A Different Kind of March Madness - March 16, 2010

This March, millions of young people are rallying nationwide in energetic crowds, chanting, singing and holding up signs, funneling their idealistic passion into a single cause of great importance to college students.  Sounds like the annual uproar surrounding NCAA basketball, right?  Well, this is a different kind of March Madness.

Click here to read more...

__________________________________________________

Students and Credit Card Debt: The Current and Coming Crisis - March 15, 2010

By Edward Muna, UC Santa Barbara student and USSA Board member

In light of the current budget crisis' going on in states throughout the nation, student's vulnerability to draconian credit card companies has never been so great. Considering the fact that the average undergraduate carried $3,173 in credit card debt in 2008, the case is great for involving students in the battle against credit debt exploitation. In addition with students' main avenue for paying for higher education, student loans, students find themselves being much more susceptible to credit card debt. The average student graduates annually with about $25,000 in student loan debt and, with the rising cost of higher education, credit cards seem enticing for many vulnerable consumers as a short term coping mechanism for the current financial crisis.

Click here to read more...

__________________________________________________

Save the Pell Grant! - March 11, 2010

The House and Senate higher education leadership are deciding whether to pass student aid reform.  Senator Harkin, chair of the committee with jurisdiction over student aid reform, said it best at a press conference earlier today: "If we don't pass this (student aid reform) now... I don't know if or when we will."  Your voice in support of student aid reform is urgent! Critical financial aid programs, such as the Pell grant, will take a massive financial hit if students don't take action now.

Step 1: Call 1-888-254-5087

Step 2: Ask for your senators

Step 3: Use the script:

"Hi, my name is____.  I a am calling today to urge Senator_______ to support students by putting Student Aid Reform in the Budget Reconciliation process.  If student aid reform is not included, the maximum Pell Grant will be cut by thousands of dollars.  500,000 students will lose their Pell grants and 8,000,000 students will see their awards cut by 60%.  This is UNACCEPTABLE.

Will Senator______ support students by including student aid reform in the budget reconciliation process?

Thank you for supporting students, have a good day.

__________________________________________________

Will You Be Counted in this Decade? - March 9, 2010

There aren't many subjects that seem as boring as the U.S. Census. Every ten years the federal government has to count everyone, so what? Why is it so important?

Click on the image below to watch the new USSA studentsCOUNT! video and find out why filling out the Census is one of the most important things you can do this decade:

Student March 4 Education Across the Nation - March 5, 2010

On March 4, students from coast-to-coast, on campuses large and small, engaged in massive protests and rallies to promote college access and affordability. This grassroots movement, known as ‘March 4 Education,’ swept across the country in response to the historic crisis in public higher education as a result of crippling budget cuts and skyrocketing tuition and fee hikes.

Student Aid Reform Rests in YOUR Hands! - March 3, 2010

The student voice is needed now more than ever. Sallie Mae, the nation's largest private lender and staunch opponent to student aid reform, is pushing its "alternative" to the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) in the Senate. And Senators are listening. Stand up for the student voice by sending a letter in support of SAFRA to your senators!

Click here to read more...

__________________________________________________

College Affordability Strengthens the Middle Class, says Biden - February 26, 2010

Today, Vice President Joe Biden released the Annual Report of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class, the findings of a committee that has spent the past year researching ways to improve the living conditions of working and middle class families. Among the most effective ways to help American families secure economic stability is increasing college access and affordability, the Task Force found.

Click here to read more...

__________________________________________________

Click here to read past Student Scoop updates