Amid a growing student-debt crisis, Degrees Not Debt is attempting to raise awareness about college affordability at several universities, including ASU.
At the center of the ASU campaign is Roanoke College alumnus Tim Cywinski, an organizer consultant for Change Corps, a company that hires clients to work with grassroots and activist groups for a year at a time.
Cywinski’s client is the National Education Association, which started the Degrees Not Debt Campaign to address the issues of college affordability and the student debt crisis.
Degrees Not Debt is a national campaign that gathers representatives nationwide, from universities such as East Michigan State, Penn State, Temple University and Eastern Michigan University.
“We’re all trying to have one big organized national campaign like Degrees Not Debt in order to kind of get college campuses, especially the big large student populated campuses, involved in the issues of college affordability and student debt crisis," Cywinksi said.
Cywinski said the group is working on getting a petition signed, which would ask President Michael Crow to send a letter to Congress stating that the Student Aid Bill of Rights, released two weeks ago, can have a lot of impact on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
The Higher Education Act is a financial aid bill that Lyndon Johnson wrote to ensure that students who couldn't afford college on their own could with help from the government, but it must be reauthorized by Congress to go into effect.
The group is looking to get 500 signatures on the petition, Cywinski's intern and history and political science senior Ben Miller, said.
When Miller met Cywinski through a friend in August, Miller said he felt the issue really resonated with him.
“I think it’s a great opportunity because here at ASU we have a unique opportunity because we’re the largest student body in the country,” Miller said. “We have the most say in it because this is a student issue, it’s not conservative or liberal it’s just for students because it affects everyone.”
Political science junior Jhadia Jackson, another intern for Degree Not Debt, said she agrees with Miller.
“Personally I’m affected by this issue because I myself, and a majority of the students here actually, have student loans,” Jackson said. “So what better opportunity than to get out there and help, especially when a lot of people are affected by this issue.”
Next Tuesday, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema will speak speak at the Memorial Union about the college affordability crisis and the student debt crisis. There are also weekly meetings every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. that are open to anyone who wishes to attend.
Related Links:
ASU President Crow talks student debt, sustainability at open forum
Students talk openly about debt, loans at 'Civility Instead'
Reach the reporter at mhclose@asu.edu or follow @KingCloseTM on Twitter.
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