Liberal Column The
rising cost of attending college has become a severe roadblock that steers many students away from pursuing any form of higher education. For those that do, many are plagued by student loan debt that can take years to pay off. And unfortunately, this major issue has been largely sidelined in the 2016 presidential election. Just last week, New York Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia,
shed light on a shortcoming of the constant chatter of the debate: candidates have not touched on education in a major way. “If it has been slightly, it’s with Secretary (Hillary) Clinton,” said Elia, according to Syracuse.com. “I would say she hasn’t really pushed an agenda for education.” Elia is correct: education reform was not discussed
at the first presidential debate or the second presidential debate, and has hardly been mentioned in speeches by either candidate. Whereas a Democratic candidate like Bernie Sanders had the free-education-for-all plan, it was always questioned for its feasibility. Student loan debt seemingly faded from political focus with Sanders’s resignation, but Clinton’s proposal to combat the student loan debt issue has unappreciated merits. Apart from posting a thorough
proposal for college tuition and student loan reform on her website, Clinton has presented a multi-tiered “debt-free college” system. Specifically, families with income up to $125,000 will pay no tuition at in-state four-year public colleges and universities, and students from higher-income families will have access to a revamped student loan infrastructure. This multi-tiered system would both benefit those who need debt relief the most and even give breaks to students from higher-income families who are still not as likely to borrow. It’s not as all-encompassing as Sanders’ proposal, but it will make college more affordable for students and prevent them from being exposed to massive debt upon graduation. One noteworthy point made by Clinton is a promise to “crack down on predatory schools.” This is a jab at Donald Trump for his failed Trump University: a for-profit, unaccredited school that currently faces a class action lawsuit of more than 5,000 plaintiffs. Because for-profit universities are a growing problem in the United States, it is unnerving to have a major presidential candidate at the head of one — especially one under fire. And even more troublesome is how Trump has hardly any policies pertaining to higher education. Trump has disclosed little about college debt, but his desire to privatize the student loan system through using private banks instead of the federal government. This idea is dangerous because it subjects students to the predatory loan practices that Clinton is fighting against. Agencies prey on desperate students looking for lower interest rates by offering them affixed with high service fees or alternative payment plans. Ultimately, these scams will overwhelm a student with even more financial woes and will prevent college graduates from developing positive credit scores, restricting job and housing prospects. When more than 40 million U.S. college graduates are afflicted debt — averaging more than $37,000 per student, according to a 2014 study by the credit bureau Experian — Trump’s stance on how to deal with debt does little to help or reassure those who actually have to confront it. Again, as Elia noted, education is not by any means at the forefront of this election. Yet it is still reassuring to know that Clinton has a thorough optimistic proposal to combat the college debt problem. Conversely, it is disconcerting to know that her opponent has no such plan and is simultaneously embroiled in a lawsuit concerning his own fraudulent academic dealings. On the subject of higher education reform, only one candidate has the best interests of students at heart, and she is prepared to take legitimate steps to address the issue. Ryan Dunn is a freshman history major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at [email protected]. Published on October 10, 2016 at 9:00 pm Most college graduates have one major thing in common: student debt. Today, 70 percent of college students graduate with a significant amount of loans. Over 44 million Americans collectively hold nearly $1.5 trillion in student debt. That means that roughly one in four American adults are paying off student loans. When they graduate, the average student loan borrower has $37,172 in student loans, a $20,000 increase from 13 years ago. With that money, borrowers could put a down payment on a home, purchase a new car or bootstrap their own business. Courtesy of Comet As the size of student debt owed has increased, so have monthly payments. The Federal Reserve estimated that the average monthly student loan payment increased from $227 in 2005 to $393 in 2016. Courtesy of Comet These significant financial burdens are impacting the ways Americans save, spend and live their lives. The Federal Reserve Board of Washington, D.C. found that an increase in student debt has led to a decrease in home ownership. A study from NerdWallet predicts that students who graduated from college in 2015 will have to delay retirement until the age of 75, in part because of the increasing burden of student debt. One key cause for the increase in student debt is that more Americans are going to college than ever before — and they need to. Experts predict that the future job market will require a significant increase in skilled workers. According to the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce, by 2020, 65 percent of all jobs in the American economy will require education beyond high school. However, the U.S. Census estimates that just 33 percent of American adults currently possess a bachelor's degree or more.  Which element of the Type A personality seems to be most strongly related to increased coronary risk?Hostility appears to be the main factor linked to heart disease and is a better predictor than the TAPB as a whole.
Which level of the brain is called the seat of the emotions because it appears to be the first to register pain?amygdala, region of the brain primarily associated with emotional processes. The name amygdala is derived from the Greek word amygdale, meaning “almond,” owing to the structure's almondlike shape. The amygdala is located in the medial temporal lobe, just anterior to (in front of) the hippocampus.
What is Neustress?Neustress: Any kind of information or sensory stimulus that is perceived as unimportant or inconsequential. Distress: The unfavorable or negative interpretation of an event (real or imagined) to be threatening that promotes continued feelings of fear or anger; more commonly known simply as stress.
Which branch of the autonomic nervous system slows down certain body functions as part of recovery from exposure to a stressor?The parasympathetic nervous system causes a slowing of bodily functions (i.e. heart and respiratory rates) and favors healing, rest and restoration, as well as coordinating immune responses.
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