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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (April 11, 2018)
Page 2 The Skanner April 11, 2018 ® Challenging People to Shape a Better Future Now The HBCU Community Needs Bipartisan Support Bernie Foster Founder/Publisher A Bobbie Dore Foster Executive Editor Jerry Foster Advertising Manager Christen McCurdy News Editor Patricia Irvin Graphic Designer Monica J. Foster Seattle Office Coordinator Susan Fried Photographer 2017 MERIT AWARD WINNER The Skanner Newspaper, es- tablished in October 1975, is a weekly publication, published every Wednesday by IMM Publi- cations Inc. 415 N. Killingsworth St. P.O. Box 5455 Portland, OR 97228 Telephone (503) 285-5555 Fax: (503) 285-2900 info@theskanner.com www.TheSkanner.com The Skanner is a member of the National Newspaper Pub lishers Association and West Coast Black Pub lishers Association. All photos submitted become the property of The Skanner. We are not re spon sible for lost or damaged photos either solicited or unsolicited. ©2018 The Skanner. All rights re served. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission prohibited. Local News Pacific NW News World News Opinions Jobs, Bids Entertainment Community Calendar n F ebo m me • nts TheSkannerNews o k • learn • co in y o u r c o m m u n d ay ! • L i ke u s o ac it SPECIAL SECTION: FAIR HOUSING April 18 to y • Opinion few months ago, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) was proud to welcome the presidents and chancel- lors from 30 Historically Black Colleges and Univer- sities (HBCUs) and Predom- inantly Black Institutions (PBIs) to Washington, D.C. for the second annual HBCU Fly- In held in conjunction with the leadership of Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Represen- tative Mark Walker (R-N.C.), who are both members of the very important, bipartisan HBCU Caucus. My experience as a former HBCU president and now leader of TMCF, working on behalf of our 47 publicly-sup- ported HBCUs, gives me a broad perspective on the fed- eral government’s partner- ship with HBCUs, as delivered through this event’s multiple listening sessions and direct engagement opportunities with members of Congress and senior leadership within the Trump Administration. Thanks to the commitment of dozens of our HBCU pres- idents and chancellors who attended our inaugural con- vening and this year’s fly-in, we’re beginning to see major developments from several federal agencies looking to Dr. Harry L. Williams Pres. & CEO, Thurgood Marshall College Fund increase support for HBCUs and to create more opportu- nities for our scholars. Thanks to our collective advocacy, several HBCUs that were devastated by Hurri- “ We’re begin- ning to see major de- velopments from several federal agen- cies looking to increase support for HBCUs cane Katrina in 2005 received total forgiveness of outstand- ing loans awarded for the res- toration of their campuses in the hurricane’s aftermath. Southern University at New Orleans, Dillard University, Xavier University, and Tou- galoo College are free of their repayment obligations on more than $300 million in fed- eral loans, because of direct engagement with and action from this administration and congressional leadership on issues of critical importance to our HBCU’s, like this one. Perhaps the most signifi- cant indicator of our grow- ing partnership has been the achievement of level funding in the President’s FY’ 2019 budget proposal and within the recent Omnibus Appro- priations Bills. For example, the FY’ 2018 Omnibus Appro- priations bill had major wins for HBCUs: Pell Grant Maximum Award • FY’17 Funding Level: $5,920 (per student) • FY’18 Funding Level: $6,095 (+$175/increase of 2.96 per- cent) Title III, Part B and F, Strengthening HBCUs Un- dergraduate Programs • FY’17 Funding Level: $244.6 million • FY’18 Funding Level: $279.6 million (+$34 million/in- crease of 14.3 percent) Title III, Part B, Strengthen- ing HBCUs Graduate Pro- grams • FY’17 Funding Level: $63.2 million • FY’18 Funding Level: $72.3 million (+$9 million/in- crease of 14.3 percent) Title III, Part A, Strengthen- ing PBI Program • FY’17 Funding Level: $9.9 million • FY’18 Funding Level: $11.3 million (+$1.4 million/in- crease of 14.3 percent) Title VII, Masters Degree Program at HBCUs and PBIs • FY’17 Funding Level: $7.5 million • FY’18 Funding Level: $8.5million (+$1 million/in- crease of 14.3 percent) We are cognizant that many lawmakers in the majority in Congress favor fiscal auster- ity to address budgetary is- sues, but in a legislative envi- ronment dominated by talks of budget cuts, critical HBCU funding lines were increased, which is a demonstrable re- turn on our collective invest- ment in bipartisan engage- ment. Indeed, TMCF’s decision not to resist, but instead en- gage in a strategic way and bipartisan fashion on behalf of our nearly 300,000 HBCU students who need a voice in Congress and with the Trump Administration has borne fruit at many levels. What a Difference a Director Makes at CFPB I n 1959, the late Dinah Wash- ington won a Grammy for her R&B hit song, “What a Difference a Day Makes.” The song tells the story of how a blossoming romance dramatically changed life. Its last lyrics conclude that “the difference is you.” When I consider the steady stream of changes at the Con- sumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), I would alter those lyrics to “What a Differ- ence a Director Makes.” Mick Mulvaney, the “illegal- ly” appointed acting director of the CFPB, has indeed rad- ically changed the bureau. Central to these changes is his perspective that there is no need for the CFPB to car- ry out its mission to serve as the consumers’ financial cop on the beat — defending and protecting against deceptive, unfair and illegal practices in the financial marketplace. For six years, America’s consumers had a bureau that won significant victories in the name of financial jus- tice. CFPB was so effective that 29 million consumers received nearly $12 billion. In the aftermath of the hous- ing crisis that devolved into a deep recession, a federal law assigned authority to ac- cept complaints, investigate and when warranted, take enforcement actions against bad financial actors. Rules af- fecting financial transactions as large as mortgages and as Charlene Crowell NNPA Columnist small as payday loans were fi- nalized after extensive public hearings where lenders and borrowers alike were afford- ed the opportunity to share their respective views before “ He’s not yet done with rolling back consumer protections, particularly when it comes to payday and other small dollar loans any decisions were reached. The bottom line for CFPB was to act on the law’s re- quirement to implement fi- nancial rules of the road to protect both consumers and lenders. Additionally, CFPB was to seek restitution for the victims of predatory and ille- gal practices. Now as CFPB’s Acting Di- rector Mulvaney has sys- tematically implemented a series of changes that so far have weakened the Bureau’s mission statement and tak- en steps to handicap the Bu- reau’s Office of Fair Lending that is charged with coun- tering financial discrimina- tion. He has also begun steps to rewrite the long-awaited payday lending rule that re- quires lenders to ensure that borrowers can afford to repay these small-dollar loans that come with big costs. Even worse: he’s not yet done with rolling back con- sumer protections, particu- larly when it comes to payday and other small dollar loans. A series of CFPB investiga- tions conducted before Mul- vaney’s appointment are now in jeopardy. Instead of hold- ing businesses accountable for debt trap loans and ha- rassing debt collection prac- tices, Mulvaney has reported- ly dropped an investigation against National Credit Ad- justors and may do the same with respect to Cash Express LLC, Security Finance, and Triton Management Group. If allowed to proceed, these investigations could together return an estimated $60 mil- lion to harmed consumers. It’s almost as if CFPB now stands for Companies’ Fi- nancial Protection Bureau. Companies are being asked to advise Mulvaney of what they think financial regula- tion should look like. Instead of investigations and enforce- ments, Mulvaney wants to emphasize information and education while predatory lenders pick the pockets of unsuspecting consumers. “The CFPB is supposed to create a level playing field for consumers,” said Joanna Pearl, a former enforcement attorney in a recent article by Reuters. “I’m not sure Mul- vaney sees it like that.” Some members of Congress are even joining Mulvaney in trying to turn CFPB into a toothless tiger. On March 22, South Caroli- na Senator Lindsay Graham introduced a resolution that would deny consumers the protections in CFPB’s payday rule that has yet to take ef- fect. Graham’s actions follow a similar resolution offered in the House of Representa- tives. Should both chambers vote down the payday rule on a simple majority vote, 300 percent interest lenders would emerge as winners and consumers as losers. “The consumer bureau’s rule would help free people from this suffocating debt trap, and its efforts are sup- ported by people across this country including veterans’ groups, faith leaders, civil rights organizations, consum- er advocates, and many more,” said Scott Astrada, the Center for Responsible Lending’s federal advocacy director. Read the rest of this commentary at TheSkanner.com nt • lo c a l n e w s • eve
