DE Since 1916
Daily Egyptian MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2015 VOLUME 99 ISSUE 28
Obama unviels Student Aid Bill of Rights Sarah Gardner
@rabbitearz93 | Daily Egyptian
With student loan debt in the U.S. topping $1.3 trillion, President Barack Obama unveiled his plan to help the more than 40 million Americans who feel trapped under insurmountable student loans. The president laid out his plan Tuesday during an address at Georgia Institute of Technology. He outlined the major points of what he is calling a Student Bill of Rights again in a conference call with student media Wednesday. “I want every student to have access to a quality, affordable education at a college that’s lowering cost and increasing learning,” Obama said. “Every student should be able to access the resources to pay for college… and every borrower has the right to quality customer service, reliable information and fair treatment, even when they’re struggling to repay their loans.” The Department of Education released state-by-state data showing the number of borrowers and total outstanding balances as of January. Illinois ranks No. 7 for total debt with 1.8 million borrowers accumulating nearly $50 billion in debt. The Obama administration committed to a series of steps it says will minimize that debt and ensure borrowers are treated reasonably and fairly. During the conference call, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said in addition to working to keep college costs low on the front end, the Department of Education and other federal entities will take the following actions to make paying for higher education easier: t By July of 2016, establish a website that will act as a streamlined way for students to file complaints and receive timely responses to any issues with lenders, collection agencies or institutions of higher education. t Make sure banks that service federal loans are held to high standards and provide better information to borrowers. t Raise the bar for debt collection, so that agencies are fair and reasonable when dealing with borrowers, are transparent and help students get back on track when they need help. t Improve customer service by finding better ways to communicate and help borrowers make smart decisions about repayment, and creating a centralized process for repaying all their loans.
Dunn talks potential impact of budget cuts As many as 1,000 SIU courses could be cut if Gov. Rauner’s budget passes.
SIU
Dunn said proposed cuts could wipe away $500M in the southern Illinois economy. Dunn said the impending minimum wage increase will cost SIU $2M and the university system about $2.8M.
Dunn estimated a 2 to 5 percent tuition increase as a result of the cuts. b rAnDA M ItcHEll
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Student Debt
Tyler Davis
@TDavis_DE | Daily Egyptian
SIU President Randy Dunn and some of his top aides traveled to Springfield on Thursday to discuss the repercussions of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget cuts. A Senate budget committee convened in the state’s capitol to hear from Dunn as well as officials from Eastern Illinois University and Western Illinois University. The officials discussed their plans to deal with the cut and fielded questions from the state legislators. All schools expressed apprehension at any cut of state funding to higher education. Rauner’s budget, proposed Feb. 18, called for a 31 percent decrease in state appropriations to public universities. Dunn told the committee the cuts would not only affect the Carbondale campus, SIU-Edwardsville and the SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, but families and students throughout Illinois. He said SIU is the largest employer south of the state capitol, and budget cuts can lead to a loss of jobs, which would cause the state to lose jobs to Kentucky and Indiana. “Any cut has an impact,” Dunn said. “Things are going to disappear and people are going to lose jobs.”
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National Average $27,000 SIUE Average $26,000 SIUC Average $23,000 0
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He said other factors, such as raising the minimum wage, will cut into SIU’s funds. Dunn said the SIU Board of Trustees will discuss increasing tuition at its April meeting. Dunn expressed a reluctance in raising tuition, saying it would hurt SIU’s affordability for many people. Two calls for further comment on Sunday to Dunn were unreturned.
Pi Day celebrated with critical thinking
Please see OBAMA · 2
The United States of Student Debt Total student loan debt in the U.S. = $1.3 trillion More than 40 million Americans have student loan debt Average amount owed per borrower = $27,000
Total outstanding student loan debt in Illinois = $49 billion No. of borrowers = 1,809,000
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D.C.
District of Columbia has the highest average amount owed per borrower at $40,885 (from 140,000 borrowers) Source: U.S. Department of Education
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A bby I yun • D AIly E gyptIAn Ryan Steele plays Magic: The Gathering, a Mensa Mind Game during National Pi Day on Saturday at Castle Perilous Books & Games in Carbondale. Pi Day celebrates the mathematical constant 3.14—also represented by the Greek letter “π”—and runs in conjunction with Albert Einstein’s birthday. Scott Thorne, owner of Castle Perilous Books & Games, said Magic: The Gathering and other games were set out to celebrate National Pi Day and to promote games that foster intelligence and critical thinking.