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Our next Occupy Supply webinar is this Wednesday August 15, at 8:00 PM Eastern.
Click here to register; space is limited: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/416160310
Our presentation this week will focus on the student debt crisis — and the activism surrounding this important issue.
Student debt surpassed the amount of credit card debt in the US earlier this year. As a result, this has become a key issue in involving young educated people in the Occupy Movement. Even still, this is an issue that does not receive the attention it deserves. Far too many people are unaware of the virtual indentured servitude that new college students are placed under once enrolled in a university. Students around the world are rising up and fighting back with creative activism.
We will be joined this week by Cayden Mak a graduate student and organizer with New York Students Rising, Defend Our Education Coalition and Graduate Student Employees Union (CWA 1104). Over the past few years Cayden has worked to raise awareness about student debt in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Cayden publishes a “disorientation guide” for the University of Buffalo every year to educate new students about what’s really going on at their school. You can check it out at www.buffalodisorientation.org, and don’t forget to take a look at this years Student Power Convergence http://studentpower2012.org/ or on Ustream at http://ustream.tv/channels/national-student-power-converence-2012
Register now for this important conversation on August 15 at 8pm eastern.
As always, this discussion is open to the public and we encourage you to invite your fellow Occupiers to join in.
I look forward to speaking with you this Wednesday. If you have any questions contact occupysupply@firedoglake.com
2 Comments
now this will be interesting, am wondering what the obamabots think about the obamastate he produced
Thank you for covering this topic. My husband completed his bachelor’s degree in December. We are among the 36 million Americans who have one trillion in student loan debt. (According to my recollections, these are the most recent stats. If I’m wrong, please correct me.) You are absolutely right; there is way too little coverage of this topic. Rep. Hanson Clark introduced HR4170, a very well thought out proposal that would address this crisis by allowing students to consolidate federal and private student loans into one loan and make income-based repayments for ten years, with the unpaid balamce forgiven at the end of ten years. It would also reinstate bankruptcy protection for student loan debt. Sadly, Clark lost to his challenger in the Democratic primary. I am hoping that we can get another progressive Democrat to pick up this bill and sponsor it. It should not be dropped. Also, Robert Applebaum, who started the site, forgivestudentloandebt.com, has done a lot of excellent work on this. His proposal makes the case that student loan debt forgiveness would benefit everyone, not just the students and grads, because it would be an i credible economic stimulus. Also, the new agency, Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, is another resource. My husband and I have lodged a complaint with them against Sallie Mae private for telephone abuse. Thanks again for covering this topic.