LAS BRASAS
Authentic Mexican Cuisine
The Biggest Burrito
in Town for
§ jllSt*375 S ¥
■ :» ■ ■ * ■ ■ * + ■ « ■ « ft ■
Large selection of burritos
Lunch and dinner combos
Imported beers
Mexican taquitos, tortas,
enchiladas &. vegetarian burritos
541 Blair Blvd. Eugene
338-0807
We Accept Credit Cards
ODE Archive/, find ODE /tofie/ from 1994 through
today. Archived on the uieb @ urujui.dQilyemerolcl.com
Students’ loan debt increases
■An OSPIRG report finds
more students are facing
unmanageable debt
By Danielle Gillespie
Oregon Daily Emerald
Paying for college can be a bur
den for many University students
who may find it difficult to pay
electricity, rent, cable and phone
bills that stack up on the table along
with tuition, food and book costs.
According to OSPIRG’s report
“The Burden of Borrowing,” 39 per
cent of University student borrowers
graduate with unmanageable loan
debt. OSPIRG defines unmanageable
debt as monthly payments exceed
ing 8 percent of monthly income.
OSPIRG’s report found that 64
percent of students graduated with
debt in 1999-2000 and that average
debt has nearly doubled in the past
8 years to $16,928.
In addition, the report found that
low-income students and minority
students are more likely to face un
manageable loan debt after gradua
tion. Seventy-one percent of all de
pendent student borrowers from
families with incomes less than
$20,000 graduate with loan debt,
compared to 44 percent of students
from families with incomes more
than $100,000. But the number of
wealthy students taking out loans
over the last 8 years quadrupled be
tween 1992-93 and 1999-2000.
Eighty-four percent of African
Americans and 66 percent of His
panic college students graduate
with debt.
Based on the report’s results,
Roberts said, OSPIRG wants Con
gress to increase grant aid funding,
eliminate fees on student loans and
further expand repayment flexibili
ty. Roberts suggested students call
on their governors to improve loan
and grant funding.
Director of Student Financial Aid
Elizabeth Bickford said numerous
methods exist for students wanting
to decrease loan debt. She suggest
ed students decrease their basic liv
ing expenses and standards. For ex
ample, not owning an automobile
saves the additional expenses of car
insurance, maintenance and re
pairs. She also suggested students
share living space and take 16 cred
its per term rather than 12 credits.
“Currently, 12 credits is the same
price as 16 credits, and if students
only take 12 credits a term, they
will be unable to graduate in four
years, which just adds an extra cost
to their education,” Bickford said.
Bickford said that students
should plan their spending and not
exceed their set budget. She added
that many students graduate with
unmanageable debt because they
often misuse credit cards.
“My suggestion would be, don’t
pay for anything you know you can’t
pay off in the next month,” Bickford
said. “Basically, students just haven’t
learned about credit card manage
ment and budgeting money.”
The Office of Student Financial
Aid, Office of Business Affairs and
the Oregon Student Assistance Com
mission have combined forces to cre
ate a “Debt Management Team” at
the University, which will offer its
services this spring. The committee
has plans to present advisors, profes
sors and student group leaders with
information on how to help students
with finances, Collections manager
Sue Jenkins said.
“We decided to start this pro
gram so students don’t get in so far
over their heads,” Jenkins said. “We
will show students how much they
will make in their planned occupa
tions so they can correlate that with
how much debt they’ll have.”
Jenkins said another method stu
dents can use to reduce student
loan debt is to eliminate luxuries
such as cell phones and pagers.
“These items are not factored
into the financial aid package, and
students need to be aware of that
and alter their lifestyles according
ly,” she said.
E-mail reporter Danielle Gillespie
at daniellegillespie@dailyemerald.com.
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13th & Lawrence *683-1300
1249 alder street
eugene, or 97401
appetizers • burgers • wraps • soups
sandwiches • salads • specialties
Student Specials
with your UO i.d. card
Lasagna Sundays
with green salad ana bread
$5°°
Meatloaf Mondays
with mashed potatoes & salad
$600
Fried Chicken Tuesdays
with all you can eat fries
$550
Wrap Wednesdays
your choice of 6 selections
$525
Burger & Beer Thursdays
includes pint of your choice
$500
(Special offer after 5:00 pm only)
Also featuring:
Wraps • Sandwiches • Soups • Salads
Desserts • Other homemade specialties
344.1960
open mon-fri 11am
sat and sun 9am