Students Speak Up About Student Debt

Students across the country are raising awareness about student debt on their campuses and in the media, and they’re calling for solutions including increased grants and more manageable loans.  Here’s an update on their efforts.

New Report on Student Debt and Public Service Careers
At events in more than a dozen states, the student Public Interest Research Groups' Student Debt Alert campaign, together with the Oregon Student Association, the Arizona Student Association, the United Council of Wisconsin Students and the South Carolina Student Association released a new report: Paying Back Not Giving Back: Student Debt's Negative Impact on Public Service Career Opportunities. Local and national media outlets picked up the story that a large percentage of graduates with debt would face unmanageable debt burdens if they chose to pursue teaching or social work.

Students Address Federal Commission
Students are voicing their concerns to the Secretary of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education. At Commission meetings and hearings in San Diego, Seattle, Boston, and Indianapolis, students have urged the commissioners to recognize the consequences of rising student debt and the need for increased grant aid and affordable loans. See transcripts of student testimony and news coverage of student actions.

Commission Issue Paper Highlights Debt
The chair of the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, Charles Miller, recently commissioned several issue papers to inform the Commission’s work.  “Eliminating Complexity and Inconsistency in Federal Financial Aid Programs for Higher Education Students: Towards a More Strategic Approach,” by Barry D. Burgdorf and Kent Kostka, suggests that the top three goals for all federal financial aid programs should be increased access, increased retention and graduation, and decreased debt burden.

For more information on student efforts, visit Student Debt Alert and The United States Students Association. For more information about the Commission on the Future of Higher Education, click here. To see a full list of links to materials on student activities, click here.

(This announcement was sent to the Project on Student Debt mailing list on April 12, 2006)