Campaign wages battle against student debt

By Jimmy Cusack
cusack@mscd.edu

Colorado Public Interest Research Group Student Chapters, or CoPIRG, sponsored a national day of action to save financial aid on campus and organized an event to raise awareness of student debt.

Auraria students joined other students from across the nation with a, "Call In Day to Congress" on Oct. 19 to save federal loan programs from downsizing and vote in favor of higher education funding.

CoPIRG placed an oversized graph in the Tivoli and encouraged students to write the amount of debt they carried. The graph ranged from $5,000 to $40,000. Students were also encouraged to call their local representatives and ask them to vote in favor of higher education funding, as well as sign a "debt yearbook" to record the specific amount they owe in student loans.

"Our goal is to let congress know that student debt is a big problem and we don't want this problem to get any worse," said CoPIRG spokesperson Ashley Cameron.

Cameron said the national average for student debt is $18,000 and the average for Auraria students, according to CoPIRG's chart, is $25,000.

She also said that 39 percent of recent college graduates have unmanageable loan payments, which is determined if more than eight percent of a student's monthly income go toward paying off loans.

Congress is currently calling for $11 billion in cuts to student loan programs. If passed in its current form, House Resolution 609 would make it harder for 5 million students to afford college by cutting student aid programs such as the Pell Grant program.

The proposed cut, one-third of the federal government's allotment for financial aid, could cause an increase of $5,800 per student in just interest charges alone.

Because CoPIRG is a registered non-profit organization, they cannot lobby for or against any law or persuade a legislator.

"What we are trying to do is educate the public that congress has control over these things and students should call and let them know how they feel," said Corey Nadler, campus organizer for CoPIRG.

Nadler said that, ultimately, CoPIRG would like to see more federal student aid so people can afford a college education

"Higher education should be a right, not just for the elite," he said.