On this edition of Your Call, we’re discussing President Biden’s announcement to forgive up to $10,000 dollars in federal student loans for those making less than $125,000 per year, and another $10,000 for Pell Grant recipients.
The typical undergraduate finishes school with nearly $30,000 in debt, but that number is higher for women of color. While some advocates are celebrating, others say the plan doesn’t go far enough. We’ll trace the origins of the student debt crisis, which began in the 1980s when Ronald Reagan slashed funding for higher education.
Guests:
Natalia Abrams, president and co-founder of the Student Debt Crisis Center
Dr. Charlie Eaton, economic sociologist, associate professor of sociology, and co-founder of the Higher Education, Race, and the Economy Lab at the University of California, Merced, and author of Bankers in the Ivory Tower: The Troubling Rise of Financiers in US Higher Education
Web Resources:
The New York Times: Biden Gave In to Pressure on Student Debt Relief After Months of Doubt
The New York Times: The Government Gave Out Bad Loans. Students Deserve a Bailout.
Common Dreams: Republican AGs, Dark Money Groups Scheme to Sue Over Student Debt Relief
Aljazeera: ‘I feel stuck’: Inside the growing US student debt crisis
The Washington Post: Who has student loan debt in America?
The Intercept: The Origin of Student Debt: Reagan Adviser Warned Free College Would Create A Dangerous "Educated Proletariat"
Common Dreams: Student Loan Debt Is an American Malignancy Born of Ronald Reagan
