Letters: Much college debt unrelated to school expenses

I never had a loan, and my widowed mother could provide little support, but I graduated with two degrees from USC in the 1970s with no debt.

USC President Harris Pastides and The State would have you believe that students graduate with huge debt through no fault of their own (“Student loan debt up 58% at USC,” Aug. 14). In fact, student loans provide money well above what is necessary for tuition and books.

Students use loans to live in luxury apartments, dine out in the Vista, travel and buy iPhones. Parents do not teach fiscal responsibility. Colleges have not emphasized graduating in four years. Developers and colleges build luxury complexes for profit that look nothing like dorms of the past. Civic leaders pat themselves on the back with each new high-rise announcement.

Unless we understand the cause of the problem, the solution will continue to escape us.