can’t raise tuition, they can’t raise their own salaries. Or provide luxurious campuses that resemble country clubs. But educators don’t say that. Instead, they frame their fears as worry for students. They’re worried that students won’t graduate unless they live the student-loan-funded easy life. They’ll “trade down” and go to cheaper, less-prestigious schools. The horrors!

Please.

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