Virginia21 raises student debt awareness
As the economy is still struggling, many college students are finding it hard to afford school: the accumulated debt from student loans is proving to be difficult for some students to pay back as the job market has become harder to navigate during the recession.
According to a study conducted by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, only 37 percent of students who took out loans were able to repay them, in full and on time, in 2005.
In an attempt to help remedy this situation in Virginia, the political education group Virginia21 is hosting an event entitled “What’s Your Number?”
The campaign is being held on Oct. 27 at Piedmont Virginia Community College in the Bolick Student Center, and will be focused on obtaining signatures from college students for a petition to increase the state funding for financial aid.
The petition’s goal is to reach 1000 signatures in support of persuading the governor and the General Assembly to help mitigate the current student debt crisis.
In addition to the collection of signatures, the “What’s Your Number” event will involve a participation factor to effectively illustrate the widespread impact of student debt. Members of PVCC’s Student Government Association will be present, wearing labels indicating their current debt levels.
Other attendees are invited to take part in this activity as well, and those who do not feel comfortable displaying their actual level of debt may substitute it for something similar, such as “I work two jobs to pay for tuition” or the like.
“This is a very important issue. Almost every student, especially right now, is having trouble paying for college. So many students are graduating college with thousands of dollars in debt, which takes years to pay off. Students should not be penalized for trying to get a good education, but they are. It’s crucial that all of these students get help paying for college,” said President of the Student Government Association at PVCC, Charlotte Russell.
Anyone who cannot attend the event but would still like to sign the petition may do so online, at virginia21.org/whatsyournumber.
