Thursday September 13, 2018
Volume 104 Issue 6
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
High student expectations, even higher debt
Many businesses require some type of college education from employee candidates. SAMMY JONES Staff Writer
Student loan debt has reached over $1.5 trillion nationally, over double the average from 2008, according to figures from the Federal Reserve. California’s students averaged around $22,000 per borrower in 2016 and 50 percent of graduates face debt. CSUF students average at $14,965 in student debt, according to a 2017 LendEDU report. Paydon Miller, press secretary for Young Invincibles, a nonprofit organization working to expand opportunity for young Americans ages 18 to 34, said low-income students significantly impact the average, taking out more student loans to afford their education. Miller also said many businesses are now requiring some type of postsecondary education for potential candidates. Georgetown University estimates that 65 percent of all employers will require postsecondary education by 2020. “We objectively know that a college degree is critical to finding a good job, but at the same time student loans and debt is skyrocketing,” Miller said. In 2016, 63 percent of people with a bachelor’s degree worked in management, professional and related occupations. Earnings were highest for people with at least a bachelor’s degree and increased with graduate
degrees, according to U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics. Miller said students will have the opportunity to make an impact on college affordability through the upcoming midterm elections. “What young people should be asking candidates is, ‘What are you going to do to solve this problem?’” Miller said. “Students have the ability to look up and down the ballot and challenge candidates by asking how they are going to solve this crisis.” Democratic candidate, Andrew Janz, said he faces his own student debt problem and will raise the possibility of Congress helping students limit their own debt on his campaign website. “With respect to higher education, we need to reduce the cost to attend a four-year college. Students graduating from universities are saddled with debt and struggle to find well-paying jobs to repay their loans,” said Janz on his campaign website. But Miller said he knows there are ways for students to limit their debt. “The short answer is just make sure you are exploring all your funding options. There are obviously federal loans involved and scholarships,” Miller said. “Make sure you are talking to your office of financial aid and just understanding that there are private or predatory lenders out there who may not give you a deal that is quite as advantageous that you might get through a federal loan.” According to Miller, getting an associate’s degree or going to a community college to learn a trade is just as beneficial as the
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traditional four-year university. In 2015, an estimated $2.9 billion in Pell Grant aid went unclaimed. In California alone, students missed out on $396,401,205 of unclaimed scholarship money, according to the 2015 study completed by NerdScholar, the higher education team at NerdWallet.
Graduate student Skylar Holmes said she could have avoided more of the debt she accumulated if she applied for scholarships that were made available during her four years at CSUF. “I definitely saved a lot of debt by coming to a Cal State instead
of a UC but I’d definitely try to apply for more scholarships,” Holmes said. “I didn’t realize until later on how many there were and you don’t realize people don’t apply for the ASI ones, so they are a lot easier to get.”
CSUF Cops treat Titans to coffee hosts tourney Titans volleyball will host the Titan Tournament starting Sept. 14. JARED EPREM Sports Editor
Cal State Fullerton volleyball will host the Titan Tournament this weekend, playing University of San Francisco Friday, Sept. 14 and University of Idaho Saturday, Sept. 15. The Titans’ last three games were played in the Rebel Challenge in Las Vegas and they lost all three. Setter Courtney Mueller said the five-set loss to Eastern Kentucky set the tone for the rest of the weekend. “We were very panicked. I don’t think we believed in ourselves as much as we have in the past six games. Our errors contributed to our low self-esteem,” Mueller said. Mueller said Fullerton plays better when the team is leading than when it’s trailing. In an attempt to be consistent, she said the coaching staff has integrated more game scenarios in practice where the team is trailing by five or more points to teach them to play from behind. CSUF committed 80 hitting errors in its three-game stretch in Las Vegas. Mueller said the experience will act as a teaching point for the team. SEE RECOVER
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Thomas Perez of the University Police greets students on campus at the first Coffee with a Cop event of the fall semester.
Students get the opportunity to mingle with campus officers. SOMMER CLARK Staff Writer
Coffee, doughnuts and University Police united for the department of humanities and social sciences’ Coffee With A Cop on Sept. 10. Students gathered outside of the humanities building between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. for free refreshments and to interact with campus law enforcement. Glock, the department’s
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explosive-detection K-9, attended the event. According to his handler, Officer Matt Bauer, although Glock was in public relations mode, he knows that once the vest goes on, it is time to go to work. Glock has opened a route for police officers to interact with students regardless of their views on law enforcement. Often the desire to pet him draws people in and conversations develop between Bauer and students, Bauer said. University Police Capt. Scot Willey said when Coffee With A Cop started, he did not know the influence it would have on students. He said he was surprised at
the number of students that sparked conversations about a multitude of things. “I’ve had sexual assault victims that have never reported their assault to anybody. I’ve had victims of domestic abuse. I’ve had stalking victims come up and talk to me and ask for advice,” Willey said. Willey oversees Encouraging a Positive and Interactive Community, also known as the EPIC program. Coffee With A Cop is one of the events in this program. “This is very different from us being out enforcing laws. If I am pulling you over for a traffic stop, we are not going to have time to sit and talk about
your concerns about policing. This allows that time,” Willey said. Ashley Ibarra, 18-yearold CSUF student, said she is aware of the current media climate and accusations that some officers are prejudiced. Ibarra said her conversation with the officers showed that they are people as well. “There are some students that do not know the campus has its own police department. That is why it is important for University Police to show students their presence on campus,” Willey said. SEE UPD
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