UW-Whitewater student Johnny Lechner, 28, has taken a road rarely traveled to his undergraduate degree – an 11-year road thus far.

Lechner, after completing 234 credits, does not fulfill the necessary requirements for any single degree but said he hopes the school will grant him a liberal studies degree, with “a lot of emphasis areas,” according to a Wisconsin State Journal article.

He pays what is dubbed as the “slacker tax,” which requires UW System students with more than 165 credits, or 30 more than their degrees require, to pay double tuition.

As a full-time student for nearly all of his 11 years, Lechner, while maintaining a B average, now owes $30,000 in student loans, according to the article. He also has retaken classes he’s received B’s in and successfully avoided advisers during his time at Whitewater.

It is Lechner’s right to attend the public institution for as long as he wishes, and his involvement at Whitewater should serve as an example for other students.

However, with invitations to appear on The Tonight Show as well as other late-night TV shows, the novelty of graduating in double-digit years should not encourage others to follow suit.

While he is responsibly and rightfully paying for his education himself while maintaining an above-average GPA, Lechner is a good example of why the “slacker tax,” which was enacted by the Board of Regents this year, is necessary in the UW System.

Furthermore, although it may be in his best interests to move on with his life, only Lechner himself should decide what is right for him. But, in our opinion, $30,000 is not worth all the fun and memories he says have kept him in college for more than 11 years.