By Bob Culp, Youth Vote '08 Correspondent

The issue of making college tuition more affordable has been a very scant subject within the presidential campaigns this election season.

With more than 18 million people enrolled in higher education nationwide, according to the United States Census Bureau, the number of young professionals struggling to pay their college loan debts is expected to steadily increase every year as a college degree becomes more status quo in the workplace.

As a college degree becomes more necessary to be financially stable, both sides' brevity on the issue has left students asking questions about their future.

"The state of college affordability is pretty poor," said Carmen Berkley, president of the United States Student Association. "Without better feasibility and access to financial aid, loans and grants, many students are still going to struggle to pay for college."
Focusing on energy independence, the war in Iraq and the Russia-Georgia conflict, the presidential candidates haven't commented on the state of college affordability anytime within recent weeks. During the Civil Forum on the Presidency which aired Aug. 16, Pastor Rick Warren neglected to ask Barack Obama or John McCain about their plans to lower college fees.

On their websites, Obama and McCain have outlined their positions on the issue. Obama focuses on a $4,000 tax credit available to all students. However, his Web site fails to mention the 100 hours of community service required to obtain the credit, a stance he endorsed on his nationwide college tour during the Democratic primaries.

McCain's Web site presents his views to simplify higher education tax benefits, simplify federal financial aid and to improve university research by eliminating earmarks. The Arizona Senator also states on his Web site that he wants to effectively reform private sector student loans.

The Obama and McCain campaigns failed to return phone calls clarifying the details of their stances.

Many students, including Indiana University freshman Tessa Wilhelm, said they don't have a firm grasp on the candidates views when it comes to student loans.

"I know nothing about McCain's policy and I don't know much about Obama either," Wilhelm said. "I know Obama's plan will drastically decrease tuition, but not many details. It's kind of been put on the back burner, which is a very bad idea and personally I think it should be in the forefront."

Wilhelm and other Indiana undergraduates have seen their tuition increase five percent the last two years, more than twice the rate of inflation.

The increase has been part of an upward trend, where the average college costs have increased faster than inflation for the last 13 years. Tuition at the average four-year university raised 6.6 percent last year to $6,185 per semester, while private universities hiked their fees an average 6.3 percent to $23,712 per semester, according to the College Board.

Brian Moore, a junior at Ball State University, said other issues have taken precedence among the campaigns and have distracted them from the discussion on college tuition. Ball State's tuition has risen 4.9 percent for in-state students and six percent for out-of-state  students this year.

"I don't think they are bringing it up that much because the housing market is ridiculous, but I think they should," Moore said. "They should bring it up because if you don't have a college education you are basically screwed in my opinion."

Berkley said Obama and McCain's stances barely effect the education crisis.

"We need a greater amount of financial aid, middle class aid, a larger pell grant and help from the federal government," Berkley said. "For some people working 100 hours of community service just isn't possible. I think these candidates need to look at what free education could look like. They need to build better relationships with governors to keep down costs for students."

After talking with other youth-based political organizations, the USSA president said college-aged voters will get something different by demanding something different. If college students expect help paying for their education, Berkley said, young voters' activism can't fall away after Nov. 4.

"Students in general aren't seen as a viable constituency," Berkley said. "They know we will come out on election day but we won't be the ones to follow their legislation and policy. To them, our age group doesn't pose a threat. But, in this election, we are excited to flex our muscle."

Sarah Hutchins also contributed to this story.

Bob Culp is a junior at Ball State University majoring in Journalism and with a minor in Political Science. He reported on the Indiana Democratic primary last spring for his student newspaper, The Daily News.