Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama discussed plans to lower the financial burden of tuition costs and increase affordability for college students during a conference call with college journalists Saturday.

“The biggest challenge is how do young people afford college in the first place? The average college graduate has almost $22,000 in student loans these days,” Obama said.

Obama plans to help college students pay for their education by providing a $4,000 annual tuition grant in exchange for community service.

Students would be eligible to receive the grant if they participated in military service or the Peace Corps. Students would also qualify if they completed 100 hours of community service during the year at service facilities like homeless or veterans’ shelters.

Another topic Obama focused on was his plan to revitalize the job market and help create jobs for recent college graduates. While Obama thinks millions of new jobs can be created within the energy sector, he also believes that in order to achieve economic prosperity, America has to overhaul the basis of its economy.

“What we’re going to have to do long-term is reinvigorate the fundamentals of our economy, and that means that we are making college affordable … improving teacher salaries and giving them more support, providing more college scholarships so that we’re producing more scientists and engineers and skilled workers,” Obama said.

He added students should be getting excited to participate in a historic election.

“Hopefully, young people are getting familiar with our positions, our track records and when they go into the polling stations on Nov. 4, they’re ready to seize history,” Obama said.

Despite their differences on the issues, Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain have expressed their gratitude toward the massive youth participation during this campaign season.

According to Kirsten Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, McCain has also outlined a plan to decrease the costs of college for families.

McCain’s plan includes simplifying higher education tax benefits and federal financial aid, eliminating pork barrel spending and fixing the student-lending program.

McCain’s plan to create new jobs consists principally of keeping the current low-income and low-investment tax rates for American businesses.

“By lowering the tax burden on the jobs’ creator, you enable the job creator to do just that — have the finances to create new jobs,” Kukowski said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald, adding some of their most energetic volunteers are young people.