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O pinion
April 22,2009
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Bailing Out
Financial Aid
V
Students need
grants, lower
interest
...
by J udge
G reg M athis
Most of us acknowl­
edge that the key to a
better life - a fulfilling
career, job security, fi­
nancial prosperity, etc. -
begins with a college degree.
While the sheepskin doesn’t
guarantee any of these things,
its recipient is in a far better
position to obtain them than
someone who doesn’t have that
degree. Unfortunately, the ris­
ing costs of higher education
and the fear of being saddle
with student loan debt for 15
years or more has many stu­
dents putting their academic
careers on hold.
President Obama has a plan
that could help students finance
their educations without mort­
gaging their futures. If imple­
mented, the program could pro­
pel more students into our
nation’s colleges and universi­
Wilson’s research forced
me to question the message ties, strengthening their futures
Mexican children might in­ and our nation's. It's too bad
ternalize from the wall. What that the country’s banks, along
with their supporters on Capi­
does the building of a wall
do to a developing psyche? tol Hill, are planning to block
What about one’s feeling of the proposed legislation.
It has become com m on­
self worth?
Standing at the beach, 1 place for students to borrow
was reminded of the poem by thousands and thousands of
dollars to pay for college. The
R obert F rost, “ M ending
Wall.” Frost challenges our money has to be repaid, with
interest. Depending on the
assu m p tio n that, “ G ood
fences make good neigh­ interest rate a student locks
bors.” Frost asks his reader in, they may end up repaying
to think about what is walled up to $100,000 or more, de­
in and walled out when com­ pending on the cost of the
school they attend and the
munities erect fences.
I pondered the psychologi­ length of their program of
study. Being saddled with this
cal, spiritual and physical
questions as I looked at that type of debt as they are just
beginning their career puts a
wall and then at the children.
What does this wall say huge burden on graduates.
Grant funds don’t have to be
about our ability to welcome
repaid. Unfortunately, the funds
our southern n eig h b o rs,
available for disbursement are
who also happen to have
brown skin? It is a very dif­ limited. The President’s plan
ferent message than we por­ would increase the grant money
tray to our neighbors along available to students while re­
the northern border, who ducing the ultimate price of any
happen to have white skin. 1 loans the student would have
to rely on.
conclude that race matters.
Under the proposed pro­
Bentley de Bardelaben is
minister fa r communications gram, banks that manage the
in Justice Ministries fo r the loans would no longer receive
United Church o f Christ.
Fences, Walls and Neighbors
Racism on the Mexican border
by
B entley de B ardelaben
One of the most soothing
and spirit altering sounds to
me is the ocean rolling back
and forth across the shore­
line. An additional benefit
is children laughing, splash­
ing, and playing in the wa­
ter.
I experienced them both
recently as I stood atop a
hillcrest along the Pacific
Coast. The weather that day
was a splendid 75 degrees.
The misty air tasted of a salt.
It was a blissful moment.
As 1 gazed southward, 1
could only think what a bless­
ing it was to stand there. Yet
turning my head northward
brought a sudden sadness.
My mind froze as it absorbed
the m assive steel fence
erected to keep out trespass­
ers. Why is the wall neces­
sary? Who benefits? What
does it protect? Could there
come a time when it might be
dismantled?
1, a citizen of the United
States, offered m yself an­
swers that sent chills down my
spine. The fence marks the
border separating the United
States and Mexico. It is sup­
posed to keep out of the U.S.
those
our
governm ent
deem s
le ­
gally unwor­
thy.
For me, the
wall
also
sy m b o liz e s
an u n d erly ­
The majority — 63 percent
of them — said they'd rather
play w ith the w hite doll.
Harvard University sociology
professor, William Julius Wil­
son
says
that
g ro u n d b reak in g
test
“changed the way that we
look at race relations.”
Sixty years later the results
are similar among girls and
boys ages 5 - 9 . When asked
which was the nice doll, 56
Is racial preference the
message we want to teach
children?
ing determinant: the color of
one’s skin. Is racial prefer­
ence the message we want to
teach children?
Recently, “Good Morning
Am erica" re-exam ined the
groundbreaking, 1940’s doll
test conducted on children by
legendary sociologists Ken­
neth and Mamie Clark to gain
insight on racial perspectives.
They asked black children
about two dolls, one white
and one black.
percent chose the white one.
When asked which was pret­
tier, 47 percent of the girls
said that the white doll was
prettier.
A ccording to W ilson,
"black children develop per­
ceptions about their race very
early. They are not oblivious
to this. There's still that resi­
due. There's still the problem,
the overcom ing years, d e­
cades of racial and economic-
subordination. ”
processing and management
fees from the government. The
money the banks used to get -
nearly $ 1 (X) billion - would be
redirected to a pro­
gram that would
provide grants to
college students.
Over the years,
banks have c o l­
lected sizea b le,
virtually risk free
fees from the government for
servicing student loans. Even
if a student defaults on their
loan, the government will re­
pay the bank up to 97 percent
of the original loan amount.
No bank would want to lose
such a sweet deal.
In addition to more grant
money, students need lower in­
terest rates on the loans they
do take out. Rainbow PUSH has
launched an initiative designed
to reduce student loan interest
rates to 1 percent, and with
good reason.
Thanks to the federal bank
bailout, some of the country’s
largest banks are able to bor­
row funds at an interest rate of
less than 1 percent. Students,
however, are forced to borrow
at money to pay for their edu­
cation at rates that range from 4
percent to 18 percent. Why
aren ’t students getting the
same type of deal?
The last year and a half has
shown us that the banking in­
dustry and its leaders are mo­
tivated by greed, not by con­
cern for their custom ers or
their workers, least of all stu­
dents.
Visit reducetherate.org to
learn more about Rainbow
PU SH ’s
initiative
and
whitehouse.gov to learn more
about the President's proposal.
Then, call and write your legis­
lators.
Tell them you support both
an increase in federal grant
money for students and a de­
crease in student loan interest
rates. Ask that they show their
support by doing all that they
can to make sure both pro­
posed plans become reality.
Judge Greg Mathis is vice
president o f Rainbow PUSH
and a board member o f the
Southern Christian Leadership
Conference.
Civil Rights Enforcement
|NEW S E A S O N S
...... _.._
m a r k e t
]
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m
you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up)
Critical staffing
falls short
by
J ohn R. K rik . er
As Attorney Gen­
eral, I have no greater
responsibility that to
protect the civil rights
and civil liberties of
our citizens. Unfortu­
nately, meeting this critical goal
is currently very difficult.
The Oregon Department of
Justice used to have a civil
rights enforcement unit, but
back in the 1980s, the funding
for this unit was eliminated.
Today, as a result, I do no, have
a single attorney devoted to
civil rights and civil liberties
enforcement work. To me, that
is unacceptable.
To fix this problem, I have
proposed the re-creation of a
Civil Rights Enforcement Unit
a, the Oregon Department of
Justice. This unit will partner
with our colleagues a, the Bu­
reau of Labor and Industries
to prev en t d iscrim in atio n
based on age, race, gender,
disability or sexual orienta­
tion.
We will also fight to protect
important constitutional rights,
promote environmental justice,
preserve reproductive freedom,
and defend the employment
rights of Oregon's veterans.
If you support reinvigorating
civil rights enforcement in Or­
egon there are three things you
can do to help:
1. Attend a public
hearing. The Joint
Committee on Ways
and M eans will be
holding a series of
public hearings in dif­
ferent communities in
Oregon to take public
input on state budge, deci­
sions. We want our supporters
to demonstrate, in person, the
importance of funding civil
rights enforcement.
2. Contact your legislator
and le, them know that funding
for civil rights enforcement is
important to you. Passing both
House Bill 5022 and Senate Bill
797 would allow for a small
amount of seed money to star,
the civil rights enforcement
uni, and allow for it to eventu­
ally become partially self-fund­
ing.
3. Sign an online petition by
visiting
the
Website
doj.state.or.us and clicking on
“Support Civil Rights a, the
DOJ."
I hope you that you value
protecting our civil rights and
civil liberties as much as I do.
Together we can make tremen­
dous positive change to the
people of Oregon. I hope you
will join me.
John R. Kroger is the Attor­
ney General o f Oregon.