AP Article: "Student Debt Stretches to Record 1 in 5 Houses"

Here's a great piece by Hope Yen (originally published over at AP) about the number of households dealing with student loan debt:

With college enrollment growing, student debt has stretched to a record number of U.S. households - nearly 1 in 5 - with the biggest burdens falling on the young and poor [my emphasis].

Read the  piece in its entirety here. 

CNN Money "Broke college students turn to fertility clinics, sugar daddies"

This CNN Money article, which discusses the darker side of how students are trying to pay for college, was just published today. However, Arianna Huffington discussed how women were seeking out sugar daddies on the Lawrence O'Donnell show in August of 2011. On that note, I want to applaud my fellow reporters for continuing to cover this crucial story - the more exposure, the better.

Here's yet another reason why we MUST solve the student lending crisis. 

It's just sad. But it shouldn't have to be sad. It should just be solved. Period. 

Huffington Post: 'Adding Insult to Injury:' After Son's Apparent Suicide, Mother Charged $14,000 in Taxes for Parent Plus Loans

Here's a snippet from my latest piece:

Roswell Friend, 22, went for his last run on August 18, 2011. Images of him running were captured by security cameras at Temple University -- where he had been a student. In an e-mail, his mother, Regina Friend, wrote, "my son ran track [at Temple], and was just about to graduate. He'd earned all the credits, but hadn't 'walked.'" He left behind his cell phone, his wallet, and car keys at home. The fall out for his mother has not just been the emotional end. She also recently learned that the IRS is pursuing $14,000 in taxes for Parent Plus Loan. Although the loan of approximately $58,000 was forgiven by the lender -- Sallie Mae -- Ms. Friend is struggling to understand the IRS's motivation.

Read the rest at the Huff Post here.

Ms. Friend with her son at his high school graduation

CALLING ALL STUDENTS!

Undergraduates, graduate students, law school students, medical students, and nursing students . . . Seeking no more than 5 sentences for each of the following questions below. Email me: info@alleducationmatters.org

Please indicate if you wish to remain anonymous or if I may use your name in the article. 

Thank you!

1) Who are you going to vote for Pres. Obama or Mitt Romney, and why? 

2) Does your student loan debt have a bearing on your choice?  

3) Anything else you wish to share about your voting decision?

4) Are you in school or out of school?

5) What was/is your area of study?

Michelle Obama's Convention Speech And Student Loan Debt

Photo Credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Student loans were mentioned several times in Michelle Obama's moving speech last night at the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her talk has been widely praised by the press, and twitter was abuzz with positive remarks as the First Lady spoke. In fact, people were so engaged while she was speaking there were over 28,000 tweets per minute when she finished - of  course - to thunderous applause.

When it comes to student loans and debt, she spoke openly of how her father helped her get through college by taking out loans to cover part of her tuition.

But here's the strongest point she made about the shared debt she had with the man she fell deeply in love with, married, and continues to support:

Believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage. We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.

If there is one thing to take away from this remark - regardless of your political leanings - it is this: don't let your debt destroy your relationships. If you're having problems with your current partner or a family member who co-signed on one of your loans, stick it out. Work through it together. Don't forget that there are people fighting for you and your family. There are people fighting every day to ensure that those of us who are part of the indentured educated class will have a better, brighter future.

I applaud the First Lady for openly and unashamedly discussing their own struggles with paying their student loan debt and trying to juggle other financial obligations.

It's truly time to overcome the shame of having debt, and it's also time to come up with viable solutions. One thing is certain, if re-elected, President Obama has a lot of work to do on this front. 

Read the full transcript of the speech here [Source: NPR]

Recent Articles

I have written some recent articles that aren't related to student loan debt, and wanted to share them with all of you here.

The first one is about the way in which publicists are bullied, and the second one is a an interview I had with author Cullen Thomas. Thomas is the author of a fascinating book, Brother One Cell, about the time he spent in prison in S. Korea.