Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/2868
Higher education means higher debt, higher stress Areli Dohner-Chavez is taking just one course — classroom management — at CSU Stanislaus this semester, and she’s also student teaching at an elementary school in Modesto. Even though she’ll earn her credential in the spring, she’s thinking of continuing to take classes at CSU Stan- islaus. “I’m actually thinking of taking a few classes in the spring to postpone re- paying my loans,” admits Chavez, a member of Stu- dent CTA (SCTA). “I have to cover my bases. Lots of graduates say they can’t find jobs with the cut- backs. If I can’t find a job right away, maybe I’ll just continue going to school, apply for jobs and do some subbing.” Chavez knows it could be worse, since she owes just $5,000 in loans. Nonethe- less, even though she lives very frugally, she worries about paying back her debt. “Loans, oh yes, loans,” sighs SCTA member Tam- my Tanner, a student at National University in San Jos e. “I ’ l l owe about $61,000 when it’s all said and done. I finish school in June. I plan on working two jobs for two years to pay off the loans.” Because Tanner works days, night classes are her only option. But her local CSU campuses were so impacted by budget cuts that night classes were cur- tailed. So she enrolled in private school, which meant higher tuition and more loans. 16 California Educator | november 2008 Student CTA member Areli Dohner- Chavez at CSU Stanislaus considers options for repaying her student loans after earning her credential. “It’s ridiculous. It stresses me out, trying to survive on my own,” says Tanner. “Since June, I’ve lost 40 pounds, and it’s all from stress. Fortunately, Student CTA has been there and been very supportive, like a sec- ond family.” When student loans come due after graduation, it can be stressful for gradu- ates who take jobs that do not offer high pay, such as teaching. A group of college financial aid policy ex- perts released a report recently that calls for replacing the 10-year mortgage-style loan re- payment plan with a “graduated plan,” so that payment would rise over time along with the incomes of most borrowers. The cost of higher education is skyrocket- ing — notes the National Education Association’s website “Got Tuition?” (www.gottuition.org) — and threatens to derail the American Dream for millions of young people who either cannot afford to attend college or who are saddled with crip- pling debt that prevents them from furthering their education. “This emerging cri- sis has not been a prom- inent part of the nation- al debate,” notes the website, “despite its long-term threat to the future of our country.” But students who have been impacted would like very much for it to be part of the national debate, and many SCTA members recorded videos at a student conference for the NEA Got Tuition web- site to voice their concern. Students have reason to be alarmed: