I disagree, I think there should be grant aid. I agree that parents and students alike should be responsible for contributing for education, but financial aid programs such as Cornell's only add to the diversity of a university. Additionally, if you look at Cornell's financial aid policy, if you receive aid, almost every student is expected to make the same sacrifices to finance their education; the are expected to earn money in the summer and have a job during the school year to satisfy the work-study component of their financial aid package. Although, I agree with the fact that the current financial aid initiative at Cornell isn't completely fair, you must realize it is only a starting point. Recently, I read an article in the Cornell Daily Sun about the financial aid initiative. The Sun interviewed one of the admissions directors and essentially she explained that what the financial aid initiative is trying to do is make Cornell affordable and accessible to everyone. They acknowledge the fact that the current initiative isn't exactly fair for the middle class, but they intend to change that. In essence, to make Cornell accessible they started from the bottom up. Overall, I think what Cornell is doing is wonderful. Gradually, they are making an Ivy League education relatively cheap for every student that attends(even those at the very top of the economic ladder).
Davis Expounds on Changing Admissions Process | The Cornell Daily Sun