Educators, Lesser see debt a growing problem

April 20, 2017 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Facilitator Beth Ward of Western Mass News, Holyoke Community College President Christina Royal, state Sen. Eric Lesser and Springfield Technical Community College President John Cook discussed the student debt issue at a forum at Springfield Technical Community College on April 12. Photo courtesy of James Langone


SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Eric Lesser called student debt “one of the defining issues for our generation.”

The presidents of Holyoke Community College (HCC) and Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) and Lesser met with students at a forum conducted at STCC on April 14 to discuss the problem of student debt.

Student debt is at an all time high, Lesser noted, with $1.2 trillion in outstanding loans and the average debt being $29,000 per student.

Lesser said many lenders are interested in “vacuuming every dime” out of the pocket’s of students trying to pay for college and he hopes the proposed Student Loan Bill of Rights will be a step in preventing predatory lending practices.

Lesser said he and his staff have collected “horror stories” about how students have been harassed by lenders for repayment.

“This is awful stuff. We wouldn’t tolerate them with a used car, much less an education,” the senator said.

The selling of loans from one lender to another is one problem about which students must lean, HCC President Christina Royal said.

Both Royal and STCC President John Cook stressed the cost and educational advantages of attending a community college.

Cooke said, “We like to think of it as a smart choice.”

Royal said starting a college career at a community college and then transferring to a four-year institution is “a smart financial decision.”

What Cook would like to see is for students who have Pell Grants to be able to attend a school such as STCC and graduate without any student debt. Currently Pell Grant students generally owe $500 for their education.

When asked by one student why a community college education costs so much, Cook said at STCC there is not only an investment in staff and faculty, but also in the maintenance of the infrastructure of many of the historic buildings.

One way the state has tried to make a college education more affordable, Cook explained, is by the Commonwealth Commitment. The program allows community college students who finish their Associate’s degree within two and half years and transfer to a state university while maintaining full-time enrollment and a grade point average of at least 3.0 to see a freeze in tuition and mandatory fees as well as a 10 percent refund of tuition and fees at the conclusion of each fall and spring semester. The goal is to cap the final two years of a four-year degree at $30,000.

Another student asked what they could do to address the issue. Lesser said to put pressure on both the state Legislature to pass the Student Loan Bill of Rights and on Congress to support legislation that would assist students.

Royal said educators are supporting expanding the Pell Grant program that would make community college free for many students.

Many students are trying to reconcile their cost of living and obligation to family members while going to college, Royal noted.

"That’s a tough balance,” she said.  

In reaction to a question about financial literacy and college costs, Royal said community colleges should “take it [such information]” into communities.”

One student expressed concern that changes take time in government and the students who might work for the passage of legislation today would not benefit from it.

Lesser said if the Student Loan Bill of Rights passes in 2018, many current students will see protection by it. 

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