A3
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, AUGUST 27, 2022
Some Oregon students see Biden’s student loan plan as a fi rst step
More relief sought for
high cost of college
By MEERAH POWELL
Oregon Public Broadcasting
President Joe Biden has announced
a one-time cancellation of a portion of
federal student loan debt. The new pol-
icy erases up to $20,000 for people
who went to college on Pell Grants and
$10,000 for those who didn’t — only if
they’re making less than $125,000 per
year.
Some Oregon students are apprecia-
tive of the move but think the president
could have gone further.
According to 2019-20 school year
data from Oregon’s Higher Educa-
tion Coordinating Commission, people
who graduated with associate or bache-
lor’s degrees from Oregon’s public uni-
versities have an average of roughly
$21,000 in federal loan debt. At com-
munity colleges, former students owe
about $13,000 on their federal loans.
Overall, 31% of Oregon undergradu-
ates have federal loans, according to the
commission .
“I am thrilled for the mobility and
relief this decision will bring to stu-
dent debt holders in Oregon and across
the country,” Luda Isakharov, the Uni-
versity of Oregon’s student body presi-
dent, said in a statement to Oregon Pub-
lic Broadcasting . “However, a one-time
cancellation is the bare minimum in
addressing the skyrocketing costs of a
college education.”
Isakharov, who is from Oregon,
said she chose to go to UO because the
in-state tuition made it more aff ordable.
“But, a lot of my friends and peers
come to Oregon for programs from out
of state, and the costs are extremely
burdensome, and as a result they have
to take on extremely large amounts of
loans,” she said. “I just wish we could all
choose our college, universities and edu-
cational paths based on our passions and
the best fi t for us and not be restrained
by burdensome costs.”
Student leaders over at Oregon State
University, Oregon’s largest public uni-
versity, had a similar mixed reaction to
Biden’s announcement. The Associated
Students of Oregon State University
said in a statement from its executive
branch that while the partial loan cancel-
lation will benefi t many students, it’s not
a permanent solution.
“While we wish for greater action
from the federal government on the stu-
dent debt crisis, we are pleased to hear
Kaylee Domzalski/Oregon Public Broadcasting
President Joe Biden has announced a student loan forgiveness plan.
that action is being taken,” the group
wrote. “We are hopeful that this rep-
resents a fi rst step towards longer-term
actions to combat the dramatically rising
costs of higher education.”
Oregon politicians reacted positively
to Biden’s announcement Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, U.S.
Sen . Ron Wyden and U.S. Jeff Merkley,
all Democrats, put out statements in sup-
port of the president’s action.
Bonamici, who represents the North
Coast, called the announcement “the
most far-reaching in a long list of actions
taken by the Biden administration to
support student borrowers, reform the
federal student loan system, and make
our nation’s colleges and universities
more aff ordable.”
Wyden tweeted that the one-time
loan forgiveness is great news for stu-
dents who are forced to make decisions
between paying off their loans and mak-
ing ends meet. He said he’ll continue to
push for student debt relief in the future.
Merkley said he applauds the action
but views it as a “down payment” on
the overall solution. He says he’ll pur-
sue larger reforms, including aff ordable
income-based repayment plans.
As enrollment has dropped at most
of Oregon’s public higher education
institutions during the coronavirus pan-
demic, tuition has increased. The ris-
ing cost of higher education has made
it even harder for students to graduate
without substantial debt.
The Oregon Student Association, a
nonprofi t student advocacy group, said
while Biden’s partial debt cancellation
is a step toward addressing the “broken
higher education system,” more needs to
be done.
“Public higher education continues to
be drastically underfunded, forcing stu-
dents to shoulder the burden of high tui-
tion,” the association’s executive com-
mittee told Oregon Public Broadcasting
in a statement. “We urge President Biden
to expand fi nancial aid, fully fund higher
education, and cancel all student debt.”
UO student body president Isakharov
says she hopes Biden’s announcement
will start a wider conversation about
access and aff ordability for college.
“Forgiving loans is an amazing step,
but I want to know what is next — both
from the federal government, but also
from the state of Oregon,” Isakharov
said. “The systematic issues that force
people to take out loans in the fi rst place
are continuing to raise tuition prices.”
Along with the partial, one-time loan
cancellation, Biden announced a cap
on monthly payments for undergrad-
uate federal loans — lowering it from
10% to 5% of a borrower’s discretion-
ary income.
He said the U.S. Department of Edu-
cation is also proposing a rule to over-
haul income-driven repayment plans in
a multitude of ways. That includes for-
giving loan balances after 10 years of
payments instead of 20 years for bor-
rowers with original loan balances of
$12,000 or less.
Biden announced he will extend the
student loan pause one last time. It had
been previously extended to Tuesday ,
but Biden said it will now last through
the end of this year.
IN NEED OF
COMMUNITY
SUPPORT!
Clatsop County Local,
25 year father of 2,
Cody Blocker, was in
a critical accident in
Mexico on August 23rd,
2022. He sustained
major neck and spinal
injuries resulting in
emergency surgery.
We are raising money
as a way to support
the family through this
traumatic time. Hospital bills are adding up quickly
and funds to get Cody back to the US safely are
needed urgently. Cody, Megan, and their family can
use all the support they can get, any donations will be
going directly to the family.
riley hawksford
@riley-hawksford
You Can Help By Donating
Through Their Close Friend
Riley Hawksford’s Venmo
or Go Fund Me.