ANDREA FOSTER: Rep. Foxx, please keep higher education affordable
Saturday, April 28, 2018 -- I am not living my college days in a luxurious hammock. Paying the incredibly high costs of not only tuition but also basic necessities, such as housing and food, is overwhelming. As lawmakers consider updating the Higher Education Act, I urge them to truly take into account the experiences of students today, so that they create a set of laws that will meet our needs, not cut off access to aid and our dreams for the future.
Posted — UpdatedAs a student who is working two on-campus jobs and a third job back home, I can assure you that I am not living my college days in a luxurious hammock. Paying the incredibly high costs of not only tuition but also basic necessities, such as housing and food, is overwhelming. As lawmakers consider updating the Higher Education Act, the sweeping legislation that governs our higher education system, I urge them to truly take into account the experiences of students today, so that they create a set of laws that will meet our needs, not cut off access to aid and our dreams for the future.
Rep. Foxx began her op-ed by saying “you can’t put a price on education, the saying goes, but if you did it would be very high. And the cost falls on everyone.” The price of education is the price for my future, and I will be paying it for many years to come.
Without sufficient financial aid, students have no choice but to turn to loans. Just getting to school can feel like finishing an extremely challenging race, and without a federal loan, we wouldn’t be able to finish it. Rep. Foxx says that we need to “curtail student loans,” but cutting off the access to loans would mean cutting off access to a degree, and the job opportunities that come with it, for so many students in the country.
Rep. Foxx also wants to eliminate all loan forgiveness. I wish she understood how important loan forgiveness is to students today. Public Service Loan Forgiveness means that we can pursue meaningful careers in lower-paying jobs, like becoming a teacher or working at a local non-profit organization, without having to grapple with unpayable student debt. Doing good work that gives back to the community should not be a privilege reserved only for those who didn’t have to take on debt. And after decades of payments, general income-based repayment loan forgiveness means that I might be able to start my own business without debt preventing me from getting started.
I hope that lawmakers will make students their priority during this Higher Education Act reauthorization. I hope to see loan forgiveness protected and increased federal aid, like Pell Grants, to help more students go to college. With the cost of tuition skyrocketing, it is our only chance of affording school. Students shouldn’t be robbed of the chance to reach our full potential because we can’t access higher education.
I hope my Congresswoman, Rep. Foxx, will help the thousands of students in her district and in our country succeed.
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