It might not be on students’ minds just yet, however scholars all over the United States already are or soon will face the burden of being thousands of dollars in debt from student loans.
According to Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s priority issues on her governmental website, New Hampshire alone already has the highest average student debt in the nation at about $31,408 per student.
College graduates in New Hampshire also have the second highest level of debt in the country. The lack of low-cost public college is a significant contributor to these high average debt levels.
In efforts to give those who wish to receive a higher education justice, individuals here at Keene State College joined the Million Student March. According to the Student March website, “We need change, and change starts in the streets when the people demand it,” and that is what KSC as well as several other colleges around the nation hope to achieve on Thursday, November 12.
KSC senior Jessica L’Hommedieu helped bring the march to Keene State. L’Hommedieu explained that her motivation for orchestrating the event came from the anger of having to see the struggle her mother endured trying to afford sending her to college.
“I’m a senior and have completed three years of my degree. My mother told me two weeks before I came back to school that I wasn’t going back to school because she didn’t have money for loans and she didn’t have money out of pocket for me to go. That stress and emotion my mother went through to admit that she could not support her daughter was what motivated me to find something to do,” L’Hommedieu said, “Realize it’s a problem, we’re getting robbed.”
KSC Junior Caitlyn LaManna fears the debt her current student loans will bring her after graduation.
“Right now my parents co-sign for my loan, but still I’m still going to be in debt and it’s going to go upwards toward twenty-five to thirty grand.” She continued, “You’re paying more in college debt than you could be paying for a mortgage payment or car payment,” LaManna said.
KSC Junior Alexis Zecha also worries about the thousands of dollars she owes from student loans.
“Every country around the U.S. has free college education but the United States.
“Student debt alone can go more than $100,000, then when you go to pay back student loans you have to pay back crazy interest rates,” Zecha said.
Another contributing factor to New Hampshire’s high average debt levels is the lack of low-cost public colleges.
According to the Student March website, “We need change, and change starts in the streets when the people demand it,” and that is what KSC as well as several other colleges around the nation hope to achieve on Thursday, November 12.
The main focus of the march is the demand for students to receive free tuition at public colleges, cancellation of all student debt and a $15 minimum wage for all campus workers.
Before participants start their march on Appian Way, they will have the opportunity to write letters and call in to their state representatives requesting these changes of policies.
Students won’t be the only ones participating in the march. Fellow KSC faculty and staff as well as members of the Keene community will be supporting the students on their march.
Alexandra Enayat can be contacted at aenayat@kscequinox.com