In support of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, New Jersey
Interest Research Group Student chapters will present a photo-petition
toward the end of the month to state senators.
The petition differs from usual petitions because rather than signing,
students were photographed with a sign displaying how much debt they
will be in when they graduate, said Sarah Clader, an NJPIRG employee and
University alumna.
“It puts a face to the amount of money that [students] owe, making it a
lot more personal,” said NJPIRG Campaign Coordinator Mohamed Eladawy.
Eladawy, a School of Engineering junior, hopes the personal nature of
the photo-petitions will translate into more support for the bill.
“It’s a really attention-getting way to do a petition that really puts a
face on the problem of student debt,” Clader said.
NJPIRG began collecting photographs of students on campus about a month
ago by setting up tables outside, Grassroots Coordinator Samuel Obergh
said.
The SAFRA bill is intended to increase federal student aid by cutting
the federal subsidies that are granted to banks that provide student
loans, Eladawy said. The money used for subsidies would then go directly
to the students.
The bill will invest millions of dollars in the Federal Pell Grant and
in a grant program for community colleges, according to the Committee on
Education and Labor Web site. It will also invest in programs to
improve access to college and in institutions that historically serve
minorities.
“It’s trying to eliminate the middle man between federal student aid and
the students themselves,” Eladawy said. “It creates a direct connection
between the federal government and the students.”
The bill will constitute one of the largest increases in federal aid in
United States history, Clader said.
“A college education is getting more and more necessary in our society
and it’s getting more and more difficult to afford,” she said.
The Pell Grant has not increased with inflation, Clader said. The bill
would help make up the difference.
“Cutting the subsidies frees up $40 million to increase federal aid,”
she said.
Student debt delays graduates’ ability to buy homes and start families,
Clader said. It prevents some students from pursuing fields such as
teaching, a social work that pay less than other careers, because the
students have to worry about their ability to repay their loans.
“What students can do is contact their senators and let them know how
important this bill is to them,” Eladawy said. “The more students that
contact the Senate, the more you show that there is actually support for
this bill.”
One of the main problems PIRG faces is the public’s general lack of
knowledge about the bill.
“Although this seems like a really great bill, no one knows about it.
And that’s one of the biggest issues, that no one knows that this is
actually going on,” Eladawy said.
Clader said private lending corporation Sallie Mae opposes the bill.
In response to the opposition, PIRG will be hosting “Take a Swing at
Sallie Mae” later this week outside of Brower Commons on the College
Avenue campus.
Regardless, Obergh, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, is
confident NJPIRG’s efforts will have an impact.
“When you see a face next to $20,000 or $30,000 in debt, it becomes a
little bit more personal. It gives the numbers a face,” he said.
