Fighting Debt and Fees in the United States

Scaachi Koul

Ontario’s post-secondary students can expect the streets of their campuses to be flooded with the Drop Fees campaign this month, similar to years past. Last year, the campaign organized a day of action ever across the province for “a poverty free Ontario.” Protesters met at Queen’s Park Legislature to call for lower tuition fees and kinder loan policies for students.

This year, the campaign demands that ‘Education is a Right’ and calls for changes to be made to post-secondary policies in Ontario and across Canada.

But while Canada is host to rallies and campaigns against provincial governments by students with ever-mounting debt, American students are also in the fight for lower fees and greater accessibility to colleges and universities. Organizations like the USSA — the United States Student Association — works with student associations across the U.S. to promote post-secondary accessibility and affordability.

Lindsay McCluskey, president of the USSA, says that while tuition fees in the U.S. rise, programs for financial aid are diminishing. “The focus nationally is gaining more federal spending on college programs,” she said. “Clearly we have a huge crisis. Even public colleges are becoming increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible.”

McCluskey estimates that the average tuition for a public four-year institution in the U.S. is anywhere between 15 and 25 thousand a year.

“Our organization’s biggest concern is need-based financial concern rather than merit-based,” she said. Grant programs have been shrinking in the past few decades — scholarships that once covered nearly 80 per cent of tuition expenses now only cover around 15 per cent of the recipient’s total costs.
“The cost of higher education is sky-rocketing.”

Canada’s student movement is heavily focused on reducing poverty and lowering tuition fees. In the U.S., however, debt isn’t always the main focus. Many campus groups are dedicated to a civically engaged and educated campus. Campus Compact, a nation-wide coalition, participates in university partnership, community services and engaged scholarships.

“We think that civic engagement, if it’s done well, is a methodology by which students can find their voice, be critical thinkers, understand teamwork. All the things you need to be a successful person in the world.” said Maureen Curley, the president of Campus Compact. The group connects university presidents across the country to promote democracy education amongst post-secondary students. Still, Campus Compact is another university group trying to make education more accessible to those in financial need. Much of the focus, however, is preparing students in junior and senior high for the challenges of post-secondary work since graduation rates are lower in the U.S. than in Canada.

“Affordability is not the focus,” said Curley. “[The question is] can students get in and when they get there, can they graduate. There’s a number of reasons why students drop out so that’s where we focus a lot of our energy.”

The USSA focuses much of its efforts on pushing for government funding through rallies and protests. “Here internally, we want the federal government to intervene,” said McCluskey. “It’s something that we’re going to have to create together.”

Similarly to the Drop Fees Day of Action, the USSA held a protest on tuition fee increases last March where there were student actions in over 30 states. There was another call to action in October of this year.

“We’re in the midst of a very critical midterm election which will determine who our leadership is going to be for the next couple of years,” said McCluskey. “It’s critical that we’re also engaged in doing electoral work that the fight will actually have rational, student friendly decision-makers.

With fewer schools and fewer resources, Canada’s movement also differs in what can be undertaken by students. While U.S. college tuition fees are significantly higher, we have a dearth of financial resources when it comes to loans and scholarships.

While students will be protesting the Ontario government for greater accessibility to post-secondary education, groups in the U.S. will be fighting for a similar cause, along with promoting civic engagement.
“Investments in education stimulate the economy,” said McCluskey.

“It’s essential that people can attain an education level that allows them to be part of the middle class. Right now we don’t have a system to allow that.”