A Student Debt Alert campaign was launched Tuesday to raise awareness of increasing debts that plague ASU students.
The purpose of the debt-alert campaign is to mobilize students to generate alternative solutions for paying for college.
"It's going to be all about raising awareness about student debt and about trying to persuade public policy," said Ed Hermes, student regent for the Arizona Board of Regents.
Hermes said members of the graduating class of 2006 will owe an average of about $17,000 in student debt, citing a report from ABOR.
"That's a lot of money, and it's going to affect the way undergraduates are going to be picking their professions when they get out," Hermes said.
Student debt has been increasing since Congress cut $12 billion dollars from student financial aid in December, Hermes said.
"We're going to see a sharp increase in the amount of debt that students have as a result of that," Hermes said.
"I'm very concerned about the way that the student debt trends are heading toward."
Justice studies senior Timothy States is the campaign coordinator of Students for Arizona Public Interest Research Group, a non-profit public interest advocacy group. States said the campaign was designed to encourage student involvement.
Thirty-nine percent of students who have student loans will accumulate an unmanageable amount of debt by graduation, States said.
"Students are doing whatever it takes to go to college," he said.
States said he understood the financial strain that debt can place on college students.
"If it weren't for the loans, I wouldn't be here," he said.
Music Performance sophomore Sixto Montesinos said he was forced to take out a $3,500 loan for housing this year after his scholarship amount dropped and tuition rose.
But last year, ASU gave him more than enough, Montesinos said. In addition to covering the cost of tuition last year, Montesinos said he received an excess of $1,000 a month.
"I probably should have saved it for this year, but, I needed a new wardrobe," he said.
The University does not do a proficient job of allocating the right amount of funds for scholarships, Montesinos said.
"There is so many people at this school, they can't see the individual," he said.
Reach the reporter at kelsey.perry@asu.edu.
