Kerry pitches student aid
by Clayton Woullard
The Metropolitan
Democratic Presidential Nominee front-runner John Kerry finished up his
nation-wide campus tour last week in which he promised a proposed $75
billion to help make higher education more affordable for students.
As part of his "Change Starts With U: Kerry Campus Tour 2004,"
the Massachusetts senator proposed a $25 billion fiscal aid package to
help the state governments and $50 billion in tax credits to help students
pay for four years of college.
The proposals are all a part of his "Compact with the Next Generation"
plan, which Kerry said would involve over 300,000 students within a decade.
During the week-long tour in which his campaign hit New Hampshire, Rhode
Island, New York and Pennsylvania, Kerry criticized President Bush for
failing to follow through on promises to help college students.
"Once again, the president just does not get it," Kerry said
at a town hall meeting last week in Providence, R.I. "A college education
means more than ever in today's economy, yet this president has done nothing
to make it more affordable."
During a conference-call with over 150 student reporters from around
the country April 13, Kerry blamed the president's tax policies for the
28 percent increase in tuition in the U.S.
"George Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy is a tuition tax increase
for students," Kerry said. "I think it's unconscionable."
Kerry has also proposed a "Service for College" initiative,
which would offer tuition at a four-year university to those who serve
for at least two years in the military. Kerry said the initiative would
cost approximately $13 billion over 10 years.
Danny Diaz, a spokesperson for the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign, said his
proposals lack detail.
"His plan sells college students short," Diaz said. "It's
very easy to go on the stump and make campaign promises; it's different
when you have to actually submit a budget."
Diaz said the estimated cost for tuition in Kerry's "Service for
College" initiative is $694 below the average tuition charged by
public four-year institutions this academic year, and is 62% less than
the average for institutions that charge for room and board.
"He's being very disingenuous about his plans," Diaz said.
"It comes down to who is he going to raise taxes on or what programs
is he going to cut?"
Kerry said he will pay for his national service initiative by renovating
the national student loan program.
He said currently banks make too much profit from student loans, therefore
under his program he will require banks to bid for student loan contracts.
Diaz said this plan is faulty.
"For one, (Kerry's) auction plan increase government bureaucracies,"
Diaz said. "And insufficient competition could hurt the process."
According to Diaz, President Bush has already submitted his 2005 budget
to Congress, and it includes $73 billion in student aid for higher education,
which is a $4.2 billion increase from this year. The President also requests
in the budget $12.9 billion in Pell Grants, which Diaz said would provide
for 5.3 million low-income students.
"The fact is that more high school students are going to college
than ever before," Diaz said. "The president is proposing historic
education funding that will help some 10 million students go to college."
Kerry said during the conference-call that young Americans should vote
for him because his policies are the only positive alterative to Bush's
current economic policies.
Tim Alexander, a marketing major at Metro, said he would ask both Kerry
and Bush to stabilize higher education costs if elected.
"I would ask them to hold some consistency in funding for tuition,"
Alexander said. "It's ridiculous that (presidents') funding policies
can change during their term."
Alexander, who plans to vote in November but has yet to decide for which
candidate, said Kerry's $25 and $50 billion proposals are just shaky campaign
promises.
"I think it's all a part of campaigning," he said. "Students
have no concept of how that money would ever spread to them."
A poll conducted by Harvard University's Institute of Politics and released
last week shows Kerry is winning support on college campuses with 48 percent
of college students polled favoring Kerry, compared to 38 percent who
favor President Bush.
According to a Rocky Mountain News poll conducted earlier this month,
most Coloradoans would vote for President Bush if the elections were held
now.
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