Immediately after President Obama’s State of the Union Address, United States Student Association President Gregory Cendana issued the following statement:
“The United States Student Association (USSA) applauds President Obama’s emphasis on higher education in his first State of the Union address. It is essential for the federal government to prioritize college affordability at a time when almost two-thirds of all four-year college graduates leave school an average of over $23,000 in debt into the worst job market on record for young people. Hopefully, his strong support for student aid reform will ignite action in the Senate and help to pass a companion bill to the historic Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the House of Representatives in September.
Additionally, by capping federal student loan repayments at 10 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income and lessening the time it takes to forgive student loan debt from 25 to 20 years, recent graduates will have more stability to build a financially secure post-collegiate life. His announcement that federal education spending will increase 6.2 percent in the fiscal year 2011 budget shows his administration’s devotion to students and the future prosperity of the United States.
These federal actions are necessary as state governments nationwide continue to balance their budgets on the backs of students. The past year has seen unprecedented divestment from higher education through shortsighted budget cuts and tuition and fee hikes. This fiscal irresponsibility requires deeper and broader federal investment in college affordability that must not stop at the passage of student aid reform and a strengthened loan-repayment system. The federal government must recognize college access as a fundamental human right and a prudent pathway to economic stability. Students across the country are expecting elected officials to keep their promises to invest in higher education and USSA will continue to organize around these issues as we gear up for our studentsVOTE 2010! campaign.”
The annual State of the Student Union Address will be aired on YouTube and the USSA website next Wednesday, February 3, 2010. More information will be provided later this week.
Jan 27, 2010
Student Loan Income-Based Repayment Program Strengthened Under New Proposal
In an effort to help college graduates ease their mounting student loan debt, the Middle Class Task Force, chaired by Vice President Joe Biden, proposed earlier this week to strengthen the Income-Based Repayment Program (IBR) that went into effect last July. IBR was established in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, a bill that the United States Student Association (USSA) played a key role in supporting.
The Task Force’s proposal would lower the cap on federal student loan repayments from 15 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income to 10 percent. Additionally, it shortens the time it takes to forgive student loan debt from 25 years to 20 years. If passed, this initiative would help hundreds of thousands of recent graduates repay their loans in a more flexible and affordable manner.
“College graduates are entering the worst job markets on record for young people already an average of $23,000 in debt and need financial relief more than ever,” said Gregory Cendana, USSA President. “Strengthening IBR is a great step in making college more affordable and will supplement the student aid reform legislation currently being drafted in the Senate.”
The proposed changes to IBR will be included in President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2011 that he will send to Congress on February 1st. USSA, and students nationwide, will advocate for this and other investments in higher education programs, including the student aid reform legislation presently in the Senate.
The Task Force’s proposal would lower the cap on federal student loan repayments from 15 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income to 10 percent. Additionally, it shortens the time it takes to forgive student loan debt from 25 years to 20 years. If passed, this initiative would help hundreds of thousands of recent graduates repay their loans in a more flexible and affordable manner.
“College graduates are entering the worst job markets on record for young people already an average of $23,000 in debt and need financial relief more than ever,” said Gregory Cendana, USSA President. “Strengthening IBR is a great step in making college more affordable and will supplement the student aid reform legislation currently being drafted in the Senate.”
The proposed changes to IBR will be included in President Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2011 that he will send to Congress on February 1st. USSA, and students nationwide, will advocate for this and other investments in higher education programs, including the student aid reform legislation presently in the Senate.
Jan 16, 2010
Unity through Education and Engagement
By Dulce Juarez, USSA Intern
“ We must all learn to live together as brothers. Or we will all perish together as fools” – Martin Luther King Jr.
The other day I was in the car, on my way to the USSA office, while I listened to the Democracy Now radio show. The topic?……..Drum roll please….. White Supremacist militia groups!
While listening to the show I began to go through a series of emotions. I felt frustrated, scared, and confused about what era I was living in? Was I back in the 1960’s? Immediately, a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appeared in my mind. I remembered the discrimination, the prosecution, dehumanization and the injustice he and thousands of people faced. People died, sacrificed their lives, and suffered tremendously, all so that you and I could sit and learn in a class together, so that you and I could eat in a restaurant together, so that I could work with a wonderful diverse staff, and overall the people of the Civil Rights Movements fought so that today in the year 2010 we could all be treated with the dignity and equal respect that every human being deserves. Apparently others do not know and do not believe this.
My time in Washington D.C. as an Intern for the USSA Students Of Color campus Diversity Project, has allowed me to reflect on how much work we as students need to do, on our college campuses and in our communities in order to keep Dr. Kings DREAM ALIVE!
I write this as a call of action to all college students and young professionals. We need to value the precious opportunity to live in a country where DIVERSITY is prominent. We may not engage much with our peers of different ethnicity backgrounds. Maybe it ‘s because we don’t really know them. But the truth is we are all on this earth together, in this country together, and in this generation together, I am sure we have something in common. I urge you for the sake of continuing to build UNITY among people of all diverse communities, and to keep Dr. Kings dream alive, I ask that you take the time to learn something new about one of your peers who may not be the same color of your skin. You may come to realize that aside from the exterior, you really are not that different. You may bond by the simple fact that you both can’t afford college, that your financial aid is not enough, that you both can not find jobs, and that you both have faced discrimination! By the way, these are all great conversation starters. WINK WINK!
Getting to know a person of a different community from yours, may seem like a simple step towards taking action for working towards UNITY! But if you ask me, its perhaps the most courageous, and hardest things to do. That seems to be case for the racists militia groups that you are about to view... The reason they are the way they are, is because of lack of education (lets pass student aid reform!) so that they can be educated! Also, many racists people do not know any better, that what they have known all their lives. Perhaps they do not see how alike we all really are. WE ARE ALL HUMANS!!! ON ONE EARTH!!! So we better learn to get along. It is up to our generation to show the world that UNITY among all people is a possibility. I like Dr. King have the DREAM, the vision that all people will some day be living in peace, going to school and living life with dignity and respect.
“ We must all learn to live together as brothers. Or we will all perish together as fools” – Martin Luther King Jr.
The other day I was in the car, on my way to the USSA office, while I listened to the Democracy Now radio show. The topic?……..Drum roll please….. White Supremacist militia groups!
While listening to the show I began to go through a series of emotions. I felt frustrated, scared, and confused about what era I was living in? Was I back in the 1960’s? Immediately, a picture of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appeared in my mind. I remembered the discrimination, the prosecution, dehumanization and the injustice he and thousands of people faced. People died, sacrificed their lives, and suffered tremendously, all so that you and I could sit and learn in a class together, so that you and I could eat in a restaurant together, so that I could work with a wonderful diverse staff, and overall the people of the Civil Rights Movements fought so that today in the year 2010 we could all be treated with the dignity and equal respect that every human being deserves. Apparently others do not know and do not believe this.
My time in Washington D.C. as an Intern for the USSA Students Of Color campus Diversity Project, has allowed me to reflect on how much work we as students need to do, on our college campuses and in our communities in order to keep Dr. Kings DREAM ALIVE!
I write this as a call of action to all college students and young professionals. We need to value the precious opportunity to live in a country where DIVERSITY is prominent. We may not engage much with our peers of different ethnicity backgrounds. Maybe it ‘s because we don’t really know them. But the truth is we are all on this earth together, in this country together, and in this generation together, I am sure we have something in common. I urge you for the sake of continuing to build UNITY among people of all diverse communities, and to keep Dr. Kings dream alive, I ask that you take the time to learn something new about one of your peers who may not be the same color of your skin. You may come to realize that aside from the exterior, you really are not that different. You may bond by the simple fact that you both can’t afford college, that your financial aid is not enough, that you both can not find jobs, and that you both have faced discrimination! By the way, these are all great conversation starters. WINK WINK!
Getting to know a person of a different community from yours, may seem like a simple step towards taking action for working towards UNITY! But if you ask me, its perhaps the most courageous, and hardest things to do. That seems to be case for the racists militia groups that you are about to view... The reason they are the way they are, is because of lack of education (lets pass student aid reform!) so that they can be educated! Also, many racists people do not know any better, that what they have known all their lives. Perhaps they do not see how alike we all really are. WE ARE ALL HUMANS!!! ON ONE EARTH!!! So we better learn to get along. It is up to our generation to show the world that UNITY among all people is a possibility. I like Dr. King have the DREAM, the vision that all people will some day be living in peace, going to school and living life with dignity and respect.
Jan 14, 2010
Have You Written Your Page in History?
"I thought that this was hands down the best conference concerning issues that face us students. I would definitely suggest this conference to other schools."
-2009 LegCon participant
2010 has the potential of being a historic year for higher education. Imagine, a federal student aid system that prioritizes college affordability over bank subsidies, the college doors thrown open for thousands of deserving undocumented students, and state leaders valuing higher education in both campaign speeches and budgets. Sound like fiction? Only if we fail to act!
We have at our fingertips a sweeping student aid reform bill in the U.S. Senate, the DREAM Act picking up steam in Congress, and grassroots organizing trainings and conferences on the horizon for students to learn how to win real policy victories and prepare for the 2010 election. With these opportunities before us, now is the time to come together and fight to make education a right!
One of the best ways to take advantage of this crucial moment is to attend USSA's 41st annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day (LegCon) March 20-23, 2010 in Washington, DC. At LegCon, you will have the opportunity to:
* Explore a variety of student issues, from federal budget items to student/worker solidarity.
* Learn how to build student power on your campus.
* Make new friends and network with student government and organizational leaders.
* Make your voice heard by lobbying your elected officials on student issues.
* Have fun!
Visit the USSA website to learn more about LegCon and how you can bring a delegation from your campus! The early registration deadline is Feb. 12th, so act fast.
From all of the USSA staff and officers, we're excited to see you all in DC!
Sincerely,
Angela Peoples, Cedric Lawson, Danny Montes, Deven Anderson, Gaby Madriz, Gregory Cendana, Jake Stillwell, Lindsay McCluskey, Maria Escobar, Monique Teal, Try Onaghise-Coburn
-2009 LegCon participant
2010 has the potential of being a historic year for higher education. Imagine, a federal student aid system that prioritizes college affordability over bank subsidies, the college doors thrown open for thousands of deserving undocumented students, and state leaders valuing higher education in both campaign speeches and budgets. Sound like fiction? Only if we fail to act!
We have at our fingertips a sweeping student aid reform bill in the U.S. Senate, the DREAM Act picking up steam in Congress, and grassroots organizing trainings and conferences on the horizon for students to learn how to win real policy victories and prepare for the 2010 election. With these opportunities before us, now is the time to come together and fight to make education a right!
One of the best ways to take advantage of this crucial moment is to attend USSA's 41st annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day (LegCon) March 20-23, 2010 in Washington, DC. At LegCon, you will have the opportunity to:
* Explore a variety of student issues, from federal budget items to student/worker solidarity.
* Learn how to build student power on your campus.
* Make new friends and network with student government and organizational leaders.
* Make your voice heard by lobbying your elected officials on student issues.
* Have fun!
Visit the USSA website to learn more about LegCon and how you can bring a delegation from your campus! The early registration deadline is Feb. 12th, so act fast.
From all of the USSA staff and officers, we're excited to see you all in DC!
Sincerely,
Angela Peoples, Cedric Lawson, Danny Montes, Deven Anderson, Gaby Madriz, Gregory Cendana, Jake Stillwell, Lindsay McCluskey, Maria Escobar, Monique Teal, Try Onaghise-Coburn
Jan 11, 2010
New FAFSA is Simpler, Better for Students
Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan unveiled the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, which includes many student-friendly revisions. Reforming the financial aid form has been a priority for the Obama Administration and congressional leaders working to simplify the process of applying to college.
The new FAFSA removes twenty-two questions and seventeen web screens, making the online format more user-friendly. Additionally, it allows low-income students to skip questions concerning their families’ financial assets because those questions don’t determine their level of aid. The new form also eliminates questions about drug convictions for first year students and questions about legal residency for applicants who have lived in at the same address for five or more years.
“No one should be denied financial aid because of invasive or confusing questions that overwhelm students and families,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “The revised FAFSA is a great step forward in meeting President Obama’s goal of having the United States lead the world in college graduation by 2020.”
This is a huge victory for USSA and students nationwide. This organization has been advocating several years for a simplified FAFSA and improved method for receiving federal financial aid. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the House of Representatives in September, also includes vital reforms to the FAFSA. USSA is advocating for similar provisions in the Senate’s version.
The new FAFSA removes twenty-two questions and seventeen web screens, making the online format more user-friendly. Additionally, it allows low-income students to skip questions concerning their families’ financial assets because those questions don’t determine their level of aid. The new form also eliminates questions about drug convictions for first year students and questions about legal residency for applicants who have lived in at the same address for five or more years.
“No one should be denied financial aid because of invasive or confusing questions that overwhelm students and families,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “The revised FAFSA is a great step forward in meeting President Obama’s goal of having the United States lead the world in college graduation by 2020.”
This is a huge victory for USSA and students nationwide. This organization has been advocating several years for a simplified FAFSA and improved method for receiving federal financial aid. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the House of Representatives in September, also includes vital reforms to the FAFSA. USSA is advocating for similar provisions in the Senate’s version.
Jan 6, 2010
In the New Year, We Can't Stop and Won't Stop!
Welcome to 2010!
2009 was an exciting year for college students nationwide. Students helped secure billions of dollars in federal higher education funding and made international press organizing against state budget cuts and cost hikes. Yet we still face powerful banking lobbyists opposing student aid reform and state legislatures all too ready to balance budgets on the backs of students.
With your help, we can meet these challenges with strength in numbers and conviction as we strive to make 2010 a historic year for higher education. We cannot sit on the sidelines as private lenders spend millions of dollars a week maintaining a status quo that pads their wallets and shrinks yours. It will take a united effort by students to bring about real change in the financial aid system. No matter what the size of your contribution, your participation in the fight to make education a right is critical.
Here's how USSA will put your donation to work in 2010:
Fight for College Affordability. A core mission of USSA is to amplify the student voice in Congress, the White House, and the Department of Education. That voice is needed now more than ever. Private lenders have an army of lobbyists and a war-chest of funds actively engaged in opposing student aid reform. USSA will fight for legislation that allocates tens of billions of government funds away from unnecessary bank subsidies and into need-based financial aid programs that help students reach and graduate from college.
Grassroots Organizing. Real change can only come from the bottom-up. Through the GrassRoots Organizing Weekend (GROW), Electoral Action Training (EAT), and a rigorous field department, USSA will continue to help facilitate peer-to-peer campus organizing efforts to win real student victories.
Increase Student Voter Turnout. Real political power rests at the voting polls. USSA is devoted to promoting youth voter registration, education and get-out-the-vote campaigns that personally engage students in electoral participation and long-term civic engagement. The upcoming 2010 mid-term election is critical for holding our leaders accountable and ensuring that candidates who prioritize college affordability receive the support of students.
With your help, we can win! Thank you for contributing to the fight to make education a right.
Sincerely,
Gregory Cendana, President
United States Student Association
2009 was an exciting year for college students nationwide. Students helped secure billions of dollars in federal higher education funding and made international press organizing against state budget cuts and cost hikes. Yet we still face powerful banking lobbyists opposing student aid reform and state legislatures all too ready to balance budgets on the backs of students.
With your help, we can meet these challenges with strength in numbers and conviction as we strive to make 2010 a historic year for higher education. We cannot sit on the sidelines as private lenders spend millions of dollars a week maintaining a status quo that pads their wallets and shrinks yours. It will take a united effort by students to bring about real change in the financial aid system. No matter what the size of your contribution, your participation in the fight to make education a right is critical.
Here's how USSA will put your donation to work in 2010:
Fight for College Affordability. A core mission of USSA is to amplify the student voice in Congress, the White House, and the Department of Education. That voice is needed now more than ever. Private lenders have an army of lobbyists and a war-chest of funds actively engaged in opposing student aid reform. USSA will fight for legislation that allocates tens of billions of government funds away from unnecessary bank subsidies and into need-based financial aid programs that help students reach and graduate from college.
Grassroots Organizing. Real change can only come from the bottom-up. Through the GrassRoots Organizing Weekend (GROW), Electoral Action Training (EAT), and a rigorous field department, USSA will continue to help facilitate peer-to-peer campus organizing efforts to win real student victories.
Increase Student Voter Turnout. Real political power rests at the voting polls. USSA is devoted to promoting youth voter registration, education and get-out-the-vote campaigns that personally engage students in electoral participation and long-term civic engagement. The upcoming 2010 mid-term election is critical for holding our leaders accountable and ensuring that candidates who prioritize college affordability receive the support of students.
With your help, we can win! Thank you for contributing to the fight to make education a right.
Sincerely,
Gregory Cendana, President
United States Student Association
Jan 5, 2010
Capable American Students
There is a fervent debate escalating in the Boston Globe over whether American students are lazy. The heated discussion began when a Babson College professor penned an opinion editorial in the Globe titled My Lazy American Students in which she claimed that American students are sluggish when compared to their international peers. “My ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ students this semester are almost exclusively American,” said the professor, “while my students from India, China, and Latin America have - despite language barriers - generally written solid papers, excelled on exams, and become valuable class participants.”
As could be expected, this assertion provoked a firestorm of passionate rebukes. A Babson College student published a guest editorial in response, arguing that what American students lack in obedience and discipline, they make up for in creativity, independence, and leadership. So who’s right? And what’s the solution?
The indictment against America’s education system is certainly warranted. As the professor points out in her article, a 2002 National Geographic-Roper survey found that most 18-25 year-olds could not identify Afghanistan, Iraq, or Japan on a map. However, blame for this lack of knowledge cannot be placed solely on the laziness of American students; rather, it is an institutional failure that often leaves children behind before they even get to college. More than a million college freshmen must take remedial courses every year, which means over 60 percent of freshman at 2-year schools and 20-30 percent at 4-year institutions are inadequately prepared for college-level work when beginning their higher education, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
The disconnect between college preparation and high school attainment is largely made possible by a lack of communication between the two systems. “Right now, high schools hand students off to colleges and declare victory,” says Dr. Michael Kirst, a Stanford University professor who has studied the proliferation of remedial courses in America. “They say, ‘A high percentage of our graduates went to college,’ but they don’t look at how many had to take remedial courses or never got a degree. And the colleges blame the high schools for not preparing students, but don’t work to align the courses.” One can hardly assign total fault to students’ laziness for lackluster performances in the classroom when education institutions so often fail to set the foundations necessary for academic achievement.
The Obama Administration has made college readiness a top priority of its education platform. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September and is expected to be taken up by the Senate in coming months, helps make college attainable and successful for many underrepresented students. Notably, it creates an Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would award competitive grants to states that implement reforms that improve the academic readiness of children, and invests in college retainment and graduation efforts to ensure students have the resources to make their higher education a success.
If we want American college students to lead the world in innovation and work-ethic we must not shrink to blaming our educational failures on laziness. Instead, we must trust that if students are provided with the tools necessary to excel, they will make even the most skeptical professor proud.
As could be expected, this assertion provoked a firestorm of passionate rebukes. A Babson College student published a guest editorial in response, arguing that what American students lack in obedience and discipline, they make up for in creativity, independence, and leadership. So who’s right? And what’s the solution?
The indictment against America’s education system is certainly warranted. As the professor points out in her article, a 2002 National Geographic-Roper survey found that most 18-25 year-olds could not identify Afghanistan, Iraq, or Japan on a map. However, blame for this lack of knowledge cannot be placed solely on the laziness of American students; rather, it is an institutional failure that often leaves children behind before they even get to college. More than a million college freshmen must take remedial courses every year, which means over 60 percent of freshman at 2-year schools and 20-30 percent at 4-year institutions are inadequately prepared for college-level work when beginning their higher education, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
The disconnect between college preparation and high school attainment is largely made possible by a lack of communication between the two systems. “Right now, high schools hand students off to colleges and declare victory,” says Dr. Michael Kirst, a Stanford University professor who has studied the proliferation of remedial courses in America. “They say, ‘A high percentage of our graduates went to college,’ but they don’t look at how many had to take remedial courses or never got a degree. And the colleges blame the high schools for not preparing students, but don’t work to align the courses.” One can hardly assign total fault to students’ laziness for lackluster performances in the classroom when education institutions so often fail to set the foundations necessary for academic achievement.
The Obama Administration has made college readiness a top priority of its education platform. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September and is expected to be taken up by the Senate in coming months, helps make college attainable and successful for many underrepresented students. Notably, it creates an Early Learning Challenge Fund, which would award competitive grants to states that implement reforms that improve the academic readiness of children, and invests in college retainment and graduation efforts to ensure students have the resources to make their higher education a success.
If we want American college students to lead the world in innovation and work-ethic we must not shrink to blaming our educational failures on laziness. Instead, we must trust that if students are provided with the tools necessary to excel, they will make even the most skeptical professor proud.
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