Posted 11:55 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016
Democratic lawmakers offer plan to help college affordability.
About one month after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker laid out his college affordability plan at UWL, Democratic lawmakers held an open forum to share their ideas and hear from the campus community.
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, State Sen. Jennifer Shilling, State Rep. Jill Billings and State Rep. Steve Doyle participated in an open forum on campus Monday afternoon. The four are critical of the governor’s proposal.
“It’s a tepid response to a serious issue,” said Rep. Billings.
“This leaves a lot of people out in the cold,” said Sen. Shilling.
Among the panel at the open forum were two representatives from One Wisconsin Now and UWL Economics Associate Professor John Nunley.
Nunley said the genesis of the rapid growth of student debt comes from the state cutting funding to higher education by 60% between 1987 and 2012. However, he points out that statistics show an average college graduate makes about $1 million more in their lifetime than a high school graduate.
Still, students like sophomore Jacob Schimmel are looking for more relief than what has been proposed by the governor. He would like to see other options, like the ability to refinance his loans.
“I compare the current proposal to crumbs when students really need a meal,” Schimmel says.