If you are a college student in the United States of America, you’ve probably had your fair share of run-ins with student loans and debt. College tuition rates across the country continuously rise, most often without the scholarship amounts rising in proportion. These hikes in price leave college students – and sometimes their families – in heaps of debt, with no immediate solution in sight. So what is there to be done about the insane rates of tuition?
Well, many students from across the nation are protesting and standing up to the unfair rates of higher education that they experience. There are students all over organizing marches and protests, called the Million Student March, to have their voices heard. One source reports, “Organizers are demanding tuition-free public colleges, cancellation of all student debt and a $15-an-hour minimum wage for campus workers. The total volume of outstanding U.S. student loan debt has more than doubled to $1.2 trillion, according to the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, compared with less than $600 billion in 2006.” (Reuters News)
These numbers are outrageous, and with an economy that’s already suffering and a job market that’s getting slimmer by the day, the last thing college students need is to be placed in thousands of debt right after celebrating their graduation. The students marching are aiming for three goals: free education, the elimination of current student debt, and higher wages for students working on their campuses.
The march pertains to public colleges, so private colleges wouldn’t be affected if this change were to be put into effect, but it would still make life easier for so many young people in college.
If you’re interested in this movement and want more information on this article or the Million Student March, click the links below.