Sleepless Nights and Predatory Lending Tales

Well, it's my 7th wedding anniversary, and I'm up reading about predatory lending tales at 1:30 AM.

I'll be filling you all in tomorrow!

In response to readers' requests: who ought I contact to demand for REAL change?

Many of you have asked me whom to write about the student lending crisis.

Here's a list of the people I've reached out to already. Also, I will continue to add to this list. When I do, I'll let everyone know that I've added new names with their contact information, and any relevant links to their role in this movement.

CRYN'S EVER-GROWING AND BEAUTIFUL BUDDING LIST OF CONTACTS

Politicians (city, state, national)

- Jim Sano, Albany City Councilman ( Jsano15@aol.com)

- Delegate David Poisson, 32nd-District, Loudon County, VA ( info@DelegatePoisson.com )
I've corresponded with David Poisson, and he's very sympathetic to this movement, and thanked me for keeping him abreast on things 


- Congressman George Miller, 7th District of California, Chairman, Committee of Labor and Education  

FYI: this guy is a BIG target! His email is a form here . So, I recommend that you also send him (and everyone else) actual letters too (that information can be found on all of their websites)

- Congressman Mike Doyle, 14th District of Pennsylvania. His email is a form version too.

Doyle is on the House subcommittee for oversight and investigations. I wrote to him about Ms. Marjorie Dillon's situation. Given the questions I raised in that letter, which I'll post later, I think it might pique that subcommittee's interest.

-Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, Assistant Majority Leader . Again, fill out the form here.

- Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education . I've had a hard time finding an actual way to contact him.

Here's there page for "General Inquiries." I sent Secretary Duncan a letter by mail, and initially received a generic and dismissive letter back. I replied to that by letter, and then got an email from someone!

NOTE: Sec. Duncan has the power to change things. Don't be deterred if someone at the DOE says otherwise. In my view, Duncan needs to clean up that agency.

-President Barack Obama (!), The White House . Since I'm old-fashioned and basically send all of these people actual letters, I almost never send President Obama an email. I prefer his address:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Phone Numbers

Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

Organizations

President Lauren Asher, The Institute for College Access and Success - their general email is admin@ticas.org. Pay attention to these articles - you'll notice that Asher is quoted in many of them. We would like to appeal to this organization for help.

Tips for those who are thinking about taking legal action . . .

Many of you have written to me and Rob about taking legal action. There is good reason for that. However, lawyers can be costly, so before taking that step, here's what I recommend:

Seek help from your Congressman, from your state's Attorney General, from the U.S. Dept. of Education, or from others who have responsibility to consumers (Congressman Mike Doyle, for instance, who is on the House subcommittee for oversights and investigations and listed above). I'd try these things first, before going to a lawyer. Most lawyers likely do not know how the financial aid system works or the vulnerabilities of schools and Sallie Mae.

If those avenues don't work, then hiring an attorney might be worth exploring.



My advice on how to write letters of appeal


Please remember to be professional in your tone. That doesn't mean you can't raise questions or critique things, but do it with grace. In so doing, you will hopefully appeal to these people and persuade them to respond. Remember, many of the individuals I've listed above are sympathetic to our cause. So courtesy is something I always abide by in my letter writing. But you will ultimately decide how your own letters will sound. I'm just sharing my two cents.

Quick Post - Student Lending Analytics:Tim Ranzetta's sensing a pattern . . .

Do you wonder why?

Not good, friends. NOT good at all.

Pitt Community College Sees Record Enrollment
Cohise College reaching toward record enrollment
Texas Tech expects record enrollment

. . . the list goes on.

I betcha Sallie Mae, Nelnet, etc. are super excited about this news!

Marjorie Dillon - Is there more to her story?

Tim Grant of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote a recent piece entitled, "Student loans put college graduate into deep financial hole." It's about a young woman named Marjorie Dillon from Coraopolis, PA. While a few blogs have been somewhat sympathetic toward Ms. Dillon, the story has been recycled by others in hideous ways. I won't even bother providing links, because the recounting of this woman and her problems (whether or not she made "bad" decisions) is beyond vicious at certain sites and the posters are, in my mind, a bunch of brutish sewer dwellers.

Regardless of Ms. Dillon's decisions, I am sympathetic. I also don't think this story adds up, and it's my feeling that the borrower is trying to be blamed instead of other individuals. I wrote an email to Mr. Grant below raising my concerns and questions about the holes I found in this particular article.

My email to Mr. Grant, which was subsequently mailed to Congressman Mike Doyle and President Lauren Asher at the Institute for College Access & Success:

Dear Mr. Grant:



My name is Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen, and I am the promotional writer and marketer for Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Movement.

I read you article about Marjorie Dillon with great interest (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09210/986936-298.stm). Based upon some of the things you wrote, I had a few questions that I'd like to ask you, and perhaps you'd be interested in seeking answers from the appropriate individuals at Robert Morris University.

At one point you state that "Ms. Dillon's story also shows the consequences of a lack of financial planning, missing federal aid application deadlines and not meeting academic requirements for federal programs."
 

The article continues, "[i]n this case, the student frequently came into the financial aid office after school had begun and in some cases on the date bills were due and asked what her financing options were," said Mike Frantz, vice president at Robert Morris.

However, I'm suggesting that there might be a chance that the university may be responsible and not the student. The deadline for the FAFSA would not be at the beginning of the school year, but at the end of it. Plus, she may have been eligible for Stafford loans before she got into academic trouble. Did anyone tell her that she may have been eligible for Stafford loans?

It seems safe to assume that she she got herself out of academic trouble. She did, after all, graduate. Therefore lack of satisfactory academic progress may not be a sufficient reason to deny her Stafford loans.

Granted, perhaps she should take the measures the newspapers' expert provides, but the first questions ought to be related to whether she was incorrectly advised about her eligibility for Stafford loans or other forms of aid under the FAFSA.

Moreover, the Sallie Mae private loan is not limited to tuition and fees, but Cost of Attendance minus aid received. This allows for living expenses whether your a campus resident or not.

I have a hunch that someone is trying to paint the borrower as irresponsible for taking out loans beyond tuition and fees.

Also, do you know if Ms. Dillon has contacted Congressman Mike Doyle about her situation? It is my understanding that he has an office in Coraopolis, correct?. I've actually sent him this email at his website here - http://doyle.house.gov/email_mike.shtml.

There are gaps in this story, so I'm just seeking clarification.

Thanks for your help and time.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Respectfully,

Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen
Promotional Writer and Marketer, Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement

Incidentally, I have already reached out to Ms. Dillon and hope to speak to her some time today or early next week. 

Sticky Notes on the Stats - Robert Applebaum's Facebook Page

First, we have a drum roll (!!), followed by New Year's eve sounds - corks from champagne bottles go POP!, silly horns go BEEP!, cheering crowds say HOORAH! - and then all is quiet.

Cryn steps up to the microphone. The room's ceiling holds nets of balloons.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," I say. The microphone squeals for a moment, but I quickly fix it to spare your already bleeding ears.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," I say again. No squealing this time.

"As of August 29, 2009 at 10:16 A.M. (EST) Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Movement 
membership is at . . . 226,885!"

Balloons fall, more champagne bottles are opened, and we all celebrate the holiday!

However, I interrupt all of you for a moment. This large crowd filled with so many of you out there (!!) - students (over the age of 21), waiters, bartenders, lawyers, artists, accountants, biologists, automotive mechanics, historians, economics, and so on - somehow quiet down.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I will allow you to resume your celebrating this evening. But there is still much work to be done. I hereby challenge all of you to recruit at least one if not two people to join our cause! It is our goal to reach 500,000 members within 3 weeks. Can we do this? Can we recruit?"

In unison you all yell: "YES!"

Let's DO IT!

Let us not forget the messages of Teddy Kennedy - The Fight Goes on; The Cause Endures; The Hope Still Lives

On this late night in Washington, D.C., I want to remind all of you that the Honorable Senator Ted Kennedy would have been sympathetic to our struggles. He was always an advocate for education, and he will be sorely missed.

But as this picture of signs filled with solid lines of resolute kindness and surrounded by the powerful glow of candlelight shows: Kennedy's mission to represent those American voices that are so often ignored, suffocated, or unethically silenced still lives on . . . it is now our responsibility to pick up where he left off.

May you rest in peace, Senator Kennedy. Watch over us, guide us, as we continue your fight and abide by your mission - to push for justice FOR all. That includes the new indentured educated class.

IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED - Sallie Mae mounting opposition against our movement!

Sallie Mae has come out with an aggressive ad campaign. They are claiming that American jobs are going to be lost as a result of reforming the lending industry. Funny thing is - Sallie Mae happily SHIPPED low-paying jobs to India and the Philippines when they had no concerns about being regulated. Read all about it in this Rolling Stone article.

They are posting ads like this and this across the U.S. Let's shift gears for a moment and write to Sallie Mae, and cc your representatives. Let Sallie Mae know that they aren't fooling anyone. If they had the chance to take these jobs offshore, as they have done, they would do it again. We, on the other hand, are saying NO! We are demanding that this industry (who has the second strongest lobbying groups behind that of defense contractors on the Hill!) be regulated.

So, far I have these email addresses for Sallie Mae:

Their concern for saving Delaware jobs - info@protectdelawarejobs.com
Their love for helping Floridians keep their low-paying jobs - info@protectfloridajobs.com

Here's my email to them:

Dear (Clever) Sallie Mae Marketers:

Wow, this new pitch is quite clever. However, it doesn't have me fooled. Here's my hunch too - I betcha there are thousands and thousands of others who aren't buying it. But I gotta hand it to you. Creating class conflict between your Delawarian employees (who probably make terrible wages) and us is quite smart! 

Oh, and please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen, and I am a promotional writer and marketer for Mr. Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Debt movement. (And so you are aware, our movement on Facebook is nearing 227,00 members!). I am also a blogger and am uncovering many stories about the corrupted and broken lending industry to which you obviously belong.

Today, I'm carrying out my own media campaign. Let's call it: contra Sallie Mae.

I've corrected your ad and let everyone know that it really should read: "Save low-paying SALLIE MAE jobs." I find it hard to understand that you feign to care so much about Delawarians. Is that really true? After all, when there wasn't any pressure on the student lending industry, Sallie Mae gladly sent jobs off-shore to India and the Philippines - that way, those already low-paying jobs in the U.S. got even lower. Bravo (Crickets chirping). Based upon your interest in making oodles of money for your company, you were smart in doing just that. But now that there's push for change and a new administration in office who takes issue with welfare subsidies to companies like your own, you're pulling out all the stops. I understand you're creating 2,000 jobs here in the good ol' U.S. of A.

I have news for you: people don't want call center jobs!

They deserve, instead, access to affordable higher education. Your industry has found a gold mine (bilking students), and as a result you have created a new class - the indentured educated class. But many of us refuse to believe that we are indentured servants. (After all, we did go to school and learned a few things).

Our movement represents a bright light of hope in a dark sewer of hell that you're company created. Our movement is based upon truth and transparency, and those are things Sallie Mae doesn't get. You, my friends, are the villains in this tale. Many, many people across this country are realizing that too. It's not a good time to have a dubious record - and your company certainly does. As you know, Americans are pretty tired of companies like Sallie Mae reaping all the benefits.

I look forward to spreading the truth about your company's mission.

Sincerely,


Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen

The Relevance of Resurrecting and Recycling News: For My New Readers

Many of my readers have praised me for being prolific. They have also made remarks like, "I'm going to have to sit down and spend an hour exploring your blog when I have time!"

Since I'm picking up many new readers, I wanted to return to a few blogs I think are worth "assigning" to those of you who are new and wish to read my more investigative work. Here's a list below of what I think are important to understanding the heroes and the . . . ahem . . . villains in the student lending crisis. (Mind you, the reader will determine where the characters fall under each category, particularly the latter one. Most of the people I'm writing about aren't villains, but have decided to believe and work for a corrupted and broken system.

The decision to compromise one's ethics is paradoxically complex and simple. For instance, after I told a one researcher that they were on "the wrong side of the fence," they claimed that they were not even aware of how their organization functions. And, they added, "I'm just doing my job," or something like that. THAT claim is not an excuse. I like to direct anyone who makes such a cavalier remark about their "job," to this book by Hannah Arendt. (In this case, their role and their "I'm-just-doing-my-job" excuse, in fact, effects the lives of thousands and thousands of young people in America). I hesitated to make these remarks, but having studied this time period carefully (in contrast to the likes of Sarah Palin and her ilk), and I think the banality of evil is something we must, as a society, be cognizant of how. Indeed, it is our duty to be aware of how banal evil informs our thoughts, our actions, and the jobs we choose. I'm certainly not implying that the end point of your blase beliefs about "just doing a job" is leading people to gas chambers. Certainly not. I am, however, suggesting that the banality of evil appears in a variety of forms, and in the case of the student lending crisis, it seems clear to me that it exists in problematic and immoral ways. That's why we - all of us in this debate - must think about the sides we have chosen and why. 

Und jetzt die Abfallverwertung . . .

As promised, here's the list of earlier blogs worthy of reading:

1) "The Resurrection of the Dept. of Ed. G-Man and America's Collective Trauma" (originally posted August 13, 2009)
2) "Part II of the Resurrection of the Dept. of Ed. G-Man and America's Collective Trauma" (originally posted August 14, 2009)
3) "BREAKING NEWS PART I: My Debate with Patricia Steele and Sandra Baum" (originally posted August 15, 2009) - Patricia Steele, a research analyst, and Sandra Baum, an economist, work for the College Board, and I had a lengthy debate over the course of two days with both of them.
4) "BREAKING NEWS PART II: The College Board USED to be LENDERS" (originally posted August 15, 2009)
5) "Quod est veritas? Why isn't the Department of Education putting out any reports on student loan debt?" (originally posted on August 20, 2009)
6) "And yet another posting about the College Board" (originally posted August 21, 2009)

United Professionals

I have been promoting the Forgive Student Loan Debt movement in a number of groups to which I belong on LinkedIn.com. Hint: Here's another way you can help us attract attention and also start your own discussions. These professional groups have a tendency to respond quite energetically and immediately to discussions started by their fellow peers (there are endless types, ranging from alumni organizations, and industry groups, to pet lovers, and so forth). I've found this site to be an indispensable tool for promoting this movement and articulating our demands in a positive, professional manner with my peers.  

In any event, today has been one of those great days. I've received a lot of emails thanking me for my efforts, and a slew of messages from people asking me how they can get involved. That type of positive feedback means a lot to Rob and to me. It's obvious that our movement is gaining momentum, so we need to keep this good, hard work up!

I wanted to share a comment from one person in particular. Her name is Karen Southall Watts, and she works for an organization called United Professionals. Karen and I belong to the same group on LinkedIn called HigherEdJobs.com.

In response to my posting about the movement and my blog, Ms. Southwall Watts wrote:

"Wow, I thought I was one of the few people thinking about this. I really found your letter and blog to be well thought out and moving. One of my first bits of online writing was a piece for United Professionals (www.unitedprofessionals.org) months ago where I suggested that schools tell financial aid officers to stop telling students that education loans are good debt'. I also mentioned, in one of my early posts, that forgiving student loan debt would be a real economic stimulus as it would take a huge unmanageable burden off the shoulders of our "white collar" workers. You've given me another blog to watch."

I encourage all of you to explore their site and donate a little money to them and to us.

Thank you, again, Karen!

Information about United Professionals from their website -

Who they are:

United Professionals is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization for white collar workers, regardless of profession or employment status. We reach out to all unemployed, underemployed and anxiously employed workers -- people who bought the American dream that education and credentials could lead to a secure middle class life, but now find their lives disrupted by forces beyond their control.

What's their mission:

Our mission is to protect and preserve the American middle class -- and the opportunities it represents for millions of people who are currently in poverty -- now under attack from so many directions, from downsizing and outsourcing to the steady erosion of health and pension benefits. We believe that education, skills and experience should be rewarded with appropriate jobs, livable incomes, benefits and social supports.


What they do:

UP fosters positive social change and delivers value to members through information, advocacy and service. UP also provides a wide range of unique benefits, including on-line support, employment and networking leads, community and regional networks, voluntary supplemental insurance, liaison with community groups and advocacy training.

UP is involved in regaining a sense of fairness in the workplace for all American workers. Our goals include advocacy for creating legislation to address issues such as health care, paid sick leave, age discrimination, layoffs, and underemployment and to lobby for the passage of such legislation by Congress.

ANOTHER CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION and my letter to President Obama

I've written several letters to President Obama (I've sent them via email here and by regular post). Here's my letter for this hot and humid day in D.C,. and on a day of continued reflection about the loss of a critical Democratic figure.

Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen

Promotional Writer and Marketer for Robert Applebaum’s Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement

E: ccrynjohannsen@gmail.com

Applebaum’s Site: http://www.forgivestudentloandebt.com/

Education Matters: http://alleducationmatters.blogspot.com/

August 27, 2009

President Barack Obama

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

RE: Please help us, President Obama!

Dear President Obama:

I realize that you are dealing with the significant fight for healthcare reform, and I fear that if you lose your standing in that situation, you will be railroaded by other powerful lobbyists – I hope that won’t happen and firmly believe in a public option.  I am also aware that the student lending industry is one of the most powerful groups on the Hill. If memory serves me, it is the second most powerful lobbying group behind that of lobbying groups for defense contractors.

I also realize that many of us are mourning the loss of an important man who represented the best aspects of the Democratic Party’s ideals (the fight for equal rights, for laborers, for education, and so forth) – the Honorable Senator Ted Kennedy. It was my hope that he would have maybe be a politician we - the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement - could have reached out to for help. I know that Senator Kennedy was very sympathetic to things related to education. More than that, however, it is a national loss, and I am sure that you are going through a period of deep reflection. You lost not only a powerful force in your party, but also a friend. Please allow me to express my sincerest condolences – I have already said several prayers for the Kennedy family and will make a point to say a public prayer for him at Mass this coming Saturday in Arlington, VA.  

I have written you several letters about the student loan debt movement, and am following-up again. I know that you receive millions of letters, but I beg you to respond to this one. The Forgive Student Loan Movement continues to grow – the Facebook group is, as of August 25, at 7:27 a.m. EST, 226,544+ members! Isn’t that something?

Furthermore, Mr. Applebaum, the Founder and Executive Director of the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement, was interviewed yesterday (August 26, 2009) by a reporter for CNN.com, and I will be speaking to a local NPR reporter for WAMU about my own involvement in the movement on Friday, August 27, 2009. With my continued ardent support, I’ve taken on a new role as the de facto promotional writer and marketer for Mr. Applebaum’s movement.

In addition to the press expressing an interest in our grassroots movement (here’s to being a community organizer, right?), I have also reached out to city, state, and local politicians. Did you hear about the Albany’s City Council unanimous passing of the resolution that asks Washington to forgive student loan debt? I spoke to the main supporter of this resolution, Albany City Councilman James Sano, a few weeks ago. He’s a very engaging fellow and has deep concerns about this current situation.

I blogged about it here: http://alleducationmatters.blogspot.com/2009/08/nyt-covers-albany.html

A few days later, The New York Times picked up the story here: (http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/forgiveness-2/). I encourage your staffers to read the comments.

What do you think about that? I beat them to the story. I may be small at the moment, but I am like the little engine that could, so I’m confident that my readership will continue to grow.

On top of that, I’ve also reached out to Senator Dick Durbin (please find that letter enclosed) and Delegate David Poisson (32^nd District, Loudon County, VA). Dr. Poisson holds a Ph.D. and a J.D., and he expressed concern about the student lending crisis when I corresponded with him via email a few Sundays ago. Obviously education is something that matters a lot to Delegate Poisson. He told me to keep up the good work. Since David is up for re-election I will be canvassing to help him out. I have yet to hear from Senator Dick Durbin. (It sure is hard to get the attention of folks on the Hill and in the White House, isn’t it?).

In any event, I urge you to make the right decision about this situation that is threatening the very fabric of our educational system.  When I canvassed for you, attended your rallies, and finally cast my vote for you, I was supporting and voting for change. I was under the impression that that meant real change was a’ comin’. At this point, and I realize you’ve only been in Office for a short time, my strong support is beginning to waver. I do not say that as a threat, a sort of cheap “I’m takin’ my vote away” cry, but am expressing it from a place of deep sadness.

When I was a young girl growing up in Kansas – I suppose I was right around 7 – I wrote a letter with crayons of course (!!) to President Reagan, and expressed my concern about the endangered animals in Africa. (I was already an animal lover then, and continue to be to this day). I remember so vividly that day when I received a letter back from him!  The envelope was so thick and official, and I recall ripping it up with a great deal of excitement. Granted, it was a form letter, but it was STILL a letter! I am sure your staff and others could argue: “Mr. Obama receives far more letter than President Reagan did, so it’s very difficult for him to answer each and every one.” Or perhaps staffers thought my letter quite cute, so they actually responded because I was just a sweet, little girl.

Either of those theories may be true. However, I am no longer a little girl from Kansas, but a young, adult woman who is writing to you about critical issues – indeed, the student lending crisis is of national concern. The more investigative work I do, the more evidence I am finding that this industry is based upon predatory lending practices. (There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of cases of civil fraud too – that’s my hunch).

As I see it, all the critical issues this country currently faces – healthcare reform, the role we’re playing in Iraq and Afghanistan, etc. – requires a good deal of knowledge and the ability to think analytically on the part of citizens and lawmakers (many elected officials and their constituents are revealing how they are sorely lacking in both of these areas). It seems obvious to me that many Americans are not only ill-informed about the healthcare debate, but utterly lacking in critical thinking skills that are so necessary to understand this debate.  I mean, many of my fellow citizens believe what Palin said about death panels, and I don’t think Palin obtained the best abilities to think critically from the 6 higher education institutions she attended – perhaps she is just an anomaly.  I tend to think she is representative of a large portion of this population. These are the same types of people, in my view, who have been painting despicable toothbrush moustaches on your face! Having been a Ph.D. student who had studied the Nazis, I find this on par with those who deny the events of the Holocaust and have no capacity to even begin to understand its historical significance. In my view, what these few points show: public education is deeply flawed, if not entirely broken.

It used to be that a person could get a High School Diploma and be able to write and think, and get a decent job. (My lovely mother-in-law “only” received a H.S. Diploma in Humboldt, Nebraska. Humboldt was and still is a tiny little town, surrounded by a sea of wheat. That image reminds me of the wonderful ads about your mother’s upbringing in Kansas. In any event, my mother-in-law is one of the most intelligent and well-written people I know. Seems her high school training paid off!). Nowadays, a High School Diploma gets you a job, if you’re lucky, at McDonald’s. Although, I wager that in Washington, D.C., a McDonald’s probably requires at least one master’s in public policy or political science!

But in all seriousness, that’s where higher education comes into play. In order to even be considered a “real” contender in the U.S. job market, you must in the very least have a 4-year degree.  In many fields, as you know, even that doesn’t suffice. So, what does that mean and what do we believe as young, aspiring Americans? We believe (some of us now think that utter hogwash, really) that in order to forge a better path for our futures, we must attend colleges or universities. We believe that by taking out loans – because it’s virtually impossible to obtain a degree without financial assistance these days, and don’t believe surveys put out by Sallie Mae (!!) – that we are making an investment in our future.

Mr. President, I have news for you, students aren’t reaping the benefits of obtaining degrees. It doesn’t matter if they went to school for a degree in the humanities or to obtain a degree in business. With said degree in hand, they leave with high hopes, but those hopes along with dreams are being dashed as a result of this Great Recession. Many of these students are moving back into the basements of their parents’ home. They are demoralized and frustrated. These young graduates have so much to offer (as do the ones, like me, who hold advanced degrees and have been out in the world for while). Yet they can’t find work. There is something even worse: they are burdened with student loan debt that is being run by a corrupted, broken system. Companies like Sallie Mae refuse to work with these lenders. (A whistle-blower on a PBS show – Student Loan Sinkhole (http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/525/) – who worked for Sallie Mae discussed the unethical practices he saw occurring on a daily basis. Incidentally, Sallie Mae fired him).

This country, for a number of complex reasons, has created an indentured educated class. Again, I’m begging you to help us! DO NOT ALLOW LENDERS TO LEAD YOU ASTRAY FROM THE ADMIRABLE CONVICTIONS YOU HOLD!

Finally, I know that Secretary Arne Duncan has the power to change things in the Department of Education.  Is he aware of his power to change things? Indeed, he has the power to change things for the better. This industry has never been regulated, but now is the time. I also know that the DOE is filled with people who had worked for Sallie Mae and other student lenders. Don’t you see that as an obvious conflict of interest? It is obvious to me that the DOE is not upholding its commitment to those who need it most – the students. It is obvious to me that people who are intent on defending the lenders have burrowed their way into this governmental entity. It is obvious to me that Arne Duncan needs to, for lack of a better term, clean house. Why doesn’t he hire someone like me? I’d be more than happy to assist in cleaning house and also carry out some analyst work on the side.

Thank you again for your time.

I look forward to hearing back from you, and I hope we don’t have to continue along this line – your silence saddens me. The art of exchange depends upon reciprocity.

Finally, I have posted this letter to my blog and am urging my readers to reach out to you too.

Respectfully,

Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen

  

Encls.

cc: Robert Applebaum, Executive Director and Founder, Forgive Student Loan Debt

     Mr. Amit Paley, Washington Post

     Ms. Lauren Asher, The Institute for College Access & Success

     Mr. Kojo Nnamdi

Please write to the President, your representatives, your newspapers! Thanks for all of your support. 

Comparing Notes

What have you, dear readers, been doing to help the cause?

I don't mean to sound like a task master, and I know that you are not my pupils. But let me share my activities with you. I hope we can compare notes.

For the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement I have done the following:

1) Talked to Jim Sano - he helped to pass the resolution in Albany to ask Washington to forgive student loan debt. (Guess what! I beat the NYT in reporting this article. I may be small, but I am the little train that can and will!).
2) I've written to other politicians (I will be posting a letter shortly which I wrote to Sen. Dick Durbin).
3) I've contacted reporters and asked them why they're failing to reveal important information about "organizations" like the College Board (who settled a while back for kickbacks they were given to directors of financial aid). 
4) I've set up an interview with Mark Kantrowitz .

5) I've written several pitches to Kojo Nnamdi,  Ira Glass , Kai Ryssdal promoting Applebaum's movement. (Goooo Rob!).
6) I'm going to canvas for Delegate David Poisson (32nd district, Loudon County, VA) - he is very sympathetic to this movement. He holds a J.D. and a Ph.D. (and several master's, I believe. One thing is certain, he's ahead of me when it comes to collecting advanced degrees, and I'm a pro.).
7) I'm speaking to a reporter for the local NPR station in D.C. this coming Friday (WAMU) - for locals in D.C., we know that as good ol' 88.5 (stay tuned!).
8) I'm crafting arguments against articles on their comment sections and in my blog that claimed - based upon that dastardly survey that Sallie Mae manufactured and then spread to major news sources - students and their families are "borrowing less." (Tim Ranzetta has a GREAT counter response to that here). SHAME ON YOU MAINSTREAM PRESS!

I hope this list may give you an idea of how to think of strategic ways in getting this movement into public discourse. Thanks again for all of your support!

This is an Applebaum Newsflash! WE NEED YOUR HELP!

One of Applebaum's supporters wrote this post today:


Robert just finished speaking with a reporter for cnn.com who's writing a story on student loans. She asked Robert to help her find some people with PRIVATE student loan horror stories to share. If you have one and would be willing to be interviewed for a story to be published on cnn.com, please email Robert IMMEDIATELY at mail@forgivestudentloandebt.com.

So, readers, I ask that you write to Robert and share your PRIVATE student loan horror stories. Take action now!

Why can't a woman become a social worker without it leading to financial ruin?

Gina Moss, a single mother, from Baltimore decided to go to college in the hopes of carving out a better life for herself and her daughter. Ms. Moss, however, worried about the cost of going to school. But then she was offered a package from a school in Ohio that she simply couldn't turn down. This entailed taking out about $7,000 a year in loans in order to become a social worker. But there were other costs  - books, living expenses, etc. - so when Ms. Moss graduated, she told the reporter in this interview about the student loan debt crisis, that she ended up owing around $50,000. As a result of accrued interest, Ms. Moss now owes well over $70,000. That number continues to grow minute by minute, day by day, month by month. She is not alone . . .

She cannot find a job in her field. She has no support from the man who is the father of her child. Why? Ms. Moss was sexually assaulted in school. A traumatic experience that no person ought to face. But violence like this is unfortunately all too common. After the assault, Ms. Moss learned that she was pregnant. She made the decision to keep her child.

At one point the reporter asked, "why didn't you think about getting a degree that would allow you to earn more money?"

Ms. Moss replied, "at the time I didn't think about. I didn't think about getting an MBA or a law degree . . ."

While I appreciate this report overall, I think that question was a poor one. This woman wanted to become a social worker, because she likes to help people. As a result of wanting to help people, and not earning an MBA or a law degree, Ms. Moss is now homeless. Why? She took out FFELP loans. These loans were in collection, and Ms. Moss was advised by this lender's collection department to pay money on her loan instead of on her rent. Since I abide by the belief that in order to truly understand a person's life and struggles, you must walk in that person's shoes first, I will not judge her for the decision she made. I can only imagine the critics and their loud, taunting voices on here, shouting things like: "Well, she should have known better!" or "Why would she have taken such stupid advice. It's her own fault!"

Instead of standing afar and casting a cruel judging eye upon this particular woman, I want to emphasize that her struggle is a collective one. Go to the message boards affixed to all these stories about student lending issues - you will find thousands and thousands of stories like Gina Moss's! She is NOT alone. But yet we all feel very alone, don't we? We - the new indentured educated class - have been effectively silenced by a corrupted, bureaucratized system and now our bourgeois spaces serve as our prisons. These enclosed spaces were once, for the educated bourgeoisie - safe havens, but not anymore. Not for this new indentured educated class.

So, we may have access to internet, own a nice television (Ms. Moss, mind you, does not even have a T.V nor does she have a home), but we are enslaved by the student lending industry (I also see the DOE as culpable).

I ask Mr. Obama: are we REALLY engaged citizens? What sort of change are you offering your educated middle-class, Mr. President?

If Mr. Obama had not written that wonderful memoir about his father, HE and HIS WIFE would still have student loan debt. THE president of THE United States of America would still owe debt had it not been for that marvelous book. Now, I ask all of you, even the critics, doesn't that seem ABSURD?

At least glaneurs could glean without the fear of accruing interest from the things they collected! What sort of prison have we created for our own class?

Ruminations on Sallie Mae's recent survey

Many of you have probably seen the recent stories in the mainstream press about a really, I mean, really (ahem) "reliable" survey  that claims borrowing for college is purportedly down and that most families, as one blogger claimed, are "paying for [it] just fine." Well guess who put out that survey? That's right! You guess it . . . good ol' Sallie Mae!

In a word, these "news" stories are based upon a shallow survey that Sallie Mae put out (they hired Gallup to carry it out). Here they are:

a) NYT  put out "Survey Finds that Many Families Don't Borrow For College" - http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/survey-finds-that-many-families-dont-borrow-for-college/#comment-16123

b) NPR's "Fewer Students Borrow for College? Those Who Do Spend More" - http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2009/08/college_students_borrowing.html

c) Chronicle of Higher Education (hereafter I will refer to it as CHE) - "Fewer Than Half of Families Paid for Undergraduate Education with Loan This Past Year, Survey Finds." - http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/survey-finds-that-many-families-dont-borrow-for-college/#comment-16123



Here are my questions to these reporters and their media outlets:

1) Why are you being used for ulterior motives?

2) Why won't you reveal sources?  Don't you owe that to your readers?

3) Why are these major news outlets just putting out self-serving information that protects the interests of Sallie Mae and other lenders? This survey is weak, and Tim Ranzetta, who researches and writes for Student Lending Analytics, provides an excellent explanation about its faults here. (Just one little piece of information - the survey had 800 students and 804 parents who participated. I know - silly me! And here I was also trained to be a social scientist - that's a large pool of people and you can therefore make some solid conclusions about trends).

4) I brought up a similar question here, when Ms. Kim Clark wrote an article about the College Board in U.S. News & World Report. Ms. Clark described the College Board as "an organization for colleges," but I later told my readers that that was not entirely accurate. So, I wish to ask Ms. Clark :why didn't she inform her readers that the College Board had been a lender until 2007? (Ms. Clark doesn't care what her readers post, and I have not heard back from her yet - I sent her an email about a week ago).

5) Why aren't these media outlets referring to reliable sources like TICAS?

If this student loan situation isn't really a problem, then answer this question: why does it resonate with hundreds of thousands of people? If the critics don't like our approach and our proposal, I ask them then: what would you suggest we change? How can we meet and discuss this in order to protect those who matter most - the students?

A single woman like Gina Moss should not have to be kicked out of her small and rented apartment, WITH A YOUNG CHILD, in order to pay loans back to Sallie Mae.Gina Moss is not alone. Her story is one that is being experienced over and over and over again in this country. That's why we MUST ask for real change NOW!

More on Gina Moss, the Dept. of Education, and the Obama Administration later . . .

Notepad Scribbling: Congratulations, Robert Applebaum!

Membership for Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Debt movement on Facebook has surpassed 226,000 members! Hoorah!

Addendum to my Open Question

I suppose it doesn't really matter if my comments are awaiting moderation. What's most important: sharing my thoughts with my readers.

Open Question to Mr. Jacques Steinberg and the NYT: Why are my comments still awaiting moderation?

I posted two comments on the article here about Jim Sano and the Albany City Council asking Washington to forgive student loans. Here's my first comment, which I wrote on August 21st at at 11:20 PM:

I hope everyone here will take the time to visit my blog. I’m learning some very important information about the Dept. of Education (DOE) and its relationship to lenders. I realize that health care reform is a critical issue. Like many of you, I am following that debate too. However, I see the predatory student lending issues and the way in which students at for-profit universities, tech schools, community colleges, and universities are being grossly misled. (I have news folks, I think there is a likelihood that incidences civil fraud will most likely come to light ). This situation, crisis rather, is related to broader issues that are connected to our concepts of community and how we understand our role in this democratic and capitalistic society. I will be clear: I believe that we owe it to people (NOT banks) to help them get back into the system. I’m not just referring to those who have defaulted, but students who have graduated and are living paycheck-to-paycheck with their money going straight to lenders, making it impossible for them to play a role in stimulating the economy (they can’t buy homes, they can’t buy cars, i.e., “big ticket” items that serve to bolster this consumer-based system).

I invite those who support the movement for which I am an advocate, member, and promotional writer to read Robert Applebaum’s Forgive Student Loan Debt proposal here: http://www.forgivestudentloandebt.com/

Here’s the address to my blog again, too: http://alleducationmatters.blogspot.com/

I’ve reached out to city, state, and national politicians about the student lending crisis. Some have reached out, and I’ve even had a few telephone conversations as a result. But the important ones have remained silent. So far . . . (Obama should be open to this idea. After all, if he hadn’t written his first book, he and his wife would still be in debt! We’re talking about THE president of the United States. Doesn’t that seem a bit absurd?)

I am officially (is that possible if you’ve named yourself as such? haha) one of THE watchdogs calling those responsible OUT for this disastrous, predatory, and corrupt system. I am intent pushing Congress to reform the student lending industry dramatically in order to ensure that those children who wish to obtain advanced degrees won’t find themselves, after being handed their degrees, imprisoned and financially shackled by Nelnet, Sallie Mae, etc. like us - we are a new class, the indentured educated class. This country exemplifies the success of a middle class and its dynamism, but that group of people, with all of its spontaneity, may very well vanish. As I see it, the middle class is presently an endangered species.

This idea - student loan debt forgiveness - is revolutionary. That word makes people nervous.

Rest assured, I am a reasonable, even affable person (I love America and dogs!), so one of the reasons I promote Applebaum’s proposal is because its flexible. We’re more than willing to bend, as long as we get something dramatic in return.

Here’s my final thought: things are not working well now. The student lending industry has NEVER been regulated. I say, why not give this proposal a shot? What do we have to lose? Why NOT regulate this industry that’s squelching those who need to be protected? Maybe it will fail. Fine. It can be changed.

Fact of the matter is: the DOE has THE power NOW to change things. There are acts that allow Duncan to CHANGE the way these things are run at this moment. However, he doesn’t seem to be aware of his power. Plus, the DOE is filled with types who worked in the student lending industry. When they left, they went to the DOE. That seems troubling to me.

Anyhow, thanks for your time, and I hope to earn more followers to get my blog more attention. But more than that, I hope to get this off the internet and into actual public discourse (the Hill is the top target).

My blog address again is here.

I'll admit, it's a long post. But there are visible posts from others who are just as long as this one. Moreover, I added another one that was just a few sentences. It was in response to a person name "Reality for All."

Last night at 8:58 PM I wrote:

Hey, “Reality for All,”

Instead of posting anonymously, why don’t you reveal your name. I guess it’s easier to be rude and hide behind a fake name. That way you can be presumptuous and rude.

That comment is ALSO "awaiting moderation." I am at a loss to understand why they have not added my comments. I said nothing violent. I said nothing hateful. So, why are my comments "awaiting moderation?" I should also note that there are comments that were added by other readers and surround my comments that are "still awaiting moderation."

I also wrote to Mr. Steinberg through a form email at the NYT. I asked him why my comments were still awaiting moderation. If anyone has a direct email for him, please let me know. Thanks!

With that said, do you, dear readers, have any thoughts? I'm just curious about the delay. That's all.

CALL TO ACTION: Write to Kai Ryssdal and Marketplace - ask them to do a show about Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement!

I wrote to Kai Ryssdal, the host of Marketplace and asked him to do a show on the Student Loan Debt Crisis. I encourage all of you to do the same. (If you would be willing to share your letters, please post them to the comments. I'd be very grateful!)

First things first, so here's basic contact information to send your witty emails:

I sent Kai a letter to this email: commentary@marketplace.org

I also pitched the story and sent it to this address: pitches@marketplace.org

As you will see, when I wrote to Kai, I also pasted my original pitch for his perusal. I've done the same below for the sake of simplicity.

MY LETTER TO KAI RYSSDAL

Dear Kai and E-mail Reading Assistant(s) to Kai,

I hate to even use this term, but you rank among my most favorite, uh, radio personalities. Are you really just a radio personality? I think not!

Normally, I don't use a first-name salutation unless I am really good friends with the person or they are a family member. (The latter group, oftentimes, receives affixed titles such as "Uncle," or "Aunt," or "G-ma." But you get my point). In any event, you and your listeners are aware that you have a delightful sense of humor and a sharp wit - that's why I thought I'd just call you Kai. I hope you don't mind.

Since we're on a first name basis, allow me to introduce myself as such. My name is Cryn, and I am a promotional writer and marketer for Robert Applebaum's Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement. I am also a blogger about the student lending crisis - here's my blog: Education Matters. Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement, started in January 2009 on Facebook, has, as of 10:39 EST on Saturday, August, 22nd, grown to 225,725 members!

Here's the link to the Facebook group and here's a link to Applebaum's site.The movement, however, is not just restricted to the internet. I am a D.C. resident (truth be told, I live in NOVA), so I am taking my efforts to the Hill. I have already had a few conversations with city and state politicians about the movement and Applebaum's proposal to forgive student loan debt. Now is the time to do some old-fashioned grassroots promoting and head up to the Hill and wait in some offices. I'm sure I'll be getting to know some staffers very well in the next coming months, and I look forward to eating cafeteria food alone and reading lots of books. (I think that's why we still have books around - it allows us lunch loners to read and eat without the risk of looking pathetic. It helps all the possible onlookers with lunch partners too. If we lunch loners have a book, they don't take pity upon us).

I pitched your Pitch Office too (pasted pithy pitch below).

I try to be a bit witty myself, but this movement is dead serious. We need your help, Kai! We need you to do a story about this movement! You do an excellent job of reporting about serious issues in a humorous way. Nevertheless, these are issues that matter to your listeners, and they understand the reasons for your delivery. (I studied humor and laughter as a Ph.D. student at Brown, so I've studied these tactics used during the Reformation and so forth).

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully,
Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen
Promotional Writer and Marketer, Forgive Student Loan Debt

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MY PITCH

Dear Marketplace Friends:

Clearly, you never receive pitches, and I'm glad to be the first one.

Anyhow, I got a great story idea. It's a tale about a guy named Robert Applebaum. You see, he's gotten a whole lot of powerful people and their lobbying friends inside the beltway in a tizzy. (I am proud to say that I'm part of that effort and have been debating heavily with analysts at the College Board over the past few days). But what's this tale all about? It's about the student loan crisis. The College Board was recently written about in an article entitled, "Is Student Loan Debt Really a Problem." That story has not been very popular. The link below will lead you to the outraged public. In that story, two people from the College Board, Patricia Steele and Sandra Baum, argued that the stories circulating around the putative "student loan crisis" are sensationalistic.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/paying-for-college/2009/08/12/is-student-debt-really-a-problem/comments/

I was one of the first to alert Robert Applebaum, the Founder and Executive Director of the Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement, and he let his supporters know about this article. This article is not the first to be published on the topic. In fact, if you take a look at Applebaum's website here, you'll see that he's posted related pieces. The posters have similar things (there are those who are totally against it too) to say. The ones who support this movement tell their stories of what they owe and how they have decided not to have children, how they can't buy homes, cars - simple things. The haters tell those people that they were "irresponsible" for deciding to go to school. The haters call the debtors "brats," "snobs," etc. As you can see, it's a heated topic.

I also have a blog that's related to education here.

So, you're out of ideas for your next show. I'm the FIRST person to ever suggest a show. Whaddya think? Do you want to do a show on the student lending crisis? It's a hot topic, and it keeps getting hotter . . .

Sincerely,

Ms. C. Cryn Johannsen
Promotional Writer and Marketer, Forgive Student Loan Debt Movement (225,725 supporters and growing!)

And yet another posting about the College Board

Wow. The College Board's reputation continues to worsen. After another quick search for them on Google, I found a story here about kickbacks given to financial aid directors. The College Board settled after they were probed about these kickbacks. (And if you settle, guess what that means? Uh, you're GUILTY).

Do we suspect corruption? Maybe? Hmmm? Possibly? Hmmm? Could this situation be just ONE out of hundreds and hundreds of similar situations whereby other lenders also offered or continue to offer kickbacks to promote their companies at schools?

Let's talk about some irresponsibility, and I'm obviously not referring to students who take out loans. Nope. I'm talking about good ol' fashioned corporate irresponsibility. So the yapping mouths affixed to (I oftentimes presume) non-thinking beings that decry "oh, all these students are just sooooooooooooo irresponsible" need to check that statement at the door.

When it's a Friday evening, it's raining, and football games are on, the time is ripe to search for stories about the College Board. So as I nibble on football treats, I invite you to snack on a few more tidbits about good ol' CB. WARNING! This stuff WILL cause digestive problems. But you asked for it, and so did I. Here are your heavy, greasy mind-snacks:

-"The College Board, best known for designing and administering SAT and Advance Placement tests, today settled an investigation into charges that it swapped favorable pricing for its services to colleges in exchange for the colleges favorably marketing its student loan products under the heading 'preferred lender [my emphasis] -- a category that a wide ranging probe into industry practices found was often was unrelated to any favorable loan rate."

-Often, Cuomo's office found, this was done in exchange for a fee to the college, or an inducement to the financial aid officer in the form of consulting fees, which included $70,000 harbor cruises and shares in the lender's company.

-One former financial aid director at Johns Hopkins University who cultivated a national reputation as a stickler for ethics, according to the Washington Post, "accepted more than $130,000 from eight lending industry companies during her tenure, twice as much money as previously disclosed."

-Lenders who have reached settlements include many of the names familiar from the meltdown of the banking sector: JP Morgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, National City, Sallie Mae CIT/Student Loan Xpress among them.

Oh, wow! I'm shocked. They have bedfellows!

So, again, here's my question and it's really a question for Kim Clark, that reporter who we all know now - the one who wrote that sloppy article about the College Board's findings that student debt really isn't a big deal here: Why aren't you telling your readers about these things? I realize you have word limits, but you're probably a crafty writer. I bet you could reference these things AND also mention the fact that the College Board used to be a lender in your articles. Right?

Enjoy your Friday, friends! As soon as I hear back from Ms. Clark (wink, wink), I'll be sure to share her answer.

Quod Est Veritas? Why isn't the Department of Education Putting Out Any Reports on Student Loan Debt?

So, I've been thinking about that data that was presented by the College Board in that frustrating article by Kim Clark. They manipulated the data coming from the NPSAS . We all know that. But I've been pondering things that are connected to journalism and integrity. I guess I'm old-fashioned, but I believe in transparency and honesty. The more I dig into this whole student lending disaster and dissect those who have the money, power, and the most awesome-est lobbyists around (not to mention the problematic and sloppy role that the DOE plays in this whole game as well as the senators whose pockets get lined by these nasty lenders, the universities and the benefits they reap from these folks, etc.) the more I realize I am old-school - I believe in ethics and admire a G-man like Jon Oberg. It also seems that journalists have forgotten things like integrity and transparency. However, sleepless nights lead you to gold mines on the internet - rest assured, dear readers, I have MUCH more to share. I am committing myself to the role of a watchdog, because those students and families who are really struggling (the sick, the destitute, and so forth) deserve to have a voice. As long as I can holler and put forth truths, I'll be here for those people.

There are two things that are important to know about why my thinking is troubled. (That doesn't mean it's fuzzy. Quite the contrary - it's crystal clear).

1) Why didn't Kim Clark tell her readers about the history of the College Board, i.e., that it had been a LENDER until 2007? I think that's important information to mention as a reporter, don't you think so too? Instead, Ms. Clark described them as "an organization for colleges." Hmmmm. What does that mean? For those of you already following me, you've heard my critiques and agreed. In short, I ask: where is Ms. Clark's journalistic integrity? Why wouldn't U.S. News and World Report state the objective facts?

2) Also, why hasn't the Department of Education put out a REPORT about student lending debt? Why won't the DOE do their OWN analysis of this data? Instead it is farmed out to the College Board who manipulate that data, as I mentioned above, and convince us that the student lending crisis isn't a big deal. Oh, wait, I'm sorry, it's all been SENSATIONALIZED, as Patricia Steele, claimed. (News Alert to those folks: IT FAILED to convince most of the readers, and don't even TRY and make that argument that we're all a bunch of ill-informed individuals who didn't bother reading the actual report. Ganz falsch. Entirely false).

I also don't understand why the NYT hasn't done fuller pieces about Applebaum and Collinge. This movement CLEARLY has traction. In fact, Applebaum's movement has surpassed 225,000 supporters on Facebook! That's fantastic, so why aren't these reporters doing more stories about Applebaum, Collinge, and blogs like this one? Does it not matter to them?

Quick Post: Community-Oriented Person Who Owes No Debt!

A few days ago I was speaking to a friend who is an attorney. He just so happens to be doing very well at the moment. Plus, he has no debt as result of his education. However, he recognizes that he went to school at a very different time. It was a time when school was affordable. This friend wholeheartedly believes that this student loan crisis needs to be solved. He understands the societal and financial repercussions if we do not attend to this serious problem.

That reminds me of another conversation I had a few months ago with a highly successful consultant. This consultant attended a top-notch school. I brought up the student loan crisis during our talk. He agreed that it was a problem. Then he told me that he belongs to the alumni group at said top-notch university. That group recently highlighted the rise in tuition at the university. He found that ridiculous. He said something along the lines of, "they are squeezing money out of the wrong people [the middle class]."

Then he laughed and said, "I will be giving away my age, but when I went to [top-notch university] the cost was so reasonable that I could work during the summers at a camp and afford to pay for the whole school year."

Wow - that speaks volumes. In response to the NYT article about the city of Albany passing the resolution to forgive student loan debt, a commenter was against the proposal. They made a good point: the cost of tuition needs to be addressed instead. I agree, but that is just one other piece of this complex puzzle.

I also wanted to highlight a great remark from another post there. They wrote:

"My parents paid for my years at an Ivy League college where I earned a nice Degree. From there I was able to pick a job that I enjoyed and that fit my skills - all unencumbered by debt. What a nice way to head out into the World on my own!

While I was lucky, I do very much wish everyone had that same chance.

— jpgaskell"

Like my attorney pal, who's doing very well, this person obviously understands the reasons for why this movement has grown and why the proposal makes sense.

I applaud these types of people - the ones who understand why this matters to all of us (debt free or otherwise). They are clearly community-oriented, and that's something that invokes patriotic feelings. It reminds me of the first time I really experienced a 4th of July and felt inspired by its historical significance. It was in Boston. My favorite people in the world were there - my family - and we got to stand atop a rooftop of a beautiful old apartment on Commonwealth Avenue. I've never seen fireworks that big. As those fireworks fell past us, I thought about my family's love and support. For it was on that day my family had helped me with things related to my own Ivy League Education. I was heading to Harvard in the Fall to be an exchange scholar. I was filled with so much hope and awe. When I read things like this above, those feelings return, and it makes me feel hopeful about our future generations and their right to obtain college degrees without paying a dreadful cost: the dashing of those dreams behind obtaining an education.

NYT Covers Albany!

Well, Alan Collinge and his group spoke to Sano and others last week. Then I spoke to Sano by phone. Thanks to a lot of group effort and Sano's concern about student loan debt, the story is in the NYT here.

I encourage all the readers here to share their stories there. So, yes, dear readers, this post is for a CALL TO ACTION!

This attention in the NYT is great! Plus, Applebaum's movement is highlighted. Go team!

Reaching Out To Concerned Citizens: My Conversation with the Honorable James Sano, 9th Ward Councilman of Albany NY

Jim Sano met with Alan Collinge and supporters of Student Loan Justice on August 12, 2009. Jim Sano is the 9th ward Councilman for the city of Albany, NY. New York Representative Paul Tonko (D-21st District of NY) attended the meeting as well.



Collinge posted information on how this meeting went on Facebook. He wrote, "This is the first piece of legislation, city, state, or federal, to call for a meaningul [sic] reform of the, student loan system. StudentLoanJustice.Org applauds Jim Sano, City of Albany, NY, for this bold move."



I wrote to Sano yesterday morning (Sunday) and introduced myself. I told him I was a blogger and also a promotional writer for Robert Applebaum's movement (we're almost, almost nearing 225,00 members too!). Sano wrote me back in less than five minutes. He sent me the resolution (see below) and offered to speak to me later in the evening. (There's serious government interest, if you ask me!)



Sano learned about this movement from his daughter who is currently in graduate school. In fact, Sano has two daughters and both of them have undergraduate degrees. In a word, with two daughters who have obtained degrees, and one working on an advanced degree, Sano understands the situtation on a personal level.



When Sano began to explore these movements, he told me he was surprised by how extensive and well-connected they are already are. (Yeah for the team!). He thinks that Applebaum's proposal raises some really critical points. I also informed him that I'd reached out to local politicians in my area. In fact, I wrote to a few of them yesterday. Delegate David Poisson of the 32nd district of Virgina (the ever-expanding Loudon County) responded to me too. (I have a theory that it's best to write to politicians on Sundays. They seem perhaps more inclined to respond. Just my hunch). Poisson told me that he will raise this issue in January when the General Assembly reconvenes. (I will make a point to nudge him when that month nears). Sano also told me that I could send Poisson the resolution below.



Sano is very open to this idea, but recognizes that it will take a lot of time. One thing he said that struck me as critical was this: we need to get this off the Internet and out there in other forms of public discourse. (That's why I urge all of you to write to Ira Glass and ask him to do a story on our movement).



Here are some of the things we agreed about:



1) We need to keep this dialogue going (that's why this blog is critical and I hope to earn more followers)



2) The resolution doesn't have to be s standoff between Wall St. and Main St.



3) If student loans were to be forgiven, there would have to be a component that required students to work in the public sector. (There are programs in place like this now, but they being restructured or halted as a result of the Great Recession. The NYT had a story about a husband wife, Travis Gay and Stephanie Gay. They are both special education teachers who are part of a Student Loan Debt Forgiveness program. The Kentucky Agency handling their case, however, has cut back this program, so the Gays are facing a difficult financial situation. In total, the couple owes $100,000).



Here's the resolution. I have more things to say, but wanted to get this up ASAP. (The italicized parts need filling out).



RESOLUTION

Council Member Sano introduced the following resolution:

RESOLUTION NUMBER

RESOLUTION OF THE COMMON COUNCIL CALLING UPON CONGRESS TO OFFER PROGRAMS TO REDUCE STUDENT LOAN DEBT AS AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS TOOL AND REFORM THE STUDENT LOAN PROCESS.

WHEREAS, the cost of higher education has risen faster than the average starting salaries, leaving many new college graduates with student debt which exceeds their ability to pay, and

WHEREAS, student loan repayment can be difficult for young people starting off their careers and has become even more challenging now with the economic downturn, as recent graduates lose their jobs or struggle to land one. Graduates confront unaffordable monthly payments, loans that are nearly impossible to discharge, and restrictive loan repayment plans, and

WHEREAS, there were nearly $131 billion in outstanding private loans in 2008. In addition, there is $544 billion in outstanding federal loans for fiscal year 2009, up from $502 billion in 2008, according to the Education Department. The average debts of students graduating with loans rose from $18,796 in 2006 to $20,098 in 2007, according to the Project on Student Debt, and

WHEREAS, forgiving private and federal student loans should be greatly expanded in exchange for service in all public sector jobs, so as to better utilize these degrees and experience especially in our most disadvantaged areas. The time frame for public service should be proportional to the amount of debt asking to be forgiven, and

WHEREAS, forgiving student loan debt would have a stimulating effect on the economy. Responsible people who did nothing other than pursue a higher education would have hundreds, if not thousands of extra dollars per month to spend, fueling the economy. As a result, tax revenues would go up, the credit markets will unfreeze and jobs will be created, and

WHEREAS, in order to stop this cycle of destructive student debt we also urge Congress to examine the following; repealing the exception to bankruptcy discharge of private, governmentally-guaranteed and government education loans, increased Pell Grant funding, to align the definition of total and permanent disability discharge with the Social Security definition of a disability, mandatory financial literacy training for all college students, and improvements in loan counseling and

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Common Council of the City of Albany urges the federal government to consider forgiving student loans as part of a stimulus package for young people and to move forward on reforming the student loan process.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to United States Senators Kristen Gillibrand and Charles Schumer and United States Representative Paul Tonko.