@blossom I am not suggesting you are looking for free. But some people are talking about making it free. At least below certain family income levels. That will put huge upward pressure on costs and will make it very difficult for families above that income level to afford public colleges. Families well above that income level will be fine but not those above but still near it.
Colleges are run like businesses (because they are businesses). They are competitive. That arms race is an attempt to run ahead of the competition or at least stay even with it. Looking at threads here people talk about those features comparing colleges. Libraries, student centers, dorms, etc are part of on-campus tours. Attract better students. Increase rankings. Attract more research dollars.
I talked with the principal of my kids high school back when they were still there. Its ranked as one of the best school districts in the state. Principal talked about how the average kid from the district couldn’t get into the state flagship. That certainly wasn’t true when I was in high school as the state flagship had open admissions. Would it be better if it still did?