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Degrees Not Debt

September 26th, 2014 by flanews

No More Student Debt, that’s the rallying cry from students around the country. As Matt Galka tells us, a new campaign here in Florida is looking for a solution to the problem.

Students are fed up with the sky high loan amounts and interest rates they’re shackled with upon graduating.

The National Education Association launched the “Degrees not Debt” campaign on Florida A & M’s Campus.  Chelsey Herrig helps coordinate the program around the country.

“33 million people are in debt right now. The Government will make about 1 trillion dollars off the debt,” said Herrig.

The average student will be about 30 grand in the hole upon graduation.  Daisia Harmon says she’ll be one of them.

“It’s a concern for me, it’s my future, not my parents, and I’m in graduate school so it’s becoming more of a reality,” said Harmon, a FAMU grad student.

Professor Elizabeth Davenport says her students need more options – both going into and leaving college.

“We want to see ways of eliminating debt, maybe changing the percentage of interest rates, pushing for more grants because you know in Florida we’re eliminating them,” said Davenport.

A bill being pushed by Democrats allowing for student loan refinancing has stalled in Washington.

Cuts to Florida’s Bright Futures scholarship program have not helped the debt problem.  It’s estimated that in three years, just over 83,000 students will be eligible for the program, down from 127,000 students this year.

 

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