As part of its "Raid on Student Aid," the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group tabled at various locations around the University of Wisconsin campus Tuesday, asking students to petition against federal budget cuts to student financial-aid programs.
Citing a proposed $9 billion cut from student-loan programs from the House and $14 billion recommended by the Senate in the new federal budget, WISPIRG asked students to petition to congressional delegates — among others, U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis. — asking them to persuade other legislators to vote against the higher-education cuts.
The "Raid on Student Aid" is part of the national Public Interest Research Group's campaign to stop the cuts, which it claims is part of a "budget reconciliation" to limit federal spending.
WISPIRG Higher Education Co-coordinator Jordan Burghardt said the cuts would have a dangerous effect on federal Pell grants.
"What these cuts will essentially do is put a cap on Pell grants," she said, "so students [will] only get $500 per semester for Pell Grants and, personally, I took a lot of issue with that."
Burghardt added as an out-of-state student, "having $500 is like nickels and dimes."
Also, the federal work/study program allowing students to work off their debts as university employees would be inhibited, and the federal loan interest rate would increase to between 8 and 10 percent, Burghardt said.
"That's like a huge chunk of money," she said, adding the interest-rate increase would amount to an extra $5,800 in debt per student, per year. "It's really important for us to show this issue is extremely important to students, and it has nothing to do with politics or anything."
And Eric Johnson, a second-year graduate student at UW, could second that.
"I think we have a responsibility as adults. Now that we are eligible voters, we need to go out and represent our self [because] no one else is going to do it," Johnson said shortly after signing a petition. "[If] I max out all my loans, it's no grants, no money coming in."
Johnson added even with his loans at capacity, he is still left with unmet need.
"It's maxed out at $18,500 a year," he said. "Even this university itself estimates that the need for total expenses … comes to $25,000, so I'm left holding the bag on that gap."
To account for unmet needs, students like UW junior and WISPIRG intern Derek Wohlers are forced to work off the gap.
"It's really important for anybody who knows what's going on to realize that students need this money, and especially now, and our lives are so busy and if it's trying to get cut from us, we just have less time to do the things we want," Wohlers, who works construction full time over the summer and takes out loans to pay for tuition, said. "Meaning, we have to work more."
If the budget cuts are enacted, Burghardt said a number of students across the country will be impacted and may find themselves entering the work force earlier than expected.
"If you can't afford college, that puts you at a huge disadvantage," she said. "[We want] to show members of Congress we're angry about these cuts and we feel like our desires are not being represented as students, and it's important and it's in the public's best interest for us to be represented because we deserve a voice as well."
