Thousands of students living on college campuses being sent home
College students are forced to pack up their dorm rooms and head home as universities aim to stop the spread of coronavirus; Molly Line reports from Boston.
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Every election year about this time, politicians are usually busy promising college students everything from student loan forgiveness to making college “free” for everyone.
Now, in the midst of a national and global crisis, Congress has decided to pass the largest “relief” bill in American history. And guess who doesn’t get any relief? That’s right, college students and their increasingly cash-strapped parents. Yes, there is a deferral on student loan payments until the fall, but this is nothing compared to the financial burden they’re now shouldering.
Let’s be clear. The amount of disappointment and frustration I have for what Congress has done with this $2.2 trillion legislation is almost too much to express. After all, I popularized the phrase “Big Government Sucks.” I am now forced to acknowledge I live in a world where my fellow citizens believe “Big Government Solves.”
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I’m not saying we shouldn’t have done something given the magnitude of the crisis, but right now I’m not sure how we return conservatives to our first principles of balanced budgets and limited government. But since Congress seems intent on writing even more legislation in the coming weeks, we must make sure it’s filled with smart policies that bring real relief to families with students attending American colleges and universities.
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Turning Point USA, in harmony with Students for Trump, will activate our substantial student networks on over 2,000 campuses to fight for policy wins. Here are three serious proposals to include in a “Student Stimulus Plan”:
Make all student loan interest fully tax-deductible without any limitations or income thresholds
What universities, counselors, parents or the culture at large have failed to tell our students is that runaway tuition is directly tied to an endless supply of federal loans. I have long been in favor of getting college funding out of the hands of the government and back into the hands of the private sector, where it belongs.
As it is, universities have zero incentive to rein in skyrocketing tuition rates if they know the government will continue to fund student loans regardless of whether or not that degree is a good return on investment. In this way, the federal government is complicit in the soaring cost of higher education. Making student loan interest tax-deductible is the least we can do for parents and students straining under a mountain of student loan debt.
Require all universities that accept federal money to fully refund all room and board collected from students for this spring semester
According to the College Board, families pay on average more than $11,000 a year for this pricey line item. If you had assumed that schools would automatically be refunding this expense for unused dorm nights, think again. While some, to their credit, are issuing full refunds, others are only offering credits and others are just flat out saying no. If you’re a university receiving federal funds, there shouldn’t be a choice. Refund the money now.
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Require all universities that accept federal money to freeze tuition hikes for the next two years
Remember, tuition rates paid by students were priced for in-person, on-campus classes, which have now mostly been moved online. Schools such as Harvard and Tufts are charging full freight despite the change, and they’re not alone. If online courses deliver the same value to students then perhaps universities could and should cut costs by moving in that direction permanently. While that’s a fight for another day, for now, let’s provide stability in a time of chaos. Let’s commit to freezing run-away tuition rates for all schools that receive federal funds for at least the next two years.
Congress has clearly communicated its priorities to the American public by way of its massive relief bill. These priorities included $11 billion in funding for the African Development Fund (ADF), $25 million to the Kennedy Center (which is laying off workers anyways), $350 million for migrant and refugee resettlement programs, and $75 million to NPR and PBS to name only a few.
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So, I say to our big government politicians, why don’t you try teaching our students that you meant it during all those past election cycles when you said you wanted to help them. Show them that America’s students are at least as important as the Kennedy Center.
I’ve given you three specific ideas to start the lesson.
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