Education Is A Right!

Despite setback in Senate, youth continue to push for the DREAM Act

2010-09-21T15:36:00.000-04:00

Today, Senate Republicans mounted a successful block of HR 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act as an amendment. The DREAM Act would provide certain undocumented youth with the opportunity to earn their legal status through a college education or military service.

“Currently, these students, many of whom grow up in the United States and only learn of their undocumented status when applying for college, have no place to turn after graduating from high school, regardless of their abilities or aspirations,” said United States Student Association (USSA) President Lindsay McCluskey. “Thanks to obstructionist Senators, this archaic policy will remain law for now. However, young people nationwide will not stop organizing and advocating for immigrant justice until the DREAM Act becomes law.

Each year, approximately 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school but are financially barred from attending college. As a result, a viscous cycle of poverty sweeps many into a lifetime of exploitative work and little pay.

After the vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) proclaimed that the Senate will “vote on the DREAM Act, it’s only a matter of when.” USSA, representing over four million college students nationwide, both documented and not, takes heart with Senator Reid’s comments and calls on the Senate to take further action on the DREAM Act. Young people across the country will continue to fight for this piece of legislation and the inherent right of everyone to pursue a higher education.

Making the DREAM a Reality

2010-09-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

By Chris Hicks, Student Labor Action Project Coordinator

Next week will be one of the most important for hundreds of thousands of young people. Growing up, we are asked what we want to be when we grow up: a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer, fire fighter, or so many other things. What we weren’t asked is what we will do if our initial dream doesn’t happen.

Would you pick to be a farmworker? A day laborer? A domestic worker? A hotel worker?

Every year 65,000 high school students have to ask themselves that as they are denied their right to education in the United States due to their documentation status. After being denied the right to an education, these students are forced to be some of the most exploited workers in our nation who will have to face ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids, stagnant wages, workplace abuses, and in worst case situations deal with modern day slavery.

The Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act, better known as the DREAM Act, could prevent all this from continuing to plague this country. The DREAM Act would allow students to obtain documentation through attending college or serving in the military for two years. This single piece of legislation would allow students across the country to fulfill their childhood dreams.

It is time for the student and labor movements to come together and stand for education as a right, and the right to jobs with justice. When students and workers come together, we change this country to meet the needs of the many as opposed to meeting the needs of a few.

Next week will define if a student can continue their education or have their DREAM denied. Next week, young people around the country will watch as 100 senators decide the fate of so many lives.

Today we can change that though. Today we must take action. Call your senator today and demand they stand with students and workers across the country and make these DREAMs come true.

We Need Vigilance in the Higher Education Community

2010-08-16T10:02:00.003-04:00

President Obama has set a noble goal of having the United States lead the world in college graduation rates by 2020. It is an aim that will empower individuals and strengthen the country as a whole, but it certainly won't be easy. Our current graduation rates are far behind our international competitors and we will be hard pressed to meet our own college-educated workforce capacity by the end of the decade. However, a united education community that invests in college access, degree quality, and workforce readiness will no doubt succeed in this effort. It will take us all, public and private four-year institutions, community and technical colleges, trade schools, and for-profit career colleges to once again place the United States paramount in education.

This also means we have to hold all members of this education community accountable. For-profit colleges play a key role in America's higher education system. They serve many low-income, non-traditional, and traditionally underrepresented students in flexible ways that provide alternatives to traditional post-secondary education. As a result, a substantial amount of federal student aid goes to these institutions, both through aid recipients choosing to attend for-profit colleges and through government subsidies. In fact, 77 percent of for-profit college revenue comes from federal student aid; some institutions are funded 90 percent by the government. Whether the money comes directly from the government, or indirectly through a students' enrollment, this infusion of federal student aid into the for-profit industry requires increased scrutiny. After all, in such cash-strapped times, it is important to ensure that precious taxpayer dollars are being used wisely.

Congress recently began looking closer at the for-profit industry as numbers surfaced that, while only 10 percent of higher education enrollees attend for-profits, they account for 44 percent of all student loan defaulters. Additionally, more than one in five students who takes out student loans at for-profit colleges defaults within three years of leaving school. With nearly a quarter of all federal financial aid going to these schools, a Congressional investigation was warranted.

Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congress' investigative arm, published its findings into 15 for-profit colleges, all of which have 89 percent of their revenues funded with federal student aid or are in a state that is among the top 10 receiving federal aid. The investigation found that admissions officers at these schools had:

• Encouraged students to falsify financial aid forms;

• Encouraged students to take out loans;

• Misled students about college costs, accreditation status, and job-placement rates;

• Guaranteed applicants jobs after graduations;

• Told students "no one will come after you if you don't pay" student loans;

• Told applicants they could not speak with financial aid representatives about eligibility until they had fully enrolled and paid application fees.

This fraudulent, unethical behavior cannot be tolerated by any organization concerned with the future of America's higher education system.

The U.S. Department of Education is currently crafting regulations to address these problems. As they are written thus far, an institution will lose federal student aid if less than 35 percent of their former students are paying off the principal on their loans and 30 percent of their discretionary and 12 percent of their total income is going towards loan repayment. If between 44 percent and 36 percent of their former students are paying down the principal on their loans, or their graduates are spending 20 percent of their discretionary and 8 percent of their total income on their loan repayment, then that institution will have to disclose said information to potential students. Essentially, the regulations aim to ensure that institutions are being accurate and transparent about their capacity to secure gainful employment for their graduates, who are often those most in need of job security and debt relief.

Curiously, some groups representing the interests of communities whose members largely attend for-profit colleges have come out against these regulations. They argue that because for-profit institutions serve underrepresented communities, cutting off aid to those that are underperforming and forcing transparency will trickle down to harm the students instead. Yet, as was pointed out by the Career Colleges Association President and CEO Harris N. Miller in a recent USA Today editorial, students are the ones who determine where to use their federal student aid. So why wouldn't a student simply chose to attend a career college that doesn't have poor job placement or high graduate default rates? It isn't as if students will be forced to attend career colleges that are no longer eligible for federal aid programs. Some of these groups have also claimed these regulations discriminate against low-income and minority students because the institutions serving them may have their federal funding revoked. But to look the other way as these same programs target low-income and minority students, then leave them defaulting on loans with unaccredited degrees is equally, if not more, discriminatory and unjust.

In a recent Politico editorial by former Congressmen Ronnie Shows and Bob Barr, it was argued that the demographics served by for-profits will always have problems getting a job and will be likely to default on loans; this is a reality we must simply accept and is not the responsibility of career college to remedy. Yet career colleges actively, sometimes unethically and over aggressively, target low-income and minority students with promises of job placement and financial security if they attend their institutions. So it seems odd to argue that those institutions should just "accept the fact that students at for-profit colleges may have greater problems meeting financial obligations incurred during their schools years..." and are "likely to have a higher default rate" as Misters Shows and Barr have, when their entire marketing campaign is centered on promises of a better life. If one of the fundamental roles of a higher education is to equip people with the tools to better their lives, why shouldn't we work towards eliminating programs that leave their graduates unemployed and saddled with debt? Simply accepting that some graduates are bound to fail ignores one of the main reasons why the government invests in college education in the first place.

Finally, some argue that the regulations will sweep good programs in the with the "few bad apples" when cutting off federal financial aid. Using this logic, do programs that result in over half of their graduates defaulting on loans really constitute a good program? If 12 percent or more of a program's graduates' entire income is going towards student loan repayments, is that program considered successful? I think the answer is clear.

Our nation is at a turning point. We can either continue divesting from education, leaving America's graduates swamped in debt and jobless, or we can renew our investment in leading the world in college graduation rates. No one section of higher education can accomplish this alone, all must work together. But all must be equally vigilant in ensuring that the interest of students is paramount to industry agendas.

Written by Lindsay McCluskey, USSA President and Victor Sanchez, USSA Vice President

Congress Passes Education Jobs Bill with Deep Cuts to Food Stamps

2010-08-10T16:55:00.003-04:00

Today, the House of Representatives passed HR 1586 with a $26 billion state aid amendment that funds teacher jobs and state Medicaid spending. The legislation, which passed the Senate by a vote of 61-38 on August 8, spends $10 billion on saving an estimated 140,000 K-12 education jobs. Additionally, states will only receive said funding if they maintain higher education spending levels from fiscal year 2009. Particularly cash-strapped states will be allowed to maintain spending levels from fiscal year 2006.

With over 30 states set to impose cuts to their higher education budgets this fiscal year, stabilizing college spending is a great step forward in strengthening governmental investments in students. However, with rising tuition, average student debt levels, and inflation, funding levels from fiscal year 2009, not adjusted to reflect today’s cost-of-living, is still inadequate. Additionally, the funding for education and Medicare is paid for in part by $12 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as the Food Stamps program. 40.8 million low-income people receive food stamps, according to the Agriculture Department.

“While we applaud Congress for taking the necessary action in saving thousands of education jobs and stabilizing state college spending, we are very concerned about the deep cuts to the Food Stamps program,” said USSA President Lindsay McCluskey. “We have spent over $1 trillion in military operations since 9/11, I hope in the future Congress has the political will to use a fraction of that money to both feed and educate people.”

Today's vote demonstrates that the work of the student movement is necessary to advance long-term policy goals that strengthen all communities, not pit one against the other in a zero-sum fight for federal funding. We will continue to advocate for higher education spending that is responsible and that reflects our vision of a just society.

Students need action, not just vision

2010-08-10T12:01:00.004-04:00

It read “Students Over Banks.” The headline on the Obama Administration’s website simply defined a priority the president has long chided as one of the utmost important to this country’s future. Regardless, for students, the situation at our colleges and universities across the country has long been untenable.

Earlier this year was arguably one of the few bright spots we have encountered despite our years of challenging the status quo, all in an attempt to prioritize education. With the passage of Student Aid Reform, we saw the biggest investment in Higher Education in this nations history—removing the Federal Family Educational Loan Program and diverting approximately $60 billion dollars into new funding for the Pell Grant, Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), and vital outreach programs to assist in greater access and affordability. Despite this, in a recent article published by the Huffington Post, student debt will out pace credit card debt, totaling a staggering $829.785 billion dollars, a testament to an ongoing national trend in America’s colleges and universities.

In his speech last night, President Obama acknowledged the lack of priority higher education has been given, explaining how

“In a single generation, we’ve fallen from first place to 12th place in college graduation rates for young adults..”

Yes, the drop is staggering. But what should be shocking is the level of inaction demonstrated on behalf of the Federal Government. Yes, student aid reform was a big victory, but President Obama’s Texas speech was supposed to outline a bold visionary plan for how to move from there, how to achieve greater access and affordability post-student aid reform. Instead, the president showed us he agreed with our vision emphasizing equal accessibility, affordability, quality, and opportunity—all words and ideas that as students we know too well.

“And that’s why I'm absolutely committed to making sure that…nobody is denied a college education, nobody is denied a chance to pursue their dreams, nobody is denied a chance to make the most of their lives just because they can’t afford it.”

What we heard was a reification of a past victory that made many students feel as if that was it, he had saved us. Yet, students across the country who have been hunger striking, risking deportation and getting arrested for the Federal DREAM Act were once again silenced and unacknowledged. President Obama is right, education needs to be a priority and America should produce 8 million more college students by 2020. But what students need now is real change, the kind we have been asking for, the kind found in our relentless calls for the passage of the Federal DREAM Act as a standalone bill.

As students across the country gear up for another election, we do so with history on our minds—guided by the principle that education is a right and not a privilege. Come November, with the United States Student Association, students will communicate our grievances, and we will be heard; because what America needs is more than just vision, but action.

- By USSA Vice President Victor Sanchez

USSA Stands in Solidarity with AFL-CIO in Calling for DREAM Act

2010-08-09T12:32:00.001-04:00

The United States Student Association (USSA), the nation’s oldest and largest student organization, applauds the AFL-CIO for its decision to call on Congress to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act as a down payment on comprehensive immigration reform.

“USSA stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the labor movement as we urge Congress to open the college doors to thousands of the nation’s best and brightest undocumented students,” said USSA President Lindsay McCluskey. “Access to higher education is a fundamental right and is being violated by our current education and immigration laws. Passage of the DREAM Act will lead to and strengthen comprehensive immigration reform that will move our country closer to a truly just society.”

At USSA’s 63^rd annual National Student Congress, delegates representing over 4 million students nationwide, voted to continue the near decade long campaign of the organization to help pass the DREAM Act. The student delegates articulated the need to pass the DREAM Act now as a stand alone bill to make a “down payment” on comprehensive immigration reform.

Students set new tone, leadership for the student movement

2010-07-29T13:38:00.004-04:00

Nearly 200 college student organizers and leaders assembled at the University of California, Los Angeles last week for the United States Student Association’s (USSA) 63rd annual National Student Congress. Members of the nation’s oldest, largest, and most inclusive student organization met to elect the 2010 – 2011 USSA President and Vice President, Board of Directors, and pass the national agenda for students.

Lindsay McCluskey, the previous USSA Vice President and University of Massachusetts, Amherst graduate, was elected President of the organization. “I’m honored and excited to be in this role at a time when momentum is building in the student movement,” said McCluskey. “It’s a critical time for students to be engaged in the midterm election, fighting back against severe budget cuts and tuition hikes, and defending their right to a higher education.” Victor Sanchez, a recent graduate of the University of California, Santa Cruz and outgoing President of the University of California Student Association, was elected Vice President. "The real work starts now,” said Sanchez. “I'm excited and ready to help build the student movement from coast to coast and make sure education is a right and not a privilege."

Top action agenda items to be taken up this year by USSA are passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, federal jobs legislation to mitigate historic youth unemployment, voter work for the 2010 mid-term elections, and student advocacy in the federal budget and appropriations process.

The 2010 – 2011 Board of Directors met for the first time after the conference, setting the tone for the upcoming academic year and beyond. “Sitting on the USSA board of directors with students across the United States is going to be a powerful experience” said National People of Color Student Coalition chair Tiffany Loftin, a student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “I look forward to the nation's reaction to our movement, because we are driven by our testimonies and empowered by each other.”

The next national conference held by USSA will be the 42^nd annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day March 19-22, 2011 in Washington, DC.

Students Respond to Passage of Financial Reform

2010-07-28T13:08:00.003-04:00

The financial collapse of 2008 had rippling effects across America, including on college students. Young people, who were already victim to decades of higher education divestment, saw higher education budgets slashed by state legislatures and tuition and fees soar. With these higher costs and dwindling financial aid, student debt has risen to nearly $25,000 for the average borrower. The federal government took steps to mitigate these financial burdens by passing historic student aid reform last spring, ushering in a new era of federal investment in college students. Private lenders, however, still needed strengthened regulation.

The recently signed financial reform legislation does just that. The bill creates the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the first federal agency completely devoted to guarding consumers against dangerous lending practices. The Bureau’s authority over private student loans will help reign in the ‘wild west’ of student lending. However, the CFBP is limited to overseeing banks and credit unions making over $10 billion; Sallie Mae Bank, the nation’s largest student lender, makes $5 billion and will escape the agency’s supervision. Students fought hard to end federal subsidies to private lenders because their lending practices lead to massive student debt; Congress shouldn’t allow that progress to retreat by diluting the CFPB’s authority.

USSA supports the independence of the CFPB as a neutral, objective watchdog, keeping solely the interests of American consumers, including college students, in mind.

Additionally, the final version of the bill does not include the House of Representative’s provision requiring students be made aware of any federal loans for which they are eligible before taking out private loans. This policy is critical because, according to the U.S. Education Department, nearly two-thirds of undergraduates who borrowed private loans in the 2007-2008 academic year did so despite being eligible for lower-cost federal loans, and one quarter of these students did not take out any federal loans at all. More awareness of federal loan eligibility is critical to the effectiveness of college affordability policy.

USSA applauds Congress for taking the difficult but necessary steps to reform the nation’s financial framework. Students will be working to ensure the CFBP vigilantly guards students against the predatory practices of private lenders.

Students Call for Passage of Financial Reform Legislation in the Senate with Stronger Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

2010-07-07T12:09:00.004-04:00

The United States Student Association (USSA), representing over four million college and university students nationwide, applauds Senator Chris Dodd, Representative Barney Frank, and all those who having worked diligently on the historic Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Members of Congress have recognized the importance of including regulation over private loans, the ‘wild west’ of student lending, in their efforts to stabilize the nation’s financial framework.

Unprecedented divestment from higher education has forced a third of students to borrow loans to pay for college, leading to nearly $25,000 of debt for the average graduate borrower. Private lenders have taken advantage of this situation by imposing rigid repayment plans and excessive and arbitrary interest rate hikes on students. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) authority over all private student loans is a giant step in the right direction. USSA further commends the private student loan ombudsman, which will drastically improve the student loan system through assistants to borrowers and constructive policy analysis.

In addition to these provisions, USSA calls for CFBP regulatory power over banks making under $10 billion. Without this authority, Sallie Mae Bank, the largest private loan lender in the nation, will escape from under the watchful eye of the CFPB. During the recent student aid reform debates, lending practices by Sallie Mae and banks like it were brought to light that demand more rigorous federal regulation. It would be counterintuitive to end the Federal Family Education Loan program, due in large part to the lending practices of Sallie Mae, only to then remove Sallie Mae bank from CFPB oversight.

Additionally, USSA calls for a reinstatement of the House of Representative’s provision requiring students be made aware of any federal loans for which they are eligible before taking out private loans. Nearly two-thirds of undergraduates who borrowed private loans in the 2007-08 academic year did so despite being eligible for lower-cost federal loans, and one quarter of these students did not take out any federal loans at all. More awareness of federal loan eligibility is essential for effective college affordability legislation.

Not since President Roosevelt’s New Deal has Congress undertook such an ambitious and important reform of our nation’s financial system. Instrumental in that reform is the protection of consumers against unscrupulous lenders, something that each student has a vested interest in. During the Independence Day recess, students are taking action in-district on this legislation, letting their senators know why financial reform is critical to college affordability. USSA urges the Senate to swiftly pass the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act with a strengthened CFPB.

Students React to President Obama’s Immigration Reform Speech with a Call for Passage of the DREAM Act

2010-07-02T15:59:00.003-04:00

"We can be a nation of laws and immigrations," declared President Obama at yesterday’s immigration reform speech. He spoke of America attracting the best and the brightest from across the globe and the moral imperative to fix our broken immigration system. While the numerous issues hindering immigration reform were eloquently outlined, the president’s speech lacked an action plan for enacting reform legislation. The conspicuous absence of a legislative strategy was disappointing, and the reality is setting in that comprehensive immigration reform will most likely not happen this summer.

Despite the political posturing that has stalled the immigration debate, the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act has attracted massive public and legislative support. Passing the DREAM Act as a stand-alone bill not only makes sense, it’s what the nation is demanding.

Undocumented youth and their allies are being arrested, hospitalized, and harassed as they fight for the DREAM Act. Undeterred by threats or legislative lethargy, these activists continue to demonstrate that while Congress may not have an appetite for larger immigration reform, America is hungry for the DREAM Act. Grassroots organizing for the DREAM Act on campuses and in communities across the country has made clear that creating a pathway to citizenship through education for undocumented youth is something most of us can agree on.

This support is also reflected in Congress. The DREAM Act has 124 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and 40 in the Senate, unbelievably high numbers considering the partisanism of Capital Hill. The fact that almost a majority of Senators not only support the bill, but have put their name to it demonstrates the immense common sense popularity of the DREAM Act.

Representing over four million college students, the United States Student Association calls on Congress to pass the DREAM Act as a stand alone bill this summer. It is a common sense solution to immigration that has both legislative a public support. It’s time for a reality check. There is no reason to continue holding out for future comprehensive immigration reform that may or may not happen while DREAM Act qualified undocumented students are being deported right now. Congress must put politics aside and do what is right—pass the DREAM Act now!

Is College only for the Rich?

2010-07-01T17:39:00.002-04:00

Chief among America's most revered ideals is that an education can propel anyone from the depths of destitution to the skies of achievement. This, along with socioeconomic reason, is why President Obama boldly announced in his first State of the Union address that the United States would once again lead the world in college graduation rates by 2020. Only three months later, the president took a major step forward in meeting this goal by signing historic student aid reform into law, investing about $40 billion in need-based federal financial aid over the next decade. The Georgetown Center for Education and Workforce recently concluded that the president's goal will require about $110 billion more from state governments, an unlikely feet considering over 30 states are implementing higher education budget cuts next fiscal year.

For the sake of argument, let's assume this goal is met, and more young people strut across American college graduation stages than anywhere else in the world. We still have to ask, who are these graduates?

The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance recently found that, even with recent federal investments in financial aid, it is getting harder for low-income students to attend and graduate from college. In its most recent report, "The Rising Price of Inequality," the committee found that an increasing number of low-income students, who are academically qualified to attend college, are prevented from enrolling due to ballooning costs and insufficient grant aid. For a country that prides itself on merit-based success, this is unacceptable.

The report begins by emphasizing

"our financial aid system is founded on the principle that any youth, regardless of family income, should have the financial opportunity to do so, if he or she has the aspiration and prepares adequately."

Based on this principle, we are failing. Between 1992-2004, initial enrollment rates of academically qualified low-income high school graduates in four-year colleges dropped from 54 percent to 40 percent. Instead, they are beginning college at two-year institutions where they are over three times less likely to earn a bachelor's degree than their peers who began at four-year institutions. Based on this enrollment shift away from four-year colleges, the percentage of low-income students who earn bachelor's degrees will drop from 38 percent for those who graduated from high school in 1992 to 31 percent of those who graduate in 2004.

The cause of this drop, the committee found, was concerns about college expenses and insufficient financial aid. From 1992-2007, the net price of a four-year public college went from 41 percent of a low-income family's annual income to 48 percent. That was before the financial meltdown and subsequent explosion of unemployment. Grant aid is not keeping up. The Pell Grant, the cornerstone of need-based federal aid, has seen its purchasing power plummet nearly 40 percent since it was created. State need-based aid has fallen victim to budget cuts as well.

All of these causes and effects of massive education divestment are leading to a university reality in which degree attainment is based not on intellect or determination, but on affluence. The rich are going to college; the poor are being left behind. Despite the federal government's recent action around student aid reform, this situation will not change unless state governments stop using higher education budgets as their chopping blocks for deficit reduction. Even if it is not constitutionally mandated for a state to fund higher education, legislators have a duty to ensure their citizens are provided an opportunity to better themselves through a college degree regardless of income. At the very least it is sound, long-term fiscal policy to invest in college graduation rates.

The federal government isn't completely blameless either. Because the Pell Grant program is a discretionary spending item, Congress is under no obligation to provide it with funding. Therefore, year after year, it relies on the political sympathy of appropriators and budgetary breadcrumbs of "more important" spending items such as national defense. This year, to fill a $5.7 billion shortfall, Congress is proposing to fund the Pell Grant through a bill financing war operations in Afghanistan. Is this really what it has come to? The United States government has so little investment in low-income students attending college it has to rely on a war spending bill to fund the most basic need-based grant program? We can do better than this.

Not only are low-income Americans being kept out of college, they are being prevented from entering the middle class because of this exclusion. In 1970, 26 percent of the American middle class had a post-secondary degree; today that number has jumped to 61 percent. 91 million jobs in 2007 required at least some college education. A college education is a must for low-income Americans to break into the middle-class.

The United States Student Association praises President Obama's goal of having the United States leading the world in college graduation rates by 2020. However, we need to be mindful of who those graduates will be and vigilantly guard against policies that keep low-income, academically qualified high school graduates out of college. Education is right and if an individual works hard, as our financial aid system was built to ensure, that person deserves a chance to earn a college degree.

Michigan Agrees to stop Unlawful Voter-Purge Programs

2010-06-25T12:29:00.002-04:00

The state of Michigan has agreed to stop two voter-purge programs that unlawfully disfranchised thousands of Michigan voters in violation of federal law. The settlement agreement resolves a lawsuit filed in September 2008 by Advancement Project, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Michigan and the law firm of Pepper Hamilton LLP on behalf of the United States Student Association Foundation (USSAF), ACLU of Michigan and Michigan State Conference of the NAACP.

“This is a true victory for Michigan voters,” said Bradley Heard, a senior attorney with Advancement Project. “Voter-removal procedures like those at issue in this lawsuit, which allow eligible and registered voters to be suddenly stricken from the rolls without notice, are bad for democracy. We are happy that the state of Michigan finally agreed to right these wrongful practices.”

Michigan’s voter-purge programs disfranchised Michigan voters with out-of-state driver’s licenses or voter-identification records associated with incorrect mailing addresses.

In October 2008, the U.S. District Court in Detroit found that the voter-removal programs likely violated the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA). The court issued a preliminary block on a Michigan law requiring local clerks to nullify the registrations of newly-registered voters whenever their voter-identification cards were returned by the U.S. Post Office as undeliverable. Today’s settlement agreement permanently ends that practice as well as the practice of purging voters from the rolls who obtained out-of-state driver’s licenses without proof that the voter changed residence for voting.

The NVRA permits voters to remain on the voter rolls for at least two federal general election cycles after voter-registration cards are returned as undeliverable. The NVRA also requires that before states purge voters who obtain out-of-state driver’s licenses, states must verify that voters actually changed voting residence.

“The affirmative steps Michigan is taking will help restore confidence in an electoral process badly damaged by misguided practices that would have shut out lawful voters from the democratic process,” said Meredith Bell-Platts, an attorney with the ACLU Voting Rights Project. “The people of Michigan can now be assured that their votes will be counted regardless of whether the postal service could match your street address or when and where you got a driver’s license.”

Michigan’s voter-removal programs had a particularly detrimental impact on students and minority and low-income communities. These populations tend to be more transient and to live in multi-family housing or in dormitory settings where mail can be unreliable and unpredictable. Students often have driver's licenses from different states than where their colleges are located.

“This ruling ensures that, despite the transient lifestyle of college students, they will continue to have an influential voice in the electoral process," said Gregory Cendana, President of USSAF.

“Students and communities of color shouldn’t have their right to vote taken away because they didn’t receive their mail or have out-of-state driver’s licenses," said Kary Moss, Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan. “We are relieved that Michigan has agreed to take steps to make sure all Michigan voters can make their votes count and their voices heard.”

"The resolution of this lawsuit in advance of the 2010 elections will help to eliminate a great deal of voter confusion, particularly in communities of color,” said Yvonne White, President of the NAACP Michigan State Conference. “Since our founding, we have constantly worked with our members and coalition partners to fight barriers to voting. We are very proud to have helped facilitate this important settlement agreement that ends the disfranchisement of thousands of our members and Michigan citizens."

Attorneys on the case are Heard of Advancement Project, Bell-Platts of the ACLU Voting Rights Project, Moss, Dan Korobkin and Michael Steinberg of the ACLU of Michigan, and Matthew J. Lund, Mary K. Deon and Deborah Kovsky-Apap of Pepper Hamilton LLP.

America's Youth are too Big to Fail

2010-06-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

Overlooked in the debate over which institutions are 'too big to fail' for the sake of stabilizing America's economy is the future strength of our country: America's youth.

Young Americans nationwide will suffer lasting damage from the financial crisis. My generation, so-called "Millennials," or people born after 1981, is on track to be the first generation in decades to be worse off than our parents. It's no coincidence that this 30-year period has also been the Era of Deregulation culminating in a perfect storm of unemployment, education divestment, and debt that is disproportionately hindering the prosperity of America's youth. That's why Congress must pass a vigorous financial reform bill that includes a strong Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

While the nationwide unemployment rate is hovering just under 10 percent, a staggering 37 percent of 18- to 29-year olds are unemployed or involuntarily out of the workforce. This is the highest share among this age group in more than three decades and the effects of this crisis will be lasting. A recent study by Lisa Kahn at the Yale School of Management found that even 15 years after college graduation, wages are still lower for those who entered to labor market when unemployment was high.

Often when the economy is struggling, those out of work turn to education as a way to improve themselves and their job prospects. Not this time. The ubiquitous state fiscal crises have resulted in massive higher education budget cuts, forcing tuition and fee rates to soar sky-high, keeping a college degree out of reach for countless Americans. Considering the innumerable economic and social benefits college graduates provide for their communities, efforts to raise the cost of college, especially during a recession, are misguided at best and fiscally devastating at worst.

As my generation, along with the rest of America, tries to keep its head above financial water, the heavy shackles of debt continue dragging down more and more young people. The above-mentioned rising cost of college has forced two-thirds of students to take out loans, with the average graduate accumulating nearly 25 thousand dollars in student loan debt! Private student loans, which lenders aggressively market to young students, include variable interest rates as high as 18 percent, rigid repayment plans, and increasingly high default rates.

President Obama recently signed a law that reforms the student loan system by diverting public funds from private lenders to federal financial aid; still, this will not help the nearly three million American students who took out loosely-regulated private loans in 2007-08. Left with enormous levels of private student loan debt, many college graduates begin their post-collegiate lives with no job prospects and already in a financial hole. Instead of taking the job of their dreams, starting a family, or buying a home, many of today's college graduates spend what income they can generate on loan repayments and are moving back in with their parents.

So what's the solution? While there is no silver bullet, the passage of a strong financial reform bill would be an effective step forward. Currently, Congress is crafting the final version of a financial reform bill, the likes of which have not been seen since FDR's New Deal. The Senate, which recently passed the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (s. 3217), is working with members of the House of Representatives to finalize the bill before the Independence Day Recess. Both the House and Senate versions include the establishment of the CFPB. This agency would, for the first time in American history, be completely devoted to protecting consumers from the financially devastating practices of irresponsible lending. Thus far, the Senate has accepted the House's proposal to give the CFPB the supervision authority over nonbanks that provide and offer private student loans, such as institutions of higher education.

However, the Senate has rejected two key student provisions from the House that must be included in the final version. The first is a proposal that would require private loans to be certified by higher education institutions and require students to be informed of any federal loans for which they are eligible. This is critical because many students, who are unknowingly eligible for low-interest and affordable government loans, take out private loans that leave many young people in enormous debt. Secondly, the Senate has rejected a House proposal to give the CFBP enforcement authority over banks that make a under $10 billion. If this provision is not included, Sallie Mae, the nation's largest private student lender, will weasel out from under the authority of the CFBP. This would be an extremely hypocritical and counterintuitive move, considering the federal government just spent months justifying historic reforms to the student loan system because of the financial strain lenders like Sallie Mae put on students. Congress must pass a financial reform bill with a strong CFPB that continues the Obama Administration's policies of putting students over banks and investing in college affordability.

America's youth is a demographic that is too big to fail. If Congress fails to act on financial reform, or does not create a strong CFPB, young people will continue to enter adulthood with suffocating debt levels, high unemployment, and few ways to help grow the economy. Students have already been conducting in-district and Capitol Hill lobby visits making their voices heard on this critical issue. The United States Student Association calls on Congress to stand with America's millennial generation and pass strong financial reform.

The United States Student Association, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and Demos released a briefing paper titled, "Risking our Future Middle Class: Young Americans Need Financial Reform" that details the need for a strong CFPB.

America's College Graduate Deficit

2010-06-24T11:52:00.001-04:00

As the mid-term elections draw closer, the bandwagon of anti-deficit spending is getting crowded. Self-righteous cries for shortsighted budget cuts masquerading as calls for fiscal responsibility are as common as denunciations of BP. Federal spending in discretionary programs such as higher education, the argument goes, adds to the deficit and therefore makes America less safe.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

American stability depends on our ability to grow a healthy economy driven by a well-educated workforce. Last week, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce concluded that by 2018 the U.S. economy will have 22 million new jobs for college-educated workers. This presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lay a new economic foundation built on the best and brightest workers, right? Wrong. The report also concluded that due to an utter lack of higher education prioritization, the U.S. is on track to being almost eight million college-educated workers short of filling this workforce capacity. We will be running a deficit of 300,000 college graduates every year from now until 2018. In order to make up the difference and meet President Obama's ambitious goal of leading the world in college graduation rates by 2020, the U.S. needs to produce 8.2 million college graduates in the next decade, which would require an increase in higher education spending of $158 billion. While the recently enacted Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act invested about $40 billion into federal aid programs over the next ten years, that still leaves over a $100 billion to be made up for by state governments, not the most friendly of places for college spending. The National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers recently reported that in fiscal year 2010, 36 states cut higher education funding and 31 plan to impose additional cuts in fiscal year 2011. Instead of working towards meeting America's workforce demand, state legislatures are appropriating as if there wasn't a gap to be filled. In 2018 there will be 22 million new American jobs that, without a fundamental shift in higher education policy, will not be filled by American workers. If there is a deficit Congress should worry about, it's our deficit of college-educated workers.

This brings me to a decision the United States Student Association's Board of Directors made a few weeks ago. The Pell grant, which allows millions of low-income students to attend college, currently faces a $5.7 billion shortfall. Because the Pell grant is a discretionary spending item, Congress is under no obligation to provide it with funding. So year after year, appropriators arbitrarily set Pell grant funding levels too low, resulting in a shortfall. Funding to make up this shortfall has been included in the FY2010 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act. The USSA Board of Directors, which is comprised of college students from around the country, voted to not support the bill. The Board members recognized that the $227 billion in federal funding for operations in Afghanistan is a central reason why there has been little money for higher education programs since 9/11. In fact, while national defense makes up over 20 percent of the federal budget, higher education comprises less than one. To ignore this egregious spending disparity and blindly accept war appropriations as a legislative vehicle to fund the Pell grant fails to examine the root cause of why the grant is suffering from a massive shortfall in the first place. The nation's neediest students deserve better than arbitrary funding levels that are reliant upon defense spending breadcrumbs in the federal budget. USSA supports Pell grant funding, but in a responsible way that ensures stability and predictability for students and families. President Obama's proposal to make the Pell grant mandatory funding would provide the kind of investment in today's student that will drive tomorrow's workforce.

Another policy that would move this country closer to once again leading the world in college graduation rates is passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. This legislation would provide a pathway to citizenship for qualified undocumented students who complete two years of higher education or military service. Besides the primary reason that everyone, regardless of their citizenship status, has a human right to an education, the DREAM Act is sound workforce development policy. 71 percent of public colleges and universities recently surveyed by the National Association of College Admission Counseling said they received applications from undocumented students. In fact, each year, thousands of undocumented students apply to college; many, however, are rejected because of their immigration status. These are students who could potentially help meet 2018's workforce demand, ensuring America's economy and global competitiveness stay strong. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that undocumented students have a Constitutional right to a K-12 education, so why not extend this right to a higher education? Why invest a decade of time and resources on an undocumented child only to deny them the chance to pursue a college degree? We are shooting ourselves in the foot by trying to grow and stabilize our economy while denying thousands of potential college-educated workers the opportunity to join the American workforce.

Congress should be afraid of deficits, but not just budgetary ones. America's college graduate deficit is a sleeping giant that is not receiving its due attention at a time when state and federal action is required. Higher education has been used as a budget-balancing chopping block by legislators at our workforce's detriment. To lead the world in college graduation rates and meet our full college-educated workforce potential, federal and state leaders must act with political courage and prioritize education as a human right and economic imperative.

For-Profit Universities Face Increased Congressional Scrutiny

2010-06-23T10:33:00.003-04:00

This week, higher education lawmakers called for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) review of for-profit universities. The scrutiny comes after a House Education and Labor Committee hearing in which the Education Department Inspector General raised concerns about accrediting agencies’ oversight of the credit hour policies at institutions of higher education. This greatly impacts for-profit universities because, although they comprise only ten percent of total education enrollment, they account for about a quarter of all federal student aid disbursements, the amount of which is determined by credit hours.

Senators Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) joined Representatives George Miller (D-CA), Timothy Bishop (D-NY), and Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX) in asking the GAO to assess the quality of for-profit institutions, as well as how much of their revenue is comprised of federal student and other funding sources. “With the average college student borrower graduating nearly $25,000 in debt into one of the worst job markets on record, it is critical that the federal government ensures integrity and efficiency in the management of financial aid at for-profit universities,” said United States Student Association President Gregory Cendana.

The hearing comes soon after former students filed a class-action lawsuit against the Illinois School of Health Careers, a for-profit provider, after they completed a nursing assistant program with federal financial aid, only to find the program was not approved for them to receive state certification. Incorrect information like this is one example of why Congress is continuing its scrutinizing of the industry.

American College Graduation Rates and Workforce Development in Serious Jeopardy

2010-06-18T11:09:00.004-04:00

This week, the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce released a dire report on the future of American college graduation rates and workforce needs. The study found that by 2018, the economy will have jobs for 22 million new college-educated workers; however, based on current projections, there will be a shortfall of three million postsecondary-educated workers and 4.7 million postsecondary-certified workers. “The U.S. is on a collision course with the future,” concluded the report’s authors.

If current graduation rates continue, there will be a deficit of 300,000 college graduates a year based on the workforce capacity of 2018. To meet this capacity, American colleges and universities need to increase the number of degrees they confer by 10 percent annually.

“The threat of continued divestment from higher education presents one of the greatest social and economic challenges to our generation,” said United States Student Association President Gregory Cendana. “Young people must mobilize to advocate for local, state, and federal policies that invest in college education and workforce development.”

During his first State of the Union Address, President Obama ambitiously announced his administration’s goal to have the United State lead the world in college graduation rates by 2020. The Georgetown study found that for this to happen, American colleges and universities need to graduate 8.2 million students, a task that would require an estimated increase of $158 billion in higher education spending over the next decade. Instead of making these investments, however, a recent report from the National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers found that in fiscal year 2010, 36 states cut higher education funding with 31 states planning to impose additional cuts in fiscal year 2011.

USSA, representing 4.5 million students nationwide, will continue advocating for state and federal investment in higher education, as such policies are necessary for the future well being of the U.S. economy and workforce.

"We are a strong, diverse community"

2010-06-08T14:41:00.006-04:00

USSA President Gregory Cendana discusses the DREAM Act, student aid reform, and more on the Bob Kincaid show:

"I think what's different about this moment versus the last ten years when [the DREAM Act] was introduced is that there has been an emergence of immigrant youth and ally activists that have been pushing the envelop and elected officials to say 'this is really important.'"

Click here to listen...

My Arizona, My Home

2010-06-03T11:54:00.003-04:00

By Teresa Mabry, USSA Women of Color Chair

The Day Governor Brewer decided to make a political play instead of the morally correct decision for the State of Arizona, and the people of Arizona, I could not believe what had just happened. Why was it signed? Lets not even ask that question. We know. The reason has come to a realistic light now that her campaign signs hang across the state. SB1070 is not a “Brown” issue, it is a human issue. Arizona is becoming a state in which people of color and immigrant communities are being legally criminalized and profiled as a result of a political move, at the cost of the people. I say the people because, again, this is a human issue. And yes, I have read the bill.

I refuse to be scared, I refuse to stand by, hold my tongue and allow the suffering to continue. I refuse! Arizona is my state, my home. No longer will unconstitutional and racist legislation, or legislators, be tolerated! No longer will ignorant, hateful statement, nor actions such as Tom Horne's ignorant comments on Dolores Huerta be tolerated or passed off. No longer can you or will you be able to discount our communities. You’ve been looking for an alternative, my dear State of Arizona, and instead of choosing a viable option like the DREAM Act and Comprehensive Immigration Reform the decision was made to take us back in time. You see the people across the Nation and their actions, yet you refuse to hear them, but very soon you will feel them. Yes, this piece of legislation has already taken a toll on the State’s economy, but that feeling is only financial. You see, while this piece of legislation is hateful, racist, and intended to create fear, the stance the movement is taking against it and ones like it is one of love; a love for our fellow community members and the understanding and ability to continue the progression towards a just society. Yes, students and young people alike are at the forefront of this movement, not in an attempt to get out of classes, but in the realization that this place we call home is no longer safe, that we students we are affected by terrible legislation and, as students and contributing community members, we have a responsibility to care for one another and to love one another. Remember the DREAMers who were arrested in McCain’s office? To say they risked deportation to get out of class would be a complete discredit to their bravery. To say those thousands of people who came across the nation to Phoenix, Arizona May 29th, 2010 came to feel the spring heat would be a blatant lie.

This movement will continue to be one of Love and will continue to progress. My home will no longer cause me pain when I think of the occurrences happening in the state. Yes we will move forward, and the movement will certainly progress, because of Love. It was Love that those DREAMers risked deportation, which for some meant their lives. It was Love that brought thousands of people to the desert to take a stance against SB1070 on May 29th, 2010. It will continue to be Love that keeps this movement going forward. Saturday May 29th, 2010 renewed my faith, and hope in you Arizona. Love with the understanding of what we know, what we need, and what we want from the society we are creating. My Arizona, my Home.

The Fourth Mile

2010-06-02T13:18:00.002-04:00

By Monique Teal, USSA National Field Director

I am an organizer for many reasons. One: every right and privilege I enjoy was fought for. Whether in the last 100 years or 100 days, my entire life has been shaped by the courage and sacrifice of others. Two: my grandparents taught me that people are worth fighting for, no matter the situation. After watching them work for the rights of everyone from children to recovering addicts to special needs adults, if there was a way they could help, they did. I have long felt a sense of obligation to continue that legacy. Third: I enjoy it. I love the people I meet and the experiences I have. But around the 4th mile of Saturday's march against SB 1070, none of that was enough to keep me walking.

It was in the high 90s (maybe even 100 degrees), I am severely out of shape (community conditions for 100 Alex), and even with the regular water intervals (thanks puente, ndlon & tonatierra), I was completely dehydrated. I was ready to quit, for real. I slowed my pace and was enveloped by the crowd. Then, randomly, a hand grabbed mine. I look down and this kid, maybe 6 years old, drenched in sweat (and something that looked suspiciously like ice cream), his face illuminated with the best toothless grin I have seen in awhile, had taken a hold of me. Honestly, I was taken aback. I mean, I'm not really a "child" type of person. But then I got it. I walked the last couple miles purposefully, sometimes holding Myke's (I never got his name, so I named him) hand, most times not. But I walked the entire route and looking back, I would have walked further because at that moment I realized with full force that nothing I had done or was going to do during my organizing life was about me. I hope Myke continues to share that smile and maybe, someday, he'll start a college term paper with "It's hard to believe one hundred thousand people once had to march six miles in the desert for human rights..."

Love as an act of defiance

2010-06-01T14:31:00.002-04:00

By Monique Teal, USSA National Field Director

Before leaving for AZ, I was anxious and convinced that I was unprepared for what I anticipated to be a torrent of anger centrally located in the AZ desert. The flight into the state did nothing to assuage my fears, as within minutes of taking off, a very angry (old, white) man proceeded to yell at me until the flight attendant told him he was upsetting passengers. This incident was all I needed to justify my apprehension and distaste for the state. It also set me up to mentally prepare for battle. I assumed that the man on the plane (and the folks in the news) were the norm in AZ and my 21st century political carpet bagging was not going to go over well with folks who were convinced they were the only ones deserving of rights. The same night, another (straight, white) man accosted myself and a current student (and bomb activist) about how youth didn’t know anything about politics, that black people had a chip on their shoulders (especially me apparently) and the undocumented people (illegal aliens in his vernacular) deserved any profiling they got. And much worse. We fought back through dialogue and two hours later realized that this “gentleman” was never going to get it because he didn’t want to get it. Day one and I despised AZ.

Fast forward to this moment. In the last two days I have met some of the most extraordinary activists (and some organizers) and people. From the family that has taken me in for the week to the students who actively and publicly challenge heteronormative culture and throw sign making parties while they discuss current events, intelligent and compassionate people, folks whose love of the people and passion for social justice envelops everyone around them, have surrounded me. It's impossible to not feel better in their presence. Strangers have accepted me into their homes and lives and have been so gracious, it is overwhelming and I find myself overcompensating. I met a student who has been in the US for 15 years and is about the graduate; however, she has to worry about what to do when her visa runs out in two years. She has already been denied residency twice. I reconnected with the Trail of DREAMs students and was able to steal a moment to hear about their latest travels- all while holding hands. I was introduced to a Pima Community College student who helped organize high school students to protest the anti- ethnic studies bill. With everyone person I meet, and every space I enter, I am overwhelmed by the amount of love for each other and communities so many folks have- and how easily and regularly it is expressed and embraced.

So quickly, I have already learned a lesson about the spirit of a place. It isn’t held in hate. At least in AZ, students and organizers overcome the brutality of a few by releasing love. Tomorrow, I join them. Together we will defy the criminalization of immigrants and the attack on people of color by showing our love as we march through the streets of Phoenix.

USSA Board of Directors Opposes Controversial AZ Laws

2010-05-25T17:05:00.004-04:00

During their spring meeting, the United States Student Association (USSA) Board of Directors passed a resolution condemning three recently enacted Arizona laws. In response to the resolution, USSA President Gregory Cendana issued the following statement:

“The United States Student Association’s (USSA) vision is to help engender a just society in which social change is created through an empowered and diverse youth community. In keeping with this vision, the USSA Board of Directors recently passed a resolution opposing three Arizona laws repugnant to a just society.

The first law, SB 1070, requires Arizonan immigrants to carry their registration documents at all times and gives police broad power to detain anyone suspected of illegal immigration. The policy codifies racial profiling, making many Arizonans suddenly and without cause suspects of illegal immigration. The legislation has inspired other state legislatures to begin crafting similar laws, making this a national issue requiring a national response. As the oldest and largest national student organization, USSA has a responsibility to stand against this law and others like it.

SB 1070 is also bad higher education public policy. President Shelton of the University of Arizona stated that, ‘the families of a number of out-of-state students have told [the university] that they are changing their plans and will be sending their children to universities in other states.’ USSA will not support, and will indeed oppose, laws that discourage college attendance. What’s more, the law creates an unfunded mandate at a time when the state and nation are suffering recessions of historic proportions. The cost of policing, detaining, trying, and deporting suspected undocumented immigrants will be vast and may result in further cuts to higher education.

Second, HB 2382/ SB 1097 requires public school teachers to report undocumented students to Arizona’s Department of Education. Even if they are undocumented, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that they are still entitled to certain inalienable rights that cannot be violated by Arizona, including the right to a K-12 education.

Along with SB 1070, this law threatens the rich diversity so long enjoyed by Arizona’s early and secondary schools. In addition, these laws will result in families that have both citizen and undocumented children weighing the benefits of enrolling a child in school against the potential threat of being discovered and deported. No family should be forced into a dilemma that contradicts USSA’s principle that an education is a right not to be conditioned upon one’s immigration status.

Third, HB 2281 forbids the teaching of ethnic studies programs that are perceived by the state superintendent to ‘galvanize ethnic solidarity.’ In defense of this law, Arizona Superintendent and candidate for state Attorney General Tom Horne has made the argument that if students learn about ethnic cultures, histories, and literature, then they will cease to treat others as individuals. The logic jump from ethnic education to anti-individualism is baseless and without an iota of evidence. WE must be able to learn, understand, and appreciate our diverse backgrounds and stories in order to celebrate diversity as a community and work towards a just society.

The Arizona anti-immigrant laws were passed in a vacuum of non-existent federal action, making their proliferation in border and high-immigrant populated states likely and USSA’s action necessary. Therefore, USSA calls for a comprehensive, national solution, beginning with the passage of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act this year.

It has been said that America’s youth is its conscience. In that light, as the oldest and largest student organization, with a proud history of inclusion, diversity, and tolerance, the United States Student Association unequivocally opposes these laws as unjust infringements on the human and civil rights of Arizonans.”

In loving memory of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix

2010-05-19T10:01:00.004-04:00

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tam Tran and Cinthya Felix, two beloved champions for social justice who tragically passed away in Maine last Saturday. They were tireless advocates for the DREAM Act, federal legislation that would provide a higher education and pathway to citizenship for many of the nation’s best and brightest undocumented students.

Tam was featured in and helped produce the DREAM Act documentary Underground Undergrads: UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak Out. Additionally, she testified before Congress in 2007 on the need for the DREAM Act. As a leader in Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS) at the University of California, Los Angeles, Tam helped push USSA towards being a more active supporter of the DREAM Act.

USSA honors and celebrates the lives of these two amazing DREAMers and our thoughts are with their friends and families. Tam and Cinthya will live on in the selfless and courageous organizing by undocumented and documented students alike on behalf of the DREAM Act and broader immigrant justice.

Donate to Tam and Cinthya’s Memorial Funds:

Donate to the Tam Tran Memorial Fund

Tam was born in Germany after her parents were forced to flee Vietnam. She immigrated to the U.S. and grew up in Garden Grove, California. She graduated from Santiago High School, attended Santa Ana College, and transferred to UCLA, where she earned a bachelor's degree in American Literature and Culture. In 2007, Tam testified before a House subcommittee on immigration and advocated on behalf of the proposed Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. As a doctoral student in the American Civilization program at Brown University, she helped found the Brown Immigrants' Rights Coalition. Tam was an aspiring filmmaker, and produced several short films, including the acclaimed documentary, "Lost and Found."

Donate to the Cinthya Felix Memorial Fund

Cinthya emigrated from Mexico and grew up in East Los Angeles, California where she attended and graduated from Garfield High School. She pursued higher education at UCLA, where she earned bachelor's degrees in English World Literature and Spanish Literature, with a minor in Mexican Studies. At UCLA, Cinthya was a founding member of Improving Dreams, Equality, Access and Success (IDEAS), one of the nation's first and largest undocumented student advocacy groups. In 2007, she became the first undocumented student admitted to Columbia University's School of Public Health. Cinthya's dream was to attend medical school and eventually return to her community as a physician.

In Solidarity with Puerto Rico Students

2010-05-17T16:14:00.002-04:00

For those who question the vigor of today’s college student activists, I refer you to the University of Puerto Rico.

After cuts of 100 million dollars to the university budget, leading to massive increases in tuition, cuts to financial aid, and staff layoffs, the General Council of Students began a strike that has lasted over three weeks and mobilized thousands of students. Economists estimate the strike has cost the institution, which serve 65 thousand students at 11 campuses across the island, anywhere from one to 52 million dollars. The students are demanding a four percent tuition cap, a policy that was commonplace in the states until the recent fiscal crises.

The United States Student Association (USSA) stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the General Council of Students at the University of Puerto Rico. Despite police blocking the delivery of food, the students continue to stand against unjust budget policies that keep a higher education out of reach for the disadvantaged and even middle-class.

Too often, higher education decisions by political and administrative leaders are made without consideration from those whom are directly affected by their outcome: students. When these decisions become so egregious that they bring down the quality, affordability, and accessibility of a higher education, it is the responsibility of students to take action. The protests have been civil, non-violent, and effective; a model in civil disobedience that the USSA applauds.

USSA hopes for a peaceful outcome to the protest and urges the administrators to accept the reasonable four percent tuition cap demanded by the students.

Students and Young Adults Hit Hard by Financial Crisis

2010-05-13T15:09:00.002-04:00

Young Americans face “lasting damage” from the dual crises in the financial sector and in personal finance, making it urgent that Congress pass strong financial reform legislation.

Risking Our Future Middle Class: Young Americans Need Financial Reform, released on Thursday by three leading youth advocacy organizations – the United States Student Association, U. S. Public Interest Research Group, and Demos – documents how hard youth have been hit by the country’s economic crisis.

Young people (16-24 year-olds) have higher unemployment rates than any other population group,

Programs have been cut, or tuitions increased, or both, at most of the country’s public colleges and universities.

Young Americans have high levels of indebtedness due to private student loans, credit card balances, mortgages and car loans.

Risking Our Future Middle Class makes it abundantly clear of the urgency for the Senate to pass the America's Restoring Financial Stability Act, S. 3217, now under consideration by the Senate. Among other things, the legislation would establish an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), regulate derivatives and other shadow markets, end the too-big-to-fail regime and provide other safeguards following the world's greatest financial meltdown since the Great Depression of 1929.

“From credit cards to private student loans, we’ve been aggressively targeted by abundant but risky credit,” explained Andrew Merki, a junior at the University of Indiana at Bloomington and the chair of the Indiana PIRG, a member of U.S. PIRG. “The tens of thousands of dollars in high interest loans I’ll have to repay at graduation will benefit the banks, but keep me in a financial hole.”

“This is a generation of 18 – 29 year olds unemployed or involuntarily out of the workforce,” added Gregory Cendana, President of the United States Student Association. “With jobs scarce, higher education should be an accessible training ground, but instead it is under siege.”

Risking Our Future Middle Class documents that debt has become a generation defining characteristic for today’s young adults. For instance, private student loans typically have uncapped, variable interest rates reaching as high as 18% in recent years, and they cannot be deferred in the event of job loss.

“Young adults need tools to save and build assets for the future, otherwise they’ll be dragged down by a predatory financial market,” noted Caleb Gibson of Demos. “We need more disclosure, fair pricing, and protection from the excessive risk taking of banks.”

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) recently sponsored an amendment to the Wall Street reform package that would ensure that private loans from the country’s largest student lender, Sallie Mae, fall under the CFPB’s authority. “Too often, students, who don’t realize the long-term impact of their loan decisions, fall victim to high interest rates and predatory lending. We owe it to them and their families to make sure higher education remains accessible by putting strong protections in place that prevent abusive practices in private student lending.”

Similar legislation passed the House in December. According to Americans for Financial Reform, a coalition of more than 250 reform organizations including U.S. PIRG, USSA, and Demos, industry opponents of the strongest parts of the reform package have been spending almost $1.4 million a day since the beginning of 2009 in an attempt to weaken the pending legislation through special interest carve-outs and weakening amendments.

As the temperature rises, we must turn up the heat for the DREAM Act

2010-05-08T19:17:00.002-04:00

By Gregory Cendana, USSA President

Just one week ago on May 1, I decided to participate in a civil disobedience on International Worker’s Day. In line with the celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement, it was a day to uplift the continuous struggle of immigrants, especially youth, in the United States. Joining other youth and immigration advocates, 35 of us risked arrest by sitting in front of the White House with letters that spelled the phrase: “Obama, Stop Deporting our Families.” There was a need to send a strong message: Lawmakers hungry for our votes must take swift action now because it in the right thing to do!

This decision was also very personal. As someone who comes from an immigrant and union family, risking arrest is very personal and comes from the foundation my family has built for me. My parents immigrated here decades ago in search of greener pastures and to live the American life that was only dreamt about in the Philippines. They are some of the hardest working people I know but still struggle to pay their mortgage, keep food on the table and support my sister who is a full time student at Sacramento State University. Not to mention, helping pay off my more than $40,000 in loan and credit card debt after graduating from UCLA.

I was also inspired to take action by some close friends who happen to be undocumented youth, a group who usually gets left out of the debate. It reminds of a documentary I saw, where someone who gave their testimonial described the yellow signs you find close to the California & Mexico borders where a younger person is being brought along with their family. What about them?

While attending UCLA, I got to know some of the best and brightest students who are the current and future leaders of our country. I have been humbled by their tenacity and courage to keep fighting despite years of inaction from Congress and the White House to provide them with a pathway to citizenship through higher education or to prevent separation from their families. Matias Ramos & Fabiola are two of these people who I love dearly and who continue to inspire me each and every day.

My participation in this civil disobedience was also a realization that as a US citizen and someone who has the privilege of not thinking about if the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) is going to raid my house, that I have a responsibility as an ally to help spread the word about the struggle of undocumented youth and the importance of the passage of the Federal DREAM Act. Many, like Matias & Fabiola, were brought here when they were young and know the United States as their home. In fact, they have become prominent leaders in their communities and continue to be inspiration to thousands across the country.

Enough is enough and action is necessary now. Part of my decision to participate in the civil disobedience also comes at the cusp of the passage of Arizona Senate Bill 1070. This legislation shows that the country is in need of practical solutions. The good news is that after almost a decade of organizing and advocacy on the DREAM Act, we are the closest we have ever been. We cannot stop now. Arizona families and frankly, all of us across the country, should be ashamed and hope this type of legislation does not pass elsewhere.

As a recent graduate myself, I know that we must be students first. School is starting to get out for some and some are currently in the midst of finals as we speak. As students continue to be studying or hard at work trying to pay off their tuition, President Obama and Congress have yet to take action on the Federal DREAM Act.

Each day, many undocumented students are barred access to education and are left in limbo with no options to better their lives. As we get closer to the 2010 election day, our timeline for seeing passage of such critical legislation is shortening. By participating in the action on May 1, we took critical steps forward to escalate our campaign. How hungry are you for the passage the DREAM Act? What are you willing to put on the line? I ask that you join me as we turn up the heat for the DREAM Act!

We understand that standard DC beltway thinking is to not tackle “real issues” during an election year. But the Surge voter is different. Youth voters need to be inspired and motivated by real action on our issues—policy victories that demonstrate the impact of voting. Let me be clear and say that the passage of the Student Aid & Fiscal Responsibility was a huge victory, but simply not enough.

Young “surge” voters were a huge factor in both 2006 and 2008 elections. Research shows that first time voters’ next election determines lifetime engagement: Vote in consecutive elections, and that voter becomes a lifetime voter. With millions of surge voters, 2010 will determine the health of our democracy for a generation.

It is critical that we move forward as a nation and recognize the positive social and economic impacts of an educated workforce and legislate accordingly. Pass the DREAM Act Now! A dream deferred, is a dream denied.

"Students around the world have been at the forefront of movements to promote democracy and human rights. Student movements have toppled powerful dictatorships and military juntas. Student movements have ended wars. And student activism has often served as the conscience for nations, reminding people in times of turmoil of the founding ideals of their countries and the aspirations of all people for justice, dignity, and equality."

-Glenn Omatsu

If we don't act, then who will?

OR Student Association Celebrates 35th Anniversary

2010-04-21T09:46:00.000-04:00

USSA member the Oregon Student Association premiered this video at their 35th anniversary dinner April 16, 2010. The video highlights OSA’s 35 years of growth, along with what they provide to students. Congrats on to OSA, we can’t wait to see what the next 35 years will bring!

Students Back Measures to Restore Fairness in Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Laws

2010-04-20T15:26:00.005-04:00

Last week, Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Al Franken (D-MN) joined Representatives Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Danny Davis (D-IL) in introducing legislation that would permit private student loan debt to be dischargeable in bankruptcy court. The bills, S. 3219: The Fairness for Struggling Students Act in the Senate and H.R. 5043: The Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act in the House, would restore fairness to laws governing student loan bankruptcy.

“This legislation ends the special treatment private student lenders have enjoyed for years at the financial and personal expense of debt-ridden college graduates,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “If a struggling individual can file for bankruptcy on their home, credit card, or even gambling debts, then why not student loans? This is an anomaly in bankruptcy law that arbitrarily treats student borrowers worse than other types of borrowers.”

Reforming student loan repayment laws is critical. Even with recent improvements to the federal Income-Based Repayment program, there is still an estimated 730 billion dollars in outstanding federal and private student loan debt in the United States, with only 40 percent being actively repaid. The rest is in default or deferment, resulting in plummeting credit and huge sums of interest for borrowers.

Private student loans have not been dischargeable in bankruptcy court since 2005, leading to a recent hike in student loan debt, which today averages nearly 25 thousand dollars. USSA will be advocating for this and other measures to make college more accessible and affordable for all.

Student Leaders Endorse Measures to Invest in Strong Job Growth

2010-04-20T14:55:00.004-04:00

Last week, the USSA Board of Directors, made up entirely of college student leaders, voted to endorse a series of principles it wishes to see in upcoming legislation designed to spur job growth. There are a number of job bills in Congress. USSA will be advocating for the above principles to be included in whichever jobs bill is ultimately advanced. The principles are:

Funding exclusively for new youth employment.
Job training for community based organizations.
Long-term comprehensive youth employment solutions.
Prevention of massive education job loss resulting from state budget cuts.

"Today's young people face mountains of student loan debt along with an unemployment rate more than a third higher than the national average,” said USSA Community and Labor Liaison Kortney McBride, a student at the University of California, Berkeley. “If Congress is serious about strengthening the future sustainability of our nation's economy, it must include investments in the prosperity of the nation's youth."

The nation's unemployment crisis has had a crippling impact on young people and people of color, requiring USSA, as a national force for youth and traditionally underrepresented communities, to take a stand on strong jobs legislation. For instance, adults with a high school diploma have more than twice the unemployment rate (10.8 percent) of adults with a bachelor's degree (4.7 percent). This demonstrates the important connection between receiving a college degree and gaining employment.

USSA will be advocating for strong jobs legislation on behalf of the nation’s college students, particularly those in traditionally underrepresented communities who are disproportionately affected by unemployment. The ability to secure gainful employment is one of the main reasons why USSA fights for education as a right, not a privilege.

Day of Silence

2010-04-16T10:28:00.002-04:00

This Friday, April 16th marks the 14th annual Day of Silence, that has grown to be largest student-led action towards the awareness of the harassment of LGBT youth in the nation. Students of all ages take an Oath of Silence, giving up their speaking privilege to experience the silencing that youth face for their sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression or perceived sexual identity. Allies to the LGTB community are able to confront similar struggles that LGTB youth face once their ability to speak is given up. The Oath of Silence is day long and difficult to accomplish because of this challenge a button campaign to show visibility of the day's action has been established on our campus. The Queer Student Union at UC Santa Cruz programmed various events on the week Day of Silence fell on naming it "Queer Awareness Week," with a Town Hall meeting to address the issues of hate/racism/homophobia currently facing the University of California system and also hosting social events to break the silence such as a "Free Zone Lounge: Queereoke" to end the weeks efforts. This came with another effort to disperse "Queer Bomb" t-shirts, a tactic from UC Santa Barbara Queer Student Union to show visibility of the LGBT community that can be used at events/public spaces to make them a Safe Space when numerous individuals wear them.

Small or large, any effort on any campus is necessary to address the social injustices and campus climates of academic institutions that need to be comfortable and safe learning environments. This is why when the USSA and GLSEN came together in 2001, in order to support Day of Silence efforts in colleges and universities campuses to ensure that everyone could play a part of becoming agents of positive change.

- By Nestor Rivera, USSA National Queer Student Coalition Chair and University of California, Santa Cruz student

April Legislative Update Available

2010-04-12T13:32:00.005-04:00

After an exciting and historic month of student activism and engagement, USSA's April 2010 Legislative Update is now available. It covers the student aid reform legislation that was signed into law through the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, along with updates on the DREAM Act and the Budget and Appropriations process.

Click here to read the update.

USSA President Gregory Cendana on Workers Independent Network

2010-04-01T14:03:00.006-04:00

During the Student Labor Week of Action, the Workers Independent Network radio station featured USSA President Gregory Cendana speaking about the DREAM Act:

Student/ labor support for passing the DREAM Act "shows the strong solidarity amongst a broad range of constituents... There are a lot of students and workers in this country and the fact that the oldest and largest student association and federation of labor unions are coming together on this issue is a very big deal."

Click here to listen.

President Obama Signs Historic Student Aid Reform Legislation into Law

2010-03-30T16:37:00.002-04:00

Today, in the auditorium of North Virginia Community College, President Barack Obama, joined by over fifty USSA members, signed the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (HR 4872) into law. This legislation includes the historic student aid reform proposal originally passed by the House of Representatives via the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The law appropriates over sixty billion dollars towards increases funding for the Pell grant, community colleges, Minority-Serving Institutions, and access and completion programs. The increases are made possible through the elimination of wasteful government subsidies to private lenders that issue federal student loans.

“Today, students across the country were able to see their amazing direct-action organizing payoff with comprehensive student aid reform becoming the law of the land,” said United States Student Association (USSA) President Gregory Cendana. “We thank President Obama, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Education and Labor Committee Chair Congressman George Miller, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Senator Tom Harkin, along with all the higher education champions who stood with students instead of banks in this fight for student aid reform.”

While students celebrate this victory, our work is not over, as young people will continue fighting for policies that increase college access and affordability. USSA is currently working to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship and college access for undocumented youth, along with a pro-student federal budget that includes increase funding for college access, affordability, and completion programs.

Victory for Students as Historic Student Aid Reform Passes in Congress

2010-03-26T16:50:00.002-04:00

Just two days after hundreds of students stormed Capitol Hill lobbying for increased federal action on college access and affordability, Congress passed the most sweeping overhaul of the student aid system in American history. The Healthcare and Education Reconciliation Act (HR 4872), passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate today after months of massive student support for the legislation.

“Today will go down in history as the day when the federal government chose to invest in college students over bank profits,” said United States Student Association (USSA) President Gregory Cendana. “By ending wasteful subsidies to private lenders and directing over sixty billion dollars of savings into financial aid programs, this legislation will ensure that millions of low-income and traditionally underrepresented students have access to higher education.”

The bill invests billions of dollars into the Pell grant, the cornerstone financial aid program that allows low-income students to attend college every year. Without passing this legislation, the Pell grant was jeopardy of being slashed by sixty percent. Additionally, HR 4872 invests billions of dollars in community colleges and Minority-Serving Institutions.

“Today the Senate listened to the American people by voting to… stop sending wasteful subsidies to big banks, instead of students,” said Education and Labor Committee Chair George Miller (D-CA), an ardent champion of college students. USSA, and students across the United States, applaud Chair Miller, Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-IA), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and President Barack Obama for their continued devotion to college access and affordability.

While students nationwide celebrate this monumental victory, there is still much work that needs to be done to pass a student-friendly Fiscal Year 2011 budget and the DREAM Act. USSA’s 4.5 million college student membership will continue fighting these and other policies to make education a right.

A Different Kind of March Madness

2010-03-16T18:28:00.005-04:00

This March, millions of young people are rallying nationwide in energetic crowds, chanting, singing and holding up signs, funneling their idealistic passion into a single cause of great importance to college students. Sounds like the annual uproar surrounding NCAA basketball, right? Well, this is a different kind of March Madness.

Throughout the first week of March, college students organized over 120 actions in over thirty states to rally against the historic divestment from higher education. There was a laundry list of grievances to protest. The Pell grant, once the cornerstone of student aid, has plummeted from covering seventy-two percent of the cost of college to just thirty-two, tuition increases have skyrocketed into the double-digits as states balance their budgets by slashing higher education funding, two-thirds of students are taking out mortgage-sized loans to pay for college, sending the average borrower nearly twenty-five thousand dollars in debt at graduation, and, as with the rest of America, students continue to struggle in one of the worst job markets on record. So students spoke up and displayed a new kind of March Madness through massive 1960-style rallies, demonstrations, and marches.

These actions go far beyond exorcising the frustration felt by the nation’s debt-ridden students. On March 20-23rd, over five hundred students are taking this vigor and enthusiasm to Capitol Hill to urge their Senators to pass a student aid reform proposal that has recently been included in the budget reconciliation bill. The proposal, which mirrors the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, encompasses President Obama’s plan to reform the student lending industry by eliminating the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), which allows the government to heavily subsidize private lenders to originate and service federal student loans. Ending this program would save tens of billions of dollars that would go directly to students, through the aptly named Direct Loan Program, via increases to the Pell grant, low-interest rate Perkins Loans, access and completion programs, and investments in Minority-Serving Institutions. Because all of these investments are paid for by funds that would have gone towards bank subsidies, the legislation doesn’t cost the taxpayers a dime.

Students overwhelmingly support the proposal. During the 2009 National Student Congress, student aid reform was unanimously passed as a top legislative priority for the United States Student Association, which represents over 4.5 million college students. Hundreds of student governments have subsequently adopted resolutions supporting the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, and hundreds of thousands of students have contributed to a national “wall of student debt” with paper “bricks” exhibiting their personal and financial struggles to pay for college. More recently, in the past few days since Senator Tom Harkin and Congressman George Miller announced that student aid reform would be included in budget reconciliation, college students sent over two thousand letters to Congress expressing support for this action. Despite being swamped with debt, class loads, and an increasingly dire job prospects, on top of being the second most uninsured demographic for healthcare, college students have mobilized a coast-to-coast grassroots campaign to pass student aid reform. National in breadth and substantive in depth, the campaign is moving from street protests to the Halls of Congress.

As with most underdogs, there is a Goliath to the students’ David. The nation’s top private lenders are waging their own political campaign to stop student aid reform. Lenders’ Political Action Committees (PACs), high-priced lobbyists, and million dollar warchests are mounting a formidable opposition to students and their prized legislation. In 2009, lenders spent about four million dollars on lobbying; that’s the equivalent of twenty-five thousand dollars for every day Congress was in session last year. PACs for lenders made over two million dollars in political contributions, with Sallie Mae’s PAC leading the pack with 194,000 dollars in donations. So while students invest what little time and resources they have in passing real reform, big banks are pouring millions of dollars into obstructionist lobbying tactics aimed at maintaining a status quo that perpetuates a lending system that has led to the greatest amount of student debt in history. These tactics may have swayed legislators from states with big lending influences, but students have not been fooled. And while students may not have the kind of money that lenders so freely spend on lobbying, young people have power in numbers and passion and will bring both to Capitol Hill this weekend to fight for loan reform.

Against overwhelming odds, America’s youth has always fought the institutionalized, business-as-usual policies that garner profits over the advancement of socioeconomic justice. Like their Great Society predecessors, today’s college student activists are our nation’s conscious. And as March maddens, the fight for student aid reform is moving from local protests to the Nation’s Capitol. Bring on the madness.

Students and Credit Card Debt: The Current and Coming Crisi

2010-03-15T12:26:00.002-04:00

In light of the current budget crisis' going on in states throughout the nation, student's vulnerability to draconian credit card companies has never been so great. Considering the fact that the average undergraduate carried $3,173 in credit card debt in 2008, the case is great for involving students in the battle against credit debt exploitation. In addition with students' main avenue for paying for higher education, student loans, students find themselves being much more susceptible to credit card debt. The average student graduates annually with about $25,000 in student loan debt and, with the rising cost of higher education, credit cards seem enticing for many vulnerable consumers as a short term coping mechanism for the current financial crisis.

With that be said, it is important to garner support for a Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights put forth by Representative Carolyn Maloney. Representative Maloney's bill does many things, but the points I focus on here surround students particularly. It protects students from excessive over the limit fees, implements fairness in a consumers payment to credit card companies, reduces overzealous penalizations aimed at burdened consumers, and protects vulnerable consumers from fee heavy subprime credit cards. The bill of rights does this by requiring that all fees for subprime credit cards be paid up front prior to issuance. It also asks that credit card companies limit the amount of over the limit fees they charge to just three. Currently, some credit card companies are allowed to charge their customers these fees without limits. Likewise, the bill prevents credit card companies from charging interest on payments made on time during a grace period. This practice is called "double cycle billing." Lastly, when consumers make payments on their debt, credit companies unfairly allocate those payments to balance with lower interest rates first. The bill makes it so that companies must allocate payments fairly amongst customers with debt of varying interest rates so that consumers aren't continuously locked into high interest rate debt.

The Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights comes at a time when students need credit relief the most. With legislation like the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, the American public has the opportunity to reel in the rampant abuse imposed on vulnerable consumers, like students, by socially irresponsible corporations and companies. Those who are often unequally impacted by credit card debt, low income and middle class families and individuals, would do well to back the Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights. As a student myself, and a holder of considerable amounts of credit card debt, it would be a great disservice to me and others like myself to pass over this opportunity to reform the runaway credit system. It is with that personal investment in stopping the unending cycle of exploitative credit debt that I emphatically encourage students, parents, and families to make a call to your local representative to endorse and support Representative Carolyn Maloney's Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights.

- By Edward Muna, University of Santa Barbara student and USSA Board member

Will You Be Counted in this Decade?

2010-03-09T12:36:00.006-05:00

There aren't many subjects that seem as boring as the U.S. Census. Every ten years the federal government has to count everyone, so what? Why is it so important?

The truth is, filling out the Census is one of the most important things you can do this year. Data generated by the Census will determine where over $400 billion in federal funding is allocated over the next ten years. That's money that goes straight to your local hospitals, schools, and roads. All of this from a simple ten question survey that takes ten minutes to complete.

This is why the United States Student Association is ramping up studentsCOUNT! 2010, a campaign to encourage young people and people from underrepresented communities to fill out the census and educate their peers on why it is vital to complete. Click on the image on the right to view USSA's studentsCOUNT! 2010 campaign video to learn more about the Census and why it's important.

Students March 4 Education Across the Nation

2010-03-08T19:54:00.003-05:00

On March 4, students from coast-to-coast, on campuses large and small, engaged in massive protests and rallies to promote college access and affordability. This grassroots movement, known as ‘March 4 Education,’ swept across the country in response to the historic crisis in public higher education as a result of crippling budget cuts and skyrocketing tuition and fee hikes.

“These actions were organized and executed largely by students themselves, which demonstrates the capacity of student power to bring college issues to the forefront of American politics,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “We cannot stop now. It is critical that this momentum be carried forward until local, state, and national governments recognize the social and economic importance of higher education and legislate accordingly.”

From mock funerals commemorating the death of public higher education in Washington and Michigan, rallies in the state capitols of Colorado, Florida, and Massachusetts, teach ins across New England, massive rallies in Georgia, and thousands of actions up and down California, millions of students made their opposition to education divestment known loud and clear.

The U.S. Senate is drafting its version of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, a bill that would financially help students faced with mortgage-level debt and uncontrollable college cost hikes. A vote is expected soon and students can voice their support for the bill by visiting http://www.usstudents.org/get-involved/ways-to-get-involved#student-aid-reform

The USSA National Student Congress voted unanimously to support student aid reform last summer. The organization’s 4.5 million college student membership has been working tirelessly on behalf of this legislation and will continue to do so until it is signed into law.

Student Aid Reform Rests in YOUR Hands!

2010-03-03T09:29:00.004-05:00

The student voice is needed now more than ever. Sallie Mae, the nation's largest private lender and staunch opponent to student aid reform, is pushing its "alternative" to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) in the Senate. And Senators are listening. Stand up for the student voice by sending a letter in support of SAFRA to your senators!

Sallie Mae's alternative cuts billions of dollars that go directly to students through the Pell grant, Minority Serving Institutions, and access and retention programs. Additionally, the proposal allows private lenders to continue their predatory marketing tactics that leave students with high risk loans that often lead to default and bankruptcy. We cannot accept this alternative as REAL loan reform!

This policy would hurt students like Alexis, a University of Colorado, Boulder senior with $60,000 in loan and credit card debt. Under Sallie Mae's proposal, students like Alexis would continue to suffer without increased access to grant aid, low-interest rate loans, or access and retention programs guaranteed under SAFRA.
Don't let private lenders drown out the voice of students! In just one minute, you can be a forceful voice for legitimate and essential student aid reform by sending a message to your senators. It's easy! Simply:

1) Go to USSA's student aid reform letter to the senate webpage

2) Type in your zip code

3) Send the pre-written letter to your senators, or add your own thoughts.

4) Click send!

One minute of your time to send a letter to your senators could mean the difference between the greatest higher education investment in American history and more money for private lenders in the student loan system.

-Gregory Cendana, USSA President

College Affordability Strengthens the Middle Class, says Biden

2010-02-26T18:47:00.003-05:00

Today, Vice President Joe Biden released the Annual Report of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class, the findings of a committee that has spent the past year researching ways to improve the living conditions of working and middle class families. Among the most effective ways to help American families secure economic stability is increasing college access and affordability, the Task Force found.

“It has long been one of the core aspirations of middle-class families to provide their children with the opportunity to get a college education. Postsecondary education is strongly linked to higher earnings and greater economic mobility, offering one of the most reliable routes to a good career while providing a critical path into the middle class for children from lower-income families,” the report noted.

The Task Force’s findings include budget recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2011. They include capping student loan payments at ten percent of a borrower’s income and forgiving debt after twenty years, shifting all federal lending to the Direct Loan program, which would allocate over eighty billion dollars to need-based aid and access and retention programs, extending the American Opportunity Tax Credit, and making historic investments in community colleges and Minority Serving Institutions. The recommendation to shift lending to the Direct Loan program is the key feature in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which passed the House of Representatives in September and is currently pending in the Senate.

“These findings highlight what millions of students and families already painfully know, that college costs are out of control,” said United States Student Association President Gregory Cendana, who attended Vice President Biden’s event releasing the report. “USSA is thrilled to see the Task Force recommending passage of student aid reform legislation that would put students over banks in the federal loan system. The Obama administration clearly recognizes the link between college affordability and a strong economy.”

The Task Forces’ findings come at the close of USSA’s Week of Engagement to pass a Senate companion bill to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. Students have spent the week writing letters-to-the-editor, calling legislators, and rallying on campuses in support of the legislation. USSA, and its 4.5 million student members at over 450 campuses nationwide, will continue advocating for this bill as well as the implementation of the Task Force’s findings in the final federal budget for FY 11.

USSA Supports National Day of Action to Defend Education

2010-02-22T11:11:00.001-05:00

The United States Student Association (USSA) has always supported grassroots efforts that empower young people and raise awareness about issues in higher education. In keeping with this practice, USSA supports the March 4th Day of Action in Defense of Public Education. The event was inspired by the demonstration of student power during the University of California Board of Regents vote to increase fees 32%, tripling the cost of a UC education from a decade ago. Organizers of the March 4th Day of Action are working to expand that energy to a national campaign to fight for increased educational access.

In response to mounting state deficits, legislators and campus administrators have mitigated budget shortfalls on the backs of students by slashing higher education funding and raising costs. These fiscal policies are indicative of a larger political climate that fails to recognize the long-term social and economic value of an education, or the inherent right of everyone to better their own lives through the pursuit of a college degree. Students must work in a common effort against this historic divestment and unite with one voice to demand education as a right.

USSA calls on students nationwide to participate in this day of action by contacting your local organizer and getting involved in your area. We also urge students to use the day of action to propel two pieces of federal legislation forward that will expand access to education. A companion bill to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act needs to be passed in the Senate to help ensure that the student loan industry works for students instead of big lenders. Additionally, the DREAM Act must pass, throwing open the college doors for thousands of deserving undocumented students. While we must achieve much more beyond what we can accomplish in one day, these actions will hopefully empower young people across the country to restore education to its preeminent position as the driving force behind social progress and economic prosperity.

USSA invites student leaders and activists from across the country to take part in a national student mobilization in Washington DC on March 23rd. As the culmination of our annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day, students will be rallying on Capitol Hill to demand that higher education in our nation must be affordable and accessible to all.

State of the Student Union

2010-02-19T12:08:00.002-05:00

On February 17, 2010, United States Student Association President Gregory Cendana delivered the organization’s annual State of the Student Union address:

“Students, higher education supporters, elected officials, members of the press, and coalition partners:

My name is Gregory Cendana and I am the President of the United States Student Association, the country's oldest and largest student-run, student-led organization. Representing over 4.5 million students at over 400 campuses nationwide, it is my honor to report to you that the State of the Student Union is on the brink of fundamental change.

In the past year, we have seen devastating divestment from higher education. State governments seem to view higher education spending as little more than budget items with distant payoffs and students as perpetual revenue streams for deficit reduction. Essentially, they are balancing their budgets on the backs of students. Federal spending has not kept up with these cuts. The Pell grant, the cornerstone of need-based aid, once covered 72 percent of the cost of college; today, that number has plummeted to 32 percent. Student borrowers are graduating an average of over 23 thousand dollars in debt into one of the worst job markets on record for young people. Due to continued legislative inaction from both state and federal governments, over 65 thousand undocumented students are denied access to college because of their citizenship. All of these factors are leading to ours being the first generation in decades to be worse off than our parents.

Students are not taking this lying down. Despite racking up mountains of debt while facing enormous tuition hikes and state budget cuts, college students have continued organizing to make education a right. This year, hundreds of thousands of students have mobilized to demand college access and affordability through weeks of action, lobby visits, campus rallies, and other tactics. These actions have been as visible as the massive protests across the University of California system last fall in response to the Board of Regents’ vote to increase fees by 32 percent, and just this past week, the Washington Student Association mobilized thousands of students on the steps of the state capital for the Rally for Our Future to ensure 15,000 students wont lose their state based grants. These actions have been as humble as door-knocking, phone banking and letter-writing campaigns on campuses across the country. From coast-to-coast, students and community members have unified to defend public education by organizing local “March 4 education” rallies on, you guessed it, March 4th.

I continue to be inspired by young people who can barely afford to stay in school giving their precious time and effort to fighting for college affordability. Their devotion to the student movement convinces me that we can and will make education a right.

We have had some big victories because of these actions. As President Obama noted in his State of the Union address, the Senate is about to consider student aid reform legislation, already passed in the House, that will fundamentally alter the student loan system. Under this bill, instead of subsidizing private lenders, the federal government will allocate over 80 billion dollars to need-based aid, access and retention programs, and investments in community colleges and Minority Serving Institutions. While this bill makes economic and common sense, it faces extreme opposition from big banks that don't want to see their profits lost to college affordability. Together, we must lobby the Senate to stand with America’s youth by passing student aid reform. It will take us one step closer to ensuring that financial burdens never weigh
down a students' ability to achieve a college education and brighter future.

USSA was pleased to see that, despite federal funding freezes for many important domestic programs, education spending has actually increased by 7.5 percent in the president's proposed budget. This is indicative of a changing political climate that recognizes the long-term economic impact of higher education. Students must pressure their elected officials to maintain these funding increases in Congress' FY11 budget.

As I previously mentioned, the challenges faced by undocumented students are made more severe by their denial of college access. We grow up with these students; they are our grade school classmates, our neighbors, and our friends. Yet, without the ability to go to college, they are left behind. The DREAM Act is a bill that will throw open the college doors for these students, allowing them to better their lives and contribute to their communities through education. USSA has supported this legislation since its inception in 2001 and cant stop and wont stop until it is passed.

We are on the brink of fundamental change. With a president in office who wants to lead the world in post-secondary graduation rates and a new level of student power unmatched in its organizing capacity or political influence, never before has the goal to make education a right been so within our grasp. But the moment is brief and our action is required. Start a DREAM Act coalition, take over your student government, lobby for student aid reform, write your newspaper, join a “March 4th Education” event in your area, and come to USSA’s Legislative Conference.

Together, we must unite to define this decade of student power and make education a right!

Thank you."

Write Your Own Page in History!

2010-02-11T14:44:00.001-05:00

2010 is gearing up to be an exciting and successful year for higher education! To ensure you are a part of the historic movement to make education a right, be sure to attend USSA's 41st annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day (LegCon) March 20-23 in Washington, DC. Hurry, early registration deadline is TOMORROW, February 12th. Statewide Student Association leaders are also encouraged to attend USSA's SSA Summit March 19-20 in Washington, DC.

Here are some other great ways for you to get involved in the fight to make education a right:

* Read about all the great actions students are taking to fight for college access and affordability by downloading the January edition of USSA's monthly newsletter, The Student Voice.

* The student voice is being amplified in the media! Download USSA's January media hits packet to read about USSA in the news.

* Do you want your voice heard in the media or in Congress? Submit your testimonial or an LTE to ensure your story is told to the press and decision makers!

* Help make this year's LegCon the best ever! Submit a workshop to USSA Training Director Danny Montes and educate your fellow students on a topic you're passionate about.

Together, let's make this the Decade of Student Power!

Students Applaud Major Investments in Obama's Budget, Express Concern for LEAP Elimination

2010-02-01T14:53:00.002-05:00

Today, President Obama released his proposed budget for the Fiscal Year 2011, which continues his administration’s commitment to college affordability by increasing education spending by 7.5 percent. The budget proposes the transition of the Pell Grant to an entitlement program, strengthens the new Income-Based Repayment program, and makes key investments in community colleges and minority-serving institutions through the American Graduation Initiative. Additionally, the budget advances student aid reform policies found in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221).

“The higher education funding increases in President Obama’s budget are indicative of shifting federal priorities that recognize the benefits of college investments,” said Gregory Cendana, President of the United States Student Association. The president’s budget proposal makes the Pell Grant an entitlement program, expands eligibility by one million students, and raises the maximum award amount from $5,350 to $5,710.

Moreover, the president has proposed lowering federal student loan repayment amounts from 15 to 10 percent of a borrower’s discretionary income, shortening debt forgiveness from 25 to 20 years, and allocating $642 million to minority-serving institutions. Students also support the elimination of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP), which will save tens of billions of dollars that will go towards need-based financial aid. This elimination is the main reform found in HR 3221.

Students are concerned about the elimination of the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program and funding freezes for the federal TRIO programs and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) and their effects on college access. Students nationwide will continue advocating for these and other youth priorities in the final federal budget. Fighting for a student-friendly federal budget will be a top priority during USSA’s 41st annual Grassroots Legislative Conference and National Student Lobby Day March 20-23rd, 2010.

USSA Response to the State of the Union

2010-01-27T23:00:00.001-05:00

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.

Student Loan Income-Based Repayment Program Strengthened Under New Proposal

2010-01-27T10:18:00.002-05:00

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.

Unity through Education and Engagement

2010-01-16T18:19:00.003-05:00

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.

Have You Written Your Page in History?

2010-01-14T13:21:00.002-05:00

"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

New FAFSA is Simpler, Better for Students

2010-01-11T12:01:00.002-05:00

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.

In the New Year, We Can't Stop and Won't Stop!

2010-01-06T09:23:00.004-05:00

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

Capable American Students

2010-01-05T12:34:00.003-05:00

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.

Banks Don't Belong in the Student Loan Business

2009-12-18T10:12:00.002-05:00

Below is an editorial in the Wall Street Journal by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan:

"Since I arrived in Washington, I've been looking at every line item in the budget of the U.S. Department of Education with two questions in mind: Is this program helping students learn? And is it a good use of taxpayer money? In the case of the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program, the answer to both questions is no.

Under the current FFEL program, banks make loans to students. While those students remain in school, the federal government pays the interest on their loans; otherwise the interest accrues. Once the borrowers leave school or graduate, the lending agency collects on the loans. But if the student defaults, my department pays back the loan—plus the interest owed. The FFEL program, in short, is a great deal for bankers but a terrible one for taxpayers.

Over the next decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the Education Department is slated to subsidize banks to the tune of $87 billion to enable them to make federal student loans. All of this money would be put to better use providing financial aid directly to millions of needy students who want a college education. The Education Department will be able to accommodate the new loans through an existing federal public-private partnership, Through that partnership, the federal government makes loans directly to students and uses companies that will provide better service to borrowers at a lower cost to taxpayers

Critics contend that the government is trying to nationalize a private industry and do away with competition. Our real aim is to simply stop using banks as the middle man for student loans.

The banking industry would continue to compete in the marketplace to finance mortgages, business start-ups, and other forms of credit. But we are intent on stopping subsidies to bankers who make student loans at no risk because they know the federal government will bail them out in case of default.

By working with private sector companies with expertise in the field, we are prepared to initiate all new student loans in the existing federal Direct Loan program. Right now, the Education Department already owns and services 80% of the student loans made last year. It owns such a high volume of loans chiefly because it had to take emergency action in 2008 to ensure students had access to loans when lending in the nation's credit markets was frozen.

Our experience handling the bulk of student loans makes me confident in our capability. This year alone, an additional 500 colleges and universities joined the Direct Loan program. Just last month, the department's independent inspector general's office issued a report documenting that the Education Department had taken the right management steps so that all loans can be serviced by the Direct Loan program.

In a recent survey by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, schools that have made the switch to direct lending overwhelmingly reported the conversion was easy and quick. That is just one reason why that association of financial aid experts, along with organizations representing the nation's largest public and private universities, community colleges and college students, support the department's Direct Loan proposal.

The private sector would continue to play an important role in servicing loans. Last summer, the department's Federal Student Aid Office awarded contracts to four companies to service federal student loans, following an intense competition among the best companies in the loan servicing business. These companies are paid more when borrowers are in good standing, and those that keep defaults down and provide the best customer service will be given the most work.

We are preparing to make the switch to direct loans as easy as possible for colleges and universities. We appreciate their feedback, and their ideas will help us transition smoothly from FFEL to direct loans once Congress has passed a bill authorizing the switch to 100% direct loans

As for the $87 billion we'll save from ending the troubled FFEL program, the administration seeks to use that money for important programs that will improve our economic future. We propose to substantially increase scholarships in the Pell Grant program and other financial aid for low-income students. We would start new programs to raise college graduation rates and strengthen our community colleges. We will expand our investment in early childhood education. Plus, $10 billion would be set aside to reduce the deficit.

Now is the time to allocate resources to students—not to banks—so they have access to college and other educational opportunities. We cannot in good conscience let $87 billion in subsidies go to banks when our students desperately need financial help to realize the dream of getting a college education."

Students Protected in Financial Reform Bill

2009-12-16T11:56:00.000-05:00

Last week the House of Representatives passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (HR 4173), a comprehensive set of measures that will modernize America’s financial regulations and hold Wall Street accountable. The bill creates the Consumer Financial Protection Agency (CFPA), a new federal agency devoted to protecting Americans from unfair and abusive financial products and services. USSA worked with several coalition partners to ensure that private student loans were among the financial products under the jurisdiction of the CFPA.

Additionally, HR 4173 strengthened private loan certification laws that were enacted with the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2008. These measures include:

•Ensuring students have talked with a financial aid officer about other options before taking out private loans. Educating students about their eligibility for federal loans is crucial because many students don’t take full advantage of the lower-interest rates and flexible repayment plans of federal loans.
•Requiring that loans do not exceed the cost of attendance, which is an important component in curbing the rising level of student debt.

Students are thrilled about these provisions. “We applaud the House for passing strong protections for students from private lenders who often use manipulative tactics to profit off young people,” said Daniel Ramos, a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder and member of the USSA Board of Directors.

The Senate version of the bill is currently being drafted. USSA and students across the country will advocate for the inclusion of essential safeguards against arbitrary and manipulative private lending practices that have greatly contributed to the skyrocketing level of student debt.

USSA President Gregory Cendana on ABC Nightline

2009-12-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

On Monday, November 30, USSA President Gregory Cendana appeared on ABC Nightline discussing the rising cost of college. Citing economic benefits of college affordability, Cendana declared that post-secondary “education should be free.”

He argued that state divestment from higher education hinders our country’s long-term financial growth as heavily indebted graduates spend the majority of their income on loan repayments instead of contributing to the economy.

The other guest, a University of California, Berkeley professor, advocated for high-tuition/high financial aid funding. Cendana countered that such policies deter potential low-income students, the demographic that proponents of this model claim to be helping the most, from applying to college due to the “shock of the sticker price
of attendance.” Middle-income students who don’t qualify for need-based aid are hit with tuition and fee hikes with only more loans as an option to mitigate costs.

The show engages audience members by displaying viewers’ tweets on the topic at hand. Angus Johnston, a professor in New York City, supported Cendana’s argument by tweeting, “dividing students into ‘poor’ and ‘affluent’ [when considering a high-tuition/high aid policy] ignores the struggling majority in the middle.”

Cendana concluded by calling on Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to take leadership roles in passing a Senate companion bill to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221). This legislation is critical for students dealing with massive increases in the cost of attendance.

Statement by USSA President Gregory Cendana on UC Free Hikes and Protests

2009-11-20T12:58:00.004-05:00

“Amidst chants of ‘We Shall Overcome,’ the University of California Board of Regents, except for the only voting student member Jesse Bernal, voted to increase student fees by 32 percent, or $2,500, yesterday at UCLA. This drastic increase triples the total cost of a UC education from a decade ago. The vote was met with a torrent of protest by those whom the decision directly affects. As an alumnus of UCLA and former board member of the University of California Student Association (UCSA), I was inspired by the coalition of students, faculty, and staff across the state who proclaimed to the nation that they would not accept divestment in higher education without a fight. The United States Student Association is in solidarity with the University of California Student Association, and all protesters, as they demonstrate the critical importance of student/worker solidarity in organizing against egregious fee hikes.

“While the increased cost presents an insurmountable barrier to college access for thousands of students and potential students, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Nationwide, states are balancing budgets on the backs of students, slashing higher education funding and raising tuition and fees. Students need financial relief now more than ever, which is why the Senate must pass a companion bill to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221). This bill makes the largest higher education investment in American history by eliminating wasteful government subsidies to banks and lenders and allocating the estimated $87 billion in savings over the next 10 years into low-interest, secure federal aid. USSA calls on Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) to take a leadership role in passing student aid reform.

“Reforming the loan industry will certainly help students, but this is an issue that runs deeper than financial aid. Yesterday’s vote is indicative of a larger culture in which higher education is viewed as little more than a bloated discretionary budget with distant payoffs, and students as perpetual revenue streams for deficit reduction. University leaders complain that state legislatures do not appropriate enough funds, lawmakers say tuition hikes are local decisions, and neither takes responsibility. Meanwhile, students drop out or are deterred from even applying to college and faculty and staff receive furloughs or get laid off. It is a vicious cycle that will cease only when we elect leaders who prioritize higher education in policy making, not just campaign speeches. Students must take the amazing vitality from protests and marches and direct that energy into passing student aid reform and electoral organizing. Although the 2010 election may seem distant, we need to begin organizing our peers to elect those who will legislate with the prudence to see past quick budget savings and make real investments in the country’s future.

“If California has taught us anything, it is that the amount of fee hikes states and regents will impose on students to mitigate budget shortfalls is limitless. It is time for a national student movement to elect a government that recognizes the lasting value of higher education and has the perseverance to legislate on those values, regardless of the economic or political climate.”

A Public Responsibility

2009-11-18T10:54:00.002-05:00

There are a precious few moments when we have the opportunity to remake our national identity. Like the students who audaciously advanced civil rights in times of mindless violence, or the youth who rebuilt a nation devastated by the Great Depression, we now stand at the crux of fundamental change. It is in the midst of great upheaval that we are given the chance to define ourselves by the manner in which we respond to the immense challenges of the day. Higher education is the defining issue of our generation because on it relies the leaders and innovators on which all other fields of vital importance depend. We therefore have a responsibility to keep open the college doors for all.

Education is a right because everyone deserves the chance to reach their potential, regardless of income, identity, or citizenship. If people are allowed to pursue the best of themselves unrestrained by cost or frivolous restrictions, then society will benefit from their success. Accordingly, it is in the best interest of the government to enact policies that look beyond election cycles and slogans and invest in students.

The goal of making education a right is within our grasp. President Barack Obama has made it his administration’s goal to have the United States produce more college graduates than any other country by 2020. For this to happen, we, as students, must change the tone of higher education policy. Almost every state has balanced its budget by slashing higher education funding, raising tuition, and introducing more or higher fees. These policies are indicative of a political landscape in which higher education is viewed as little more than a bloated discretionary budget with distant payoffs, and students as perpetual revenue streams. While politically expedient, these policies are fiscally irresponsible in the long-run because they deny states the immense revenue generated by the higher taxable income and commercial spending of college graduates. Beyond that, the moral depravity of forcing students and families into severe debt paying for a public interest that should be a public responsibility is repulsive.

In Pittsburgh, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl has proposed a one percent tax on the “privilege of getting a higher education.” Under this plan, a Pennsylvanian undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh would pay an additional 350 dollars a year simply because he or she chose to go to college. In New Mexico, Governor Bill Richardson signed a bill cutting 68 million dollars from the state’s College Affordability Fund. The governor did not cut funding for an off-roading safety program. The enormous tuition hikes in California prompted students at Berkeley to hold a mock funeral for the death of public education for minorities on the Day of the Dead. Elected officials may campaign on promises of change, hope, and the progress of underrepresented communities, but the recession has forced them to stand by their true priorities. Few are standing with students.

Our best chance for reforming higher education is in the U.S. Senate. In September, the House of Representatives passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221). This bill remedied the underlying flaw of the student loan industry by ending government subsidies to banks that offer federal student loans and allocating the estimated 87 billion dollars in savings into student-friendly financial aid programs. Despite commitments to prioritize higher education in the Senate, there has been no consideration of a companion bill. Young people have been demanding student aid reform decades. Regardless of how close we are to this historic measure, it will not come to fruition without the involvement of students.

States and localities have utterly failed to preserve college access and affordability amidst tough economic times. President Obama is ready to step up and sign a comprehensive student aid reform bill. We have a unique opportunity to take an unprecedented step forward in higher education. But the moment is brief and our leadership is required.

A college education should be a fundamental right not only because it makes economic sense, but because it is a moral imperative. As students, once again it is in our hands that the direction of the United States rests. We cannot let the tides of possibility recede between our fingers, too much is at stake. Write a letter to your senator urging student aid reform, submit an opinion editorial or letter-to-the-editor, sign up for news updates, or simply donate to the cause. Whatever the size of your contribution, you can be a part of the next great movement to make education a right!

Sweeping Resolutions Pass Student Senates

2009-11-17T16:48:00.004-05:00

Earlier this month, the Associated Students of Portland State University adopted resolutions to support the USSA campaigns to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) and the Develop, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. These resolutions, passed without objections by the student government Senate, show that Portland students are truly dedicated to making college a right for all. Additionally, the California State Student Association, representing 450,000 students in the California State University System, passed a resolution endorsing both SAFRA and the Private Student Loan Debt Swap Act of 2009 which allows students to exchange their private loans for direct loans. SAFRA was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in September.

Portland's student aid resolution does more than simply support the legislation. Students called on Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merekly to vote for the Senate companion bill of SAFRA. Senator Merekly is critical for the bill's passage, as he is a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pension committee, the committee with jurisdiction over higher education reform. The California resolution points out the tremendous debt students are graduating with and the benefits of the direct loan program.

The DREAM Act resolution notes that the State of Oregon has both financial and altruistic interests in allowing undocumented students to have access to federal financial aid and a pathway towards citizenship. While there has been no movement on the bill since it's most recent introduction this past Spring, there is ample bipartisan support in both Chambers of Congress and President Obama has indicated he would sign the DREAM Act into law.

Student governments are passing similar resolutions across the country, amplifying the student voice in an effort to bring about vital higher education reforms.

Young voters are more than a passing trend

2009-11-05T11:49:00.001-05:00

What a difference a year makes. Leading up to the 2008 election, the youth vote was highlighted as the deciding bloc for a new America. This year however, media pundits and political insiders determined that youth were not going to be relevant in local elections, harping on it so much in the weeks preceding the election that it became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Because youth weren’t supposed to be the deciding vote, candidates didn’t give young voters the same attention they did in 2008. In fact, many candidates and issue leaders barely even acknowledge youth voters in their campaigns. Hardly any candidate spoke about the historic student aid reform going through Congress, crippling state higher education budget cuts, or tuition hikes. In Virginia’s gubernatorial race, neither candidate spoke directly to youth or about youth issues during their respective campaigns until the eleventh hour. Yet youth were still expected to turnout in the same numbers that we did for President Obama, a candidate who made our generation a priority throughout his entire campaign.

Despite politicians’ disengagement with and the media’s skepticism of youth, students were incredibly active in the 2009 elections. In New Brunswick, New Jersey, the “Yes on Wards” campaign was developed and implemented largely by Rutgers’ University students. They successfully placed an initiative on the ballot to reform the city council to more accurately reflect the city’s population. Additionally, they registered hundreds of their peers to vote, educated the community on their issues, and ran a strong get-out-the-vote program. While media outlets were busy criticizing our apathy, students launched and directed a local campaign to reform city politics.

In Washington, voters were faced with a tax initiative that would link state spending to inflation and is widely seen as harmful to state services including higher education. To prevent this potentially catastrophic spending restriction, the Washington Student Association strongly opposed the initiative and organized to ensure its failure. In Oregon, students have registered almost five thousand voters since the academic year began in late September. Nationally, the United States Student Association (USSA) is hiring students for the 2010 election to empower their peers to run effective electoral campaign on campuses nationwide.

Youth are involved. Like any other demographic, we take action when candidates engage us and speak to our issues. We mobilize in large numbers when we believe our vote will make a difference. We are angry that big banks receive billions of dollars in government funds while we are graduating thousands of dollars in debt, if we graduate at all. We are tired of states balancing budgets on our backs. We are frustrated by the lack of movement on critical reforms in student aid, immigration, and healthcare. 2010 candidates should pay attention; youth voting didn’t begin with President Obama and it certainly didn’t end with his election.

Youth Report on Federal Initiatives at One Year Anniversary of Obama Election

2009-11-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

One year ago, America’s youth overwhelming swept Barack Obama into office. Yesterday, leaders from a variety of youth organizations spoke with members of the press about what progress they feel President Obama and Congress are making on election promises to enact critical policy reforms. The press call happened in conjunction with the release of “One-Year Later,” a youth report on the federal government’s progress on a diverse range of subjects from healthcare to veteran affairs to higher education.

The United States Student Association (USSA) Vice President Lindsay McCluskey spoke about legislative efforts to pass student aid reform and the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act. “The burden of paying for college has been passed on to students and working families, disproportionately impacting students of color, low income students, and students from other underrepresented communities,” said McCluskey. “However, President Obama and Congress have demonstrated a commitment to improving college access and affordability,” by passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3221) in the House and expressing support for the DREAM Act.

While students remain optimistic about the DREAM Act’s eventual passage, its sluggish progression through Congress is denying thousands of students the chance to pursue a college degree and further contribute to the economy. Additionally, the Senate has yet to take action on its version of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, postponing critical increases in financial aid for students taking on massive loan debt and tuition hikes. The USSA and students nationwide will continue to advocate for these pieces of legislation until they are signed into law by President Obama.

Lawsuits Mount Against FFELP Lender

2009-10-27T10:49:00.002-04:00

The reasons to eliminate the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) grow by the lawsuit. FFELP allows private banks to receive billions of dollars in government subsidies to issue federal student loans. However, participating lenders have become notorious for exploiting the program by cutting corners and taking advantage of students. Recently, according to Bunsinessinsider.com, banking giants JPMorgan and Citigroup have joined the fray and are being sued for conspiring with education financing company Nelnet to falsify government claims and illegally recruit student borrowers.

Nelnet, which has a history of shady dealings with financial aid administrators, has been accused of issuing false reports to the U.S. Department of Education in order to receive more subsidies under the FFELP program. The charges include illegally pushing students to apply for loans, paying telemarketers to aggressively sell packages, and engaging in false advertising to increase sales. While Nelnet was in litigation for these accusations, JPMorgan and Citigroup loaned them $500 million and provided and additional $120 million themselves for assistance. Nelnet faced similar charges by the New York and Nebraska Attorney General offices as recently as 2007.

Congress is working to address these problems by passing the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (HR 3221), which would end FFELP. Private lenders are trying to maintain their profits in the student loan industry by developing a counter-proposal. Instead of having Congress invest in low-income financial aid programs like the Pell grant and Perkins loan, lenders want those dollars to go towards banking fees and other services that pad the pockets of executives.

Bank lobbyists argue that direct government lending limits competition. Yet with all the back-dealings and illegal solicitation from private lenders, FFELP runs counter to everything free market principles stand for. Instead, direct government loans offer students more secure aid with increased public accountability. Congress must send President Obama a student aid reform bill this year that eliminates FFELP and invest in direct student aid to help reduce the level of debt students graduate with, allowing them to grow the economy and help America regain its educational prestige.

Regulating the “Wild West” of Student Loans

2009-10-23T11:01:00.001-04:00

The need for strengthened consumer protection in the lending industry became painfully evident as millions of American lost their homes, jobs, or both in the wake of the recent financial meltdown. While healthcare still dominates congressional debate, legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives is being crafted to create a federal Consumer Financial Protection Agency to regulate forms of consumer credit traditionally subject to little government oversight. College affordability advocates, including the United States Student Association, are working to ensure that private student loans, the “wild west of lending” according to New York’s Attorney General, fall under the jurisdiction of the new agency.

This is where it gets tricky. Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) is authoring an exemption for small businesses and local merchants that would suffer under excessive regulation. That makes sense; after all, it’s not the mom and pop shops we need to worry about. The problem is that the exemption language is vague and could be interpreted to include higher education institutions that issue private loans, not the type of businesses the carve out was intended to protect.

The concern is over aid issued by these higher education companies called “gap” loans. Because federal loans don’t always cover the entire cost of college, private “gap” loans are offered by institutions to pay the difference between the maximum amount of federal aid and the remaining college cost. While these loans play a necessary role in financial aid, they are often structured as consumer financing, like credit cards, and can reach double-digit interest rates, which leads to higher loan debt and increased student default. Lenders argue excessive regulation will harm students by preventing companies from issuing these loans. Yet, the new agency would only enforce laws that require lenders to inform students about federal loan options and to disclose information about their private loans, such as interest rates and estimated monthly payments.

The USSA supports these regulations that would simply mandate lenders tell the truth about their loans.

Students March for Justice

2009-10-14T13:36:00.004-04:00

The National Mall in Washington, DC has been the epicenter for many of America's most memorable social justice moments. Last Sunday was no different as tens of thousands of people marched and rallied for LGBT rights during the National Equality March. While many participants were stalwart civil rights activist veterans and seasoned political leaders, young people played a large role in the historic events. Students from New York, Kentucky, and Minnesota spoke to the crowd, which included hundreds of their college-going peers.

The United States Student Association (USSA), the country’s oldest and largest student-led organization, believes that no one should be denied basic human rights on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. “It is important for students to be engaged in the fight for LGBT rights because social justice isn't secured for just one group but for all those who seek a better world,” said Gregory Cendana, the organization’s first openly gay Asian American President.

In addition to the traditional access and affordability barriers to a higher education, LGBT students face potentially unsafe living conditions, homophobic classmates and professors, institutional heterosexism, and an overall lack of university support. "Queer students joined the National Equality March in order to demonstrate that we are tired of injustices and have the numbers to prove it," said USSA Queer Students Coalition chair Nestor Rivera, a student at UC Santa Cruz.

Queer students of color face particular obstacles in the fight for social justice and the USSA works with the community to address some of the specific challenges. “As both queer and students of color, one of the obvious but unique struggles that we face is reconciling the intersection of these identities,” said USSA Queer Students of Color Caucus chair Rich Yap, a student at UCLA.

The National Equality March, and students across the country, showed the world that the LGBT community will no longer allow the dreams of equality and justice to be deferred by political conveniences. The USSA urges all Americans to participate in the National Day of Silence on April 16, 2010.

Access Denied: 2-Year Students Prevented from Receiving Federal Loans

2009-10-13T15:04:00.001-04:00

Federal loans are the safest, most stable loans available to students. They don't fall victim to the fluctuations of the market economy, come with low interest rates, and provide flexible repayment plans. Yet roughly 900,000 community college students, nearly 1 in 900,00010, are denied access to these loans because their college administrators choose not participate in federal loan programs, according to a recent Project on Student Debt study. Students of color face even higher barriers to federal aid, with 18% of African-American and 19% of Native American 2-year students lacking access to federal loans.

Without these options, students are forced to mitigate the cost of college by increasing their workload, cutting back on classes, or dropping out altogether.
Student aid reform legislation currently in the U.S. Senate makes unprecedented investments in federal aid programs such as the Pell grant and Perkins loan. Hopefully these historic increases will spur community college administrators into participating in these programs. Such involvement is essential, for while community college tuition and fees are traditionally lower than at 4-year universities, the cost of books and supplies, rent, transportation, and similar expenses are incredibly high and usually exceed tuition and fees.

“Access to college is crucial to the economic future of our nation because America will need a well-educated and trained workforce in order to compete in the global economy. Community colleges are critical to these efforts and the reform proposed in the financial aid system as well as efforts to improve these institutions are welcomed news to students,” said USSA Community College chair Nathan Hanson, a student at Inver Hills in Minnesota. If education is to be the engine driving America's economic prosperity, then community college administrators must allow their students to have access to federal aid; otherwise, the skyrocketing cost of college will continue to deny thousands of hardworking students the dream of attaining a college degree or certificate.

A United UC Community Marches in Solidarity

2009-09-25T12:38:00.004-04:00

The presumption that college students have become lazy and apathetic was vigorously swept away in a tidal wave of student demonstrations against California's divestment in higher education yesterday. California students, in solidarity with faculty and staff, rallied and marched to voice their outrage over the skyrocketing cost of college, declining quality, furloughs, and pay cuts. UC Berkeley was the site for one of the largest protests since the historic free speech rallies in the 1960s, UC Irvine students ignored the near one hundred degree heat to turn out by the thousands, and hundreds of Bruins marched to the UCLA administration building to demand change.

The outpouring of protest was caused by the state and system's drastic higher education spending cuts and fee hikes. In July, the state legislature slashed three billion dollars from the state’s higher ed budget, causing the UC Regents to raise fees nine percent and cut three hundred million dollars. Then earlier this month, the UC Regents voted to increase tuition by thirty-two percent, bringing the cost of college up to ten thousand dollars. And it doesn't look like it's going to get better. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the California regents are expected to raise tuition by forty-five percent next year, which would bring the grand total to $10,302.

Frustration reached a boiling point when neither the legislature nor the UC Regents accepted responsibility, each blaming the other for the financial crisis. "While we understand there's some anger and angst spread across our campuses, our hope is that it will be directed more precisely toward Sacramento [the state capital], where the heart of the problem lies," said UC's interim provost, Larry Pitts. Yet those in Sacramento are turning the issue back on the campuses, with Julia Brownley, chair of the Assembly Education Committee, saying "the state is facing an unprecedented fiscal crisis [and] the students are protesting how the university cut its budget. The Legislature left that up to the university." Meanwhile, as both higher ed governing entities point a finger at the other, and Governor Schwarzenegger dismisses the students as a "screaming interest group," the dream of a college education is slipping further away from thousands of potential students.

Yet despite the confusion of blame, and blazing heat, students, faculty, and staff refused to take the onslaught lying down. Raising signs that read "We Are UC," California students, faculty, and staff came together and with one voice showed the country that decision makers cannot ignore the collective power of thousands of community members directly impacted by the atrocious hikes in the cost of college. "This is a day of solidarity," said one Riverside student, indicating that while the demonstrations may have ended yesterday, the student movement across the nation will continue until education is again made a right.

U.S. House Passes Historic Student Aid Reform Bill

2009-09-17T15:03:00.000-04:00

Today is a historic day for higher education as the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), H.R. 3221. The U.S. Student Association, along with students and families nationwide, are ecstatic about this landmark bill and its capacity to help millions of current and potential college students achieve an affordable and quality higher education. This legislation includes the greatest investments in higher education in American history.

SAFRA reforms the student loan industry by eliminating federal subsidies to private banks and investing the near one hundred billion dollars in savings into need-based aid programs. These investments in higher education surpass even the renowned G.I. Bill and Higher Education Act.

“On behalf of the USSA’s 4.5 million student members at over 400 campuses, we thank Members of the House of Representatives for their diligent work on passing SAFRA,” said USSA President Gregory Cendana. “Students today are taking on insurmountable amounts of debt to pay for college, essentially mortgaging their futures with convoluted loan plans from private banks. SAFRA will reform this broken system by increasing federal, need-based aid that will help bring President Obama’s goal to lead the world in college graduations to fruition.”

Additionally, SAFRA invests 2.55 billion dollars in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions. “Increased funding for Minority Serving Institutions through this bill is a direct investment in communities traditionally barred from higher education and ensures greater access to the American dream,” said USSA People of African Decent caucus chair Getachew Kassa, a student at the University of Oregon.

The Senate is expected to take up its version of the student aid reform bill later this month. USSA students and staff will be organizing on campuses across the country to support the Senate bill and ensure that the crucial reforms in SAFRA reach President Obama’s desk by the end of the year.

USSA Joins Speaker Pelosi, Ed Secretary Duncan, Chair Miller, and others to Advocate for Student Aid Reform

2009-09-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

On Tuesday, September 15, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, other lawmakers and USSA students held two press events to urge the House to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA), H.R. 3221, a bill which makes the largest investment in higher education in American history. The USSA membership voted overwhelmingly to support this historic legislation at the 2009 National Student Congress.

During the first press conference, surrounded by congressional leadership and the top higher education officials, USSA student Jelisa Difo, a Senior at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, spoke about the necessity of student aid reform. “By investing in federal aid programs, SAFRA will ensure that millions of students like me have access to a quality and affordable higher education,” said Difo.

Immediately following the press conference, USSA President Gregory Cendana joined Secretary Duncan, Chair Miller, Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), and USSA student Michael Kebede from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, to speak with student journalists and major media outlets about SAFRA.

“We are excited this monumental piece of legislation is moving in the House this week and are thankful we have education champions like Secretary Duncan, Chair Miller and Rep. Bishop fighting for students,” said Cendana. “USSA, along with students and families across the country, are thrilled about the investment SAFRA will put into higher education and the positive impact it will have on the economy.”

The House is expected to vote on SAFRA later this week. USSA students nationwide will continue to organize around supporting the legislation when it is taken up by the Senate.

College Affordability Spurs Economic Growth

2009-09-14T11:02:00.008-04:00

At a recent event with Vice President Joe Biden, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner reaffirmed his strong belief in the economic benefits of college affordability:

"College affordability is central to two key economic trends. Over the past generation, we have gone from a nation of savers to one of borrowers. We have devoted too many resources to consumption and not enough to investment. During this same period, we have also lost our global educational lead. While we once outpaced all other advanced economies in the percentage of our population that graduated from high school and college, much of the rest of the economically developed world has now caught up or surpassed us."

Secretary Geithner was speaking about 529 plans, education saving programs operated by states or educational institutions that help families set aside funds for future college costs. Washington State's GET (Guaranteed Education Tuition) program is an exemplary model of a 529, allowing parents to make tuition payments today so that they are protected from massive tuition hikes when their children attend college in ten or twelve years.

These programs are essential to college accessibility. To augment this point, the pervasively dire statistics respecting rising college costs are worth repeating. The average student borrower graduates over $20 thousand in debt, tuition hikes of 20-30 percent are a dime a dozen, textbook prices are quadruple the rate of inflation and cost an annual average just shy of $1 thousand, and books and supplies are now 10 percent of community college students' total budgets. The availability of 529 plans and other measures to hinder the skyrocketing cost of college, such as the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, will help mitigate these financial barriers.

Equally ubiquitous are the benefits of a college degree, which are also worth reiterating. A college graduate, either 2- or 4-year, has much greater lifetime earnings than a high school grad, generating a larger tax base for public revenue and spurring economic growth through increased purchasing power. Crime and incarceration rates are significantly lower in highly educated communities, trends which are collaborated with drops in welfare dependency and health care needs. It seems like investment in college affordability programs is a near silver-bullet for many of the nation's domestic problems.

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act later this week, let's hope Members of Congress reach the same conclusion as Secretary Geithner and pass this historic piece of legislation.

The Responsibility of an Education

2009-09-08T13:15:00.003-04:00

"Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide," said President Obama in a speech to grade students as they head back to school this week. The tone of his speech was reminiscent of JFK's call to public service, a responsibility bore by each citizen derived simply from being an American. In today's case, the president challenged grade school students to make the most of their education by using their knowledge to serve their country.

Those fortunate enough to achieve a higher education have a similar charge to put their degrees' to use; however, there's a caveat. A K-12 education is guaranteed by the state, a higher education is not. Children and teenagers in this country are given an incredible opportunity to exercise their creativity in arts and literature, discover the vast and exciting world of science, and develop critical thinking and deductive reasoning skills through mathematics and social studies. Their worries are not how to finance their education, only how to best employ it. This needs to be the reality college students. If, as the president so ardently advocates, education is the key to our economic and social prosperity, then higher education must be made a right in this country.

There are two pieces of legislation currently in Congress that will bring this vision a bit closer to fruition. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) invests billions of dollars into Direct Loan programs such as the Pell grant, Perkins loan, and Work Study. These financial aid programs give students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue a degree and better their lives. The DREAM Act affords undocumented students who currently to pay outrageous costs for college eligibility for federal financial aid. The aptly named bill will allow millions of hard-working students to realize their dream of a higher education in the land they've called home all their lives.

While President Obama's message was directed to adolescents, his vision for an education system limited only by the vigor and energy of its students can equally be shared by the college community. Let us not lose this opportunity to secure student aid reform, open the college doors to thousands of bright and capable undocumented students, and engage the political system like never before!

A dire outlook for young American workers

2009-09-01T17:57:00.001-04:00

The AFL-CIO recently released a report detailing the plight of young American workers in today’s struggling economy. It should come as no surprise that the financial barriers facing young workers is having an adverse effect on their higher education attainment. Most notably, young people in the workforce are being forced to put their education on hold, delaying their achievement of financial independence. In fact, almost 40 percent of young workers have postponed college because of monetary issues. This number climbs even higher for young people of color.

The need for lending reform is clear, as the report found that nearly 1 in 4 young workers who take out loans for college end up dropping out. For these students to stay in school and better their lives, Congress must pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will improve the federal lending system and invest heavily in critical retention programs.

The importance of a college education is illustrated in the daily struggles of young workers. Without a degree, young workers are much less likely than their college-educated peers to have enough money to pay the bills. This can lead to multiple jobs or plummeting further into debt.

All in all, the AFL-CIO report paints a bleak picture for America’s young workers without a college degree. Fortunately, President Obama has made higher education affordability a top priority for his administration. And with a strong commitment to community colleges and need-based aid from the federal government, hopefully the next report will shine a brighter light on the young American worker.

Senator Kennedy Leaves Legacy of Social Justice

2009-08-27T16:15:00.001-04:00

Senator Edward Kennedy was a steadfast advocate for college students his entire career. The federal aid, access and retention programs, and anti-discrimination policies he championed for four decades has allowed millions of students to achieve a higher education. Specifically, his work in creating the Pell Grant enables millions of low-income students to go to college every year. By taking a leadership position in lowering the voting age to eighteen, Kennedy helped give political voice to millions of civically engaged young adults.

The United States Student Association and students across the country will look to the late senator for inspiration and wisdom in the continued pursuit to make education a right. Opening the college doors for those who cannot afford to pay the skyrocketing cost of a higher education is a noble way to remember Senator Kennedy.

While he will be sorely missed, Senator Kennedy will survive through the community organizing and political courage of those who carry the torch in making this a more just and compassionate world.

Baseless SAFRA pushback

2009-08-07T13:32:00.003-04:00

The air seems particularly heavy with partisan ideology these days. Maybe it was Justice Sotomayor's confirmation hearing, perhaps healthcare reform, or even the renewed discussion on police/race relations. Regardless of its foundation, this political zealotry has begun seeping into the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act debate. Hopefully, when Congress returns from the August recess and assumes the SAFRA discourse, common sense will replace partisan entrenchment.

In response to the SAFRA's provision that eliminates the FFEL program and invests the $87 billion savings into the Pell grant, Congressman John Kline, the Ranking Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, acrimoniously asked "is these any industry not on the verge of federalization?" Congressman Brett Guthrie is not "comfortable with the idea of the federal government acting as a profit-making bank."

Come on guys. Let's review the facts.

Sallie Mae, the country's largest private student loan company, has doubled its borrower-default rate since 2006 and overbilled the U.S. Treasury by $22.3 million from 2003-06. The guaranty agencies that administer these private loans received just $177 million for default aversion fees last year, versus $948 million for collecting defaulted loans! Not much incentive to help students pay off their debt with that financial schism. Conversely, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators recently found that 61% of colleges that switched to the government's Direct Loan program found it less burdensome than FFEL and 80% made the switch within just four months.

So, if Congress makes the SAFRA debate about the most efficient way to administer student loans, rather than some abstract philosophy stalemate over federalism, it's clear that sticking to partisan bumper sticker lines isn't going to cut it.

Nonsense drug policy to be eliminated in SAFRA

2009-08-04T11:22:00.003-04:00

Much of the debate over the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act has concerned the elimination of federal subsidies to private lenders and monumental funding increases to government aid programs. While these historic reforms are certainly receiving their due attention, one vital provision is being overlooked: Ending the policy of denying aid to drug possession convicts.

Currently, a student with a drug conviction, even as minor as a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge, is denied federal financial aid. This policy was slipped into the Higher Education Act reauthorization in 1998 by Representative Mark Souder of Indiana. Since its inception, 200,000 students have been denied aid because of this law and countless others have been deterred from even applying.

There are several reasons why this policy doesn't make sense. First, and most curiously, only students with drug convictions are denied aid under the law. Someone with a homicide conviction can be eligible for federal loans while someone with a marijuana possession charge is not. Second, this is the wrong way to be fighting our nation's drug problem. If a low-income student with a possession charge is denied the financial aid necessary to attend college, isn't it more likely he or she will slip back into the cycle of poverty and drug use that led to the conviction in the first place?

Supporters of the policy often talk about how attending drug rehabilitation programs will allow a convict to be eligible for aid. Taking this a step further, however, begs the question of can someone who can't afford tuition really pay for private rehab classes? In 2002, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration concluded that the average cost for drug abuse treatment was $1,433 per course!

Lastly, not even the research arm of the federal government supports the policy. The congressionally-created Advisory Committee of Student Financial Assistance recommended that Congress remove the drug question from the FAFSA, calling it "irrelevant" to aid eligibility. Even the Government Accountability Office recently indicated that it could find no evidence that the penalty "actually helped to deter drug use."

It is time that Congress finally remove this unnecessary and nonsensical barrier to a college degree for those who need it most.

Sallie Mae is spending MILLIONS on lobbying against direct lending

2009-07-30T17:15:00.006-04:00

It was recently reported that Sallie Mae, the nation's largest student loan company, has already spent $2 million this year lobbying against President Obama's plan to eliminate bank subsidies and replace them with historic investments in direct aid. This plan is reflected in the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which passed the House Education and Labor Committee last week. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates ending the subsidies will save $87 billion in 10 years, much of which will go towards the Pell grant and Perkins loan.

"The banks and lenders who have reaped a windfall from these subsidies have mobilized an army of lobbyists," Obama said in a weekly radio address earlier this year. "I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I."

The President's confidence is encouraging, considering Sallie Mae spent $3.4 million on lobbying last year, including $10 thousand on the "Blue Dog" Democrats who have been relatively vocal in their opposition to the plan.

Sallie Mae and other baking interests rely heavily on high interest student loans- don't let them buy Congress out! Take action now by calling your congressman and urging support for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

USSA Congress: Bittersweet goodbyes and new beginnings

2009-07-30T10:27:00.005-04:00

Last week, student leaders from around the country convened in Boulder, Colorado for the 62nd annual National Student Congress. As time elapsed on the 2008-2009 leadership and board of directors, student delegates passed an ambitious agenda for the new academic year.

While the closing of Congress brought a rush of excitement about the new national legislative priorities and a renewed sense of community in the student movement, it was also a bittersweet moment as we said thanks to out-going president Carmen Berkley. During her tenure steering the USSA ship, Carmen oversaw membership growth, legislative victories, and was the literal voice of college students time and again. More importantly, Carmen has become an endearing friend to basically anyone who has been involved in the USSA in the past few years. On behalf of the USSA family, thank you Carmen for being a steady leader, caring friend, and all-around great person.

So it is with a nostalgic heart and energetic mind that the USSA turns to the future with new President Greg Cendana and Vice President Lindsay McCluskey. In their nomination speeches, both spoke about expanding membership to include more campuses in the student movement and utilizing student power to win concrete victories for higher education. Between the DREAM Act facing its best chance of passing yet and the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act overhauling a broken lending system, Cendana and McCluskey take the helm at a historic moment.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the 62nd annual National Student Congress- it was one of the best yet! Click here to watch speech highlights and read more about the conference.

Students Thrilled with Student Aid Reform Bill

2009-07-15T18:20:00.002-04:00

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives took a giant step forward in comprehensive student aid reform. The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, introduced by Education Committee Chairman George Miller, invests billions of dollars in financial aid at no new expense to taxpayers. The United States Student Association, along with college students nationwide, is ecstatic about Congressman Miller’s unsurpassed commitment to higher education.

“With college students graduating tens of thousands of dollars in debt, now is the time for the government to revitalize its financial aid programs,” said USSA President Carmen Berkley. “The funding increases in this bill will directly affect many of the USSA’s 4.5 million members, along with millions of other low- and middle-income students across the county.”

Maximizing the Pell Grant is essential for the over 6 million college students who rely on these funds to stay in college. The bill increases the Pell’s maximum award amount to $5,550 in 2010, which is a great step in stabilizing this cornerstone of need-based aid. In addition, lowering interest rates on federally subsidized loans will lessen the financial burden for the 5.5 million low-income students who are forced to borrow these loans each year.

The USSA believes that education is right, not a privilege, and will be actively supporting this historic legislation as a means to help millions of students and potential students realize their dream of achieving a college degree.

More reasons to end FFEL

2009-07-14T17:09:00.004-04:00

Lately there has been a lot of talk about eliminating the public-private student loan partnership program known as FFEL (Federal Family Education Loan). The USSA stands firmly behind this objective, as the money saved from ending bank subsidies would help fund increases in the Pell grant.

There is, however, another reason why the FFEL program simply doesn't work: inefficiency brought on by an unnecessary middle man. See, while private banks provide loans, the money in administered by 35 guaranty agencies. While these agencies may have been helpful in the 1960s, when the federal government was new at financial aid distribution, decades of involvement by the U.S. Education Department has rendered them superfluous.

Additionally, the government curiously employs guaranty agencies to engage in two contradictory operations. First, the agencies receive fees for helping student borrowers avoid defaulting on their loans; second, they earn much larger fees if they collect borrowers' defaulted loans. In fact, last year these agencies received just $177 million for default aversion fees and a whopping $948 million for collecting defaulted loans. Not much incentive for the supposed neutral brokers to help students avoid defaulting on their loans...

This mandate is an egregious misuse of public funds, $1.57 billion in fiscal year 2008 specifically, aside from the fact that doesn't make sense to have these agencies carry out two fundamentally different tasks--and be paid for both!

This confusion and contradiction is just one more reason why President Obama's proposal to eliminate the FFEL program to further fund the Pell grant must become law.

You can read the New American Foundation's full report on this issue by clicking here.

Community Colleges are about to get a boost from the federal government

2009-07-13T18:14:00.004-04:00

It's about time. During elections, politicians love to talk about how students are the future and education will solve all our social ills; yet, when an economic recession hits, tuition seems to be the first thing to skyrocket and financial aid the first thing to plummet. Not this time.

President Obama recently authored an opinion editorial in the Washington Post in which he reaffirmed his unprecedented commitment to the nation's community colleges. Community colleges, which were once the life-blood of job training and affordable vocation education, have been hit with massive budget cuts that adversely affect the poor and place-bound. President Obama's plan, due to be released later this week, may fund as much as $9 billion over 10 years to improve job preparation programs and create a $10 billion loan fund for community college facilities. Considering that the American Association of Community Colleges estimates $100 billion in needed facility repairs, this loan should be lent in the nick of time.

A major component of the plan could also be free online courses, owned by the government, with an emphasis on job creation and credit transferability. Coupled with expanded library services and laptop programs, free online courses would give thousands of low-income citizens access to a higher education.

Stay tuned for more coverage of this plan once President Obama releases the final version.

U.S. House of Representatives makes ciritcal investments in college students

2009-07-10T18:16:00.002-04:00

This morning the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees higher education appropriations released its 2010 budget proposal. The bill includes funding increases to critical financial aid and outreach and retention programs. The USSA applauds the subcommittee for making responsible, long-term investments in college students, which will ultimately help grow the nation’s economy and open the school doors to millions of potential students.

The increases include:

The Pell grant, which will help 7.6 million low and middle income students afford college next year, had its maximum award amount set at $5,550, a $200 increase from 2009.

Colleges and universities serving underrepresented communities received $653 million.

The outreach and retention programs TRIO and GEAR UP were allocated $868 million and $330 million, respectively.

1.7 million disadvantaged and first generation students are slated to receive college preparation and support services.

The USSA will continue to advocate for this and other pieces of legislation that make college more accessible and affordable.

Click here to read more about the budget.

Report finds what students already know- loan debt is out of control!

2009-07-09T13:39:00.002-04:00

The Education Center recently released a report titled Drowning in Debt: The Emerging Student Loan Crisis. The study found what students already know all too well: college costs are skyrocketing. With tuition rates soaring and financial aid funding not keeping pace, more students are having to take out loans to pay for college.

In fact, about half of all students at four-year public universities are borrowing money for school, even with many colleges receiving government subsidies to control tuition hikes. This at a time when students' "unmet needs" (which is the difference between the total cost of college and the sum of the expected family contribution) has increased well beyond the maximum amount of money available from subsidized federal loan programs.

To fill this gap, multi-billion dollar private lenders have stepped in, offering high interest rate loans to students. Having little choice, students are taking the bait. During the 2003-04 school year, just 5% of undergraduates borrowed private loans; that number has since tripled to 14%.

Fortunately, there is hope. The Student Aid Reform bill, which is being drafted in the Education committee, would end the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program, collecting $94 billion in savings to make the Pell grant an entitlement; expand the Perkins loan by $6 billion; and create an Access and Completion program with $2.5 billion funding over 5 years. The USSA is calling on congress to pass Student Aid Reform! This bill would mitigate the skyrocketing cost of college and help make a higher education a reality for many potential students.

Click here to read more about this legislation in the June legislative update.

- USSA

An easier way to pay back student loans starts TOMORROW July 1

2009-06-30T14:15:00.002-04:00

Life after college can be hard enough without overwhelming federal loan debt, especially in such a tough economy. Fortunately, beginning Wednesday, July 1, college graduates may pay back their federal student loans in a simpler and more affordable way. The Income-Based Repayment program (IBR), which was a major component of the 2007 College Cost Reduction Act, will allow grads with federal loans to lower their payments if they are in enough debt relative to their income. For most borrows, this means that loan payments will be less than 10% of their income and any remaining debt will be forgiven after 25 years of qualifying payments.

Sounds good, right? This is where it gets a little tricky, so bear with us...

The federal loan payment must be more than 15% of whatever you earn above 150% of poverty level to pay off the loans on a standard 10-year payment plan. So, for example, if you earn below 150% of the poverty level, your required payment will be zero; if you earn more, your payment will be capped at 15% of whatever you earn above that amount.

Click here to learn more about this great opportunity!

Congratulations! You Are Nominated. It’s an Honor. It’s a Sales Pitch.

2009-06-24T18:02:00.005-04:00

Every year thousands of students around the nation receive letters congratulating them for the honor of being nominated to attend a youth conference. A “lifetime advantage” and “valuable addition” to their résumé is also promised.

The company that organizes these conferences, a direct-mail powerhouse called the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, runs an alphabet soup of such conferences it says are attended by 50,000 students a year. It solicits recommendations from teachers and alumni of previous conferences, and it culls names from mailing lists, that they purchased annually, for which the council paid $263,000 in 2006 alone, according to its last filing with the Internal Revenue Service, before it gave up its nonprofit status.

The big promises in its mailings and the sheer volume of its business have gotten the company into trouble in the last few months. At least one lawsuit has been filed over its conference during the inauguration, and in February, after nearly 25 years in operation, it lost its Better Business Bureau accreditation. Parents paid $2,300 to $3,000 for students to attend the inauguration four-day program, a total of more than $40 million.

College admissions officers say they do not place much stock in participation in such conferences. The leadership conference is no more or less likely to enhance college applications than, say, soccer camp. That becomes a true honor and honors typically don’t come with a price tag.

Click here to read more.

A Dreamer's Meeting with Joe Biden

2009-05-22T15:40:00.005-04:00

Check this out!

DREAM Act student and Underground Undergrad team member and blogger Fabiola got the opportunity to meet Joe Biden this week! She was able to talk with the vice-president along with other organizers from around the country about some of the most pressing issues in our society. Read about her meeting and about how she gathered the courage to speak to him about the importance of the Federal DREAM Act and even give him a copy of the Underground Undergrads film. Thanks Fabiola for advocating for education for ALL students!

Summer Job Testimonial Project!!

2009-05-21T16:26:00.008-04:00

We're very excited at USSA to tell you about our brand new Summer Job Testimonial Project! We're asking you to record videos to tell us your story of the personal sacrifices you make every day just to pay for college. We'll compile these videos and use them to show decision makers, and the world, why our fight is so important. Watch this video of National Field Associate Rachel Ackoff explaining the details and then pull out your camera and start rolling!

We will begin to accept submissions very soon. Check the USSA website, our blog, or twitter for updates.

Legislative Director Speaks On The Kennedy Serve America Act

2009-05-14T09:37:00.002-04:00

Legislative Director, Angela Peoples, speaks to Diverse Magazine about the Kennedy Serve America Act.

View the article here

-USSA

Student Loan Help is on the way!

2009-05-12T17:13:00.002-04:00

Are you interested in more affordable student loan payments, or loan forgiveness for public service?

Income-Based Repayment (IBR) is a new way to make your federal student loan payments more manageable starting July 1, 2009. And if you're a teacher or work in government or at a nonprofit (501(c)(3)) organization, you might qualify for a new type of public service loan forgiveness after 10 years of eligible payments and employment.

IBR will be available to borrowers starting July 1, 2009, and the clock is already ticking for public service loan forgiveness.

On October 23, 2008, the U.S. Department of Education posted the final regulations for how each program will work in the Federal Register. However, some of the operational details of the programs are still unclear. Register with your email address and we'll make sure you get any new information as it becomes available.

To learn more about this and register to get alerts, visit this website

-USSA

The "March In March" Event A Success for California Students

2009-05-11T11:58:00.003-04:00

On March 16th, students from all sectors of California's public school systems came together to fight the fee increases that the Community Colleges, California State Universities, and the University of California school system face for the upcoming year. Thousands of students marched on the State Capitol in Sacramento, California to protest the State's cut on education funding. The "March in March: Rescue Education" event, sponsored by the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, included many administration, faculty, and student organizations from across the State of California coming together to make their voice heard in Sacramento.

Here is a video promoting the event:

Student Richael Young, the President of the Student Senate of the California Community College system, is featured in this Sacramento Bee article.

Students from Fresno, California are shown boarding buses at 5am in route to Sacramento in this ABC Fresno local news report.

Student, Troy Carter, is featured talking about funding education is key to restore our economy in this MSNBC article.

Student Patricia Hoskins is featured addressing her struggles to retain herself in college due to the high cost of higher education in this ABC Sacramento local news report.

Here is the website for this event.

-USSA

Oregon Families talk about DREAM Act during Mother's Day

2009-05-11T10:47:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, while many families celebrated Mother's Day across the country, hard working families use this time to realize the importance of the DREAM Act. Public News Service, a state-based news services that distributes quality public interest news and information to both mainstream and alternative media, posted an article about the hardships that many families still face due in college.

Listen and read the article here.

-USSA

New Mexico Senator Supports The DREAM Act

2009-05-11T10:36:00.003-04:00

Here is a video of Senator Bingaman from New Mexico being speaking about why he supports the DREAM Act and why it is so crucial for the future of our country.

-USSA

The DREAM Act In The News!!

2009-05-04T13:59:00.002-04:00

The Daily Aztec, San Diego State University's independent student newspaper, writes an article in support of the DREAM Act.

Read the article here.

Last Thursday, Matias, a UCLA graduate and DREAM Act activist was featured on CNN's American Morning to talk about the importance of the DREAM Act. He was followed by a debate on the DREAM Act where Gumecindo Salas, Vice President of Government Affairs at Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) supported the DREAM Act and Ira Mehlman from FAIR spoke against it. Here is the video:

Matias on CNN - DREAMAct2009.com from Dream Activist on Vimeo.

-USSA

DREAM Act Updates!!

2009-05-04T13:09:00.002-04:00

The DREAM Act is one of USSA's campaigns for this year. The DREAM Act is an important piece of legislation that will help make higher education accessible and affordable for all hard working students.

According to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), there has been over 15, 000 people that have signed the online petition for the 2009 DREAM Act. The petition was launched less than 2 months ago and thanks to the efforts of hundreds of students across the country, it helped gain the attention and support of several lawmakers. The goal is to have 65,000 signatures, the number representing the number of students who graduate each year who would benefit from the passage of the DREAM Act.

Last week, the DREAM Act picked up a number of important co-sponsors. We have picked up 7 new co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and two more Senators in the last week alone! Here are the new House of Representative co-sponsors:
-Lynn Woosley (CA-6)
-David Wu (OR-1)
-Fortney Pete Stark (CA-13)
-Silvestre Reyes (TX-16)
-Ed Pastor (AZ-4)
-Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30
-Henry Waxman (CA-30) (reported by students who did a lobby visit)

Please call to thank both Senators Maria Cantwell and Mark Udall for their support on the DREAM Act:
-Senator Maria Cantwell - 202-224-3441
-Senator Mark Udall - 202-224-5941

Here are some upcoming events:
-National Call on the DREAM Act on May 6, 2009 at 3 PM EST convened by the United We Dream Coalition. We will discuss new developments on the Dream Act and upcoming DREAM Act '09 campaign events. To RSVP, email to olubunmi@nilc.org before 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 4th to get the call-in information and materials for the cal.

Remember to keep calling your Representatives and ask them to cosponsor the DREAM Act. To call your Representatives in the House and Senate please call the switchboard operator at 202-224-3121. Keep up the good work!

-USSA

USSA President Speaks About The Budget

2009-05-01T00:09:00.003-04:00

President Carmen Berkley represented students from across the country in an article on The Chronicle Of Higher Education News Blog.

With more than 4,000 letters sent to Members of Congress and roughly 1,000 phone calls urging lawmakers to support President Obama's federal budget proposal, USSA and its coalition partners have played a critical role in making sure that education is a right for every hard working student and family.

To read President Carmen Berkley's comments and the full article, click here.

-USSA

Federal Budget Passes the House and the Senate!

2009-04-30T16:45:00.002-04:00

On April 29, a historic federal budget passed the House and the Senate with the education investments we fought so hard for and haven’t seen in generations! There has never been a more important time to invest in America’s future. On April 29, after all your hard work, we made history.

With the passage of this budget we learned two things, first, young people DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE and WE DO HAVE THE POWER TO WIN victories that change peoples lives! And second, there are still private student lenders making millions off of students trying to prevent Congress and President Obama from making education a right for every hard working student and family who deserve it.

The fight is not over. In the coming weeks we will continue to defend our victory as we push Congress to fund the budget proposal they just passed through the Appropriation process. We must continue to let representatives know we are paying attention.

Congratulations again and thank you so much for all that you do to make education a right.

You can read the Press Release on our website.

-USSA

USSA In The News!

2009-04-29T10:45:00.002-04:00

The Detroit News: President Carmen Berkley talks about the reality of student loan debt.
Read the article here

wpxi.com: President Carmen Berkeley discusses about the long term effect of tuition increases.
Read the article here

Education Week: National Field Director Bill Shiebler talks about President Obama's investment to students.
Read the article here

Talk Radio News Service: President Carmen Berkley addresses how important it is to vote for a budget that will benefit students.
Read the article here

-USSA

USSA's National Field Director Talks About College Affordability

2009-04-29T10:36:00.002-04:00

Bill Shiebler, USSA's National Field Director, discusses the reality of college affordability.

Watch the video here

-USSA

President Obama And USSA Support Funding For Higher Education

2009-04-28T13:51:00.008-04:00

On April 24th, President Obama addressed the struggles that students face in higher education. President Obama's budget included increases to the Pell Grant, switching to direct loans instead of federal family education loans (FFEL), a $2,500 annual tax credit that will help students pay the cost of tuition, and increases to the Perkins loan program. Here is the video where President Obama addresses these issues:

President Obama's budget will make sure that students from across the country afford the cost of attending college. This is a step in the right direction to improve America's higher education.

If we spotlight the impact that the Pell Grant will do if the budget passes, 7 million students from across the country will benefit from this program. For example, there will be 18,117 additional students receiving the Pell Grant in New York, 27,546 additional students receiving the Pell Grant in California, and 14,369 additional students receiving the Pell Grant in Florida. Also, the average Pell Grant award for the 2010-2011 academic year will be $3,541 for Alabama, $3,503 in North Carolina, and $3,583 for Montana.

Find your State's recipient and average grant increases on the Campus Progress website.

President Obama knows the tough battle ahead to put students first. "The banks and the lenders who have reaped a windfall from these subsidies have mobilized an army of lobbyists to try to keep things the way they are" stated President Obama, "They are gearing up for battle. So am I". President Obama has made a commitment to students, but there is only so much he can do to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to get a higher education. We as young people need to make sure that our voice is heard throughout the budget process. Now is the time to call your representative and tell them to support President Obama's budget.

-USSA

USSA Helping You Solve Your Problems

2009-04-28T11:34:00.003-04:00

99problems.org is a website that the league of young voters launched to address the problems that we are facing today. On their latest post, They addressed education and the lack of art and music programs in schools. Hip Hop producer 9th Wonder addresses this problem in this video:

USSA President Carmen Berkley gives a solution to the problem that 9th Wonder talks about. Here is her video:

Young people can make a huge impact by calling our representatives to tell them to prioritize programs that we care about. The voice of our generation is a powerful one so stand up for your right to an education that benefits all students.

You can check out the website to 99problems here.

-USSA

President Carmen Berkley Talks About Credit Card Debt

2009-04-28T09:42:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, President Carmen Berkley was interviewed on NPR and talked about student loans and the struggle that students have when it comes to credit card debt.

Check out the interview here

-USSA

The United States Student Association

2009-04-27T15:11:00.000-04:00

The U.S. Student Association (USSA) envisions a just society in which generations of representative leaders understand their power and engage and empower diverse communities to create social change.

The United States Student Association, the country’s oldest and largest national student-led organization, develops current and future leaders and amplifies the student voice at the local, state, and national levels by mobilizing grassroots power to win concrete victories on student issues.

USSA Foundation: The United States Student Association Foundation ensures the pipeline of effective student leadership by facilitating education, training and other development opportunities at national, state and local levels in advocating for issues that affect students.

Our blog will provide you with information for students across the country on issues of higher education.

for more information visit www.usstudents.org