I like to think of myself as an everyday University of Iowa student. I’ve gone to Hawk games. I’ve spent late nights studying in the library and a few lazy days on the Ped Mall. I love Iowa, and when I graduate this December, there will be so many things I’ll miss about my time here. Unfortunately, when I graduate, I’ll take along another thing that makes me a typical Hawkeye: student-loan debt.
More than 60 percent of Iowa students will graduate with student-loan debt. According to the Des Moines Register, students graduate from the University of Iowa with an average debt of $28,131. It can be a crushing burden for students and graduates alike. It can cause us to delay other important milestones in life — buying a car or house, starting a business, or getting married — and it shrinks our paychecks from the first day we enter the workforce.
Fortunately, another thing that makes for a typical UI experience is the chance to play a key role in deciding who the next president of the United States will be. The Iowa caucuses next year will help make this important decision, and it’s imperative that the next person in the Oval Office has a serious plan to tackle the problem of student-loan debt. I believe that candidate is Hillary Clinton.
Clinton has rolled out an ambitious and concrete proposal that will help ensure that cost isn’t a barrier to a college degree and that debt won’t hold students back once they graduate. First and foremost, she believes students should never have to borrow money to pay for tuition, books, and fees to attend a four-year public college in their state.
Students and families have always been ready to do their part, and Clinton believes it’s time that universities, states, and the federal government do theirs. As a part of her plan, students will have to work 10 hours a week and contribute their earnings. I and thousands of students like me already work jobs while going to school, and we still need to borrow money to afford college. Cllinton’s plan will change that.
In addition to being a game changer for future students, her plan will also help students such as me who will graduate with student debt. I would be able to refinance my loans at current interest rates, which could help me save thousands of dollars over the life of my loans. I would also be able to enroll in a simplified income-based repayment program so that I never have to pay more than 10 percent of what I make to pay down my student-loan debt. If I consistently make my payments, any remaining debt will be forgiven in 20 years.
It means a lot to me as a student and a voter about to enter the workforce that Clinton doesn’t think my student debt should weigh me down for the rest of my life. As long as I work hard and play by the rules, I should be able to move past that debt and into a bright future.
We have the opportunity to make sure a candidate for president who will fight for young Americans is on the ballot in November 2016. Clinton has been a fighter her whole career, and her New College Compact demonstrates she wants young people to do more than just get by when they graduate — she wants us to get ahead and stay ahead. I am an everyday UI student, and I’m proud to caucus for Clinton next February. I hope you’ll join me.
Taylor Finch
Hawkeyes for Hillary