JUNE 30TH, 2008 | Polis for Congress
JUNE 30, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dayna Hanson Morain, Dayna@polisforcongress.com
Polis Proposes Aggressive Plan to Help Families and Students Pay for College
Plan calls for national service in return for four years of college tuition
Boulder, CO – Jared Polis, Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 2nd District, today announced bold measures to help students and middle-class families pay for four years of college. Polis said Congress must do more to make higher education affordable, and promised to push for free college tuition in exchange for national service, and other assistance with student loans.
“As Democrats, we know that the key to reaching the American Dream for working families has always been education. Congress is not doing nearly enough to help students and families with the soaring costs of higher education,” said Jared Polis.
“In return for one year of service to our country by working in the poorest urban and rural schools, in hospitals and in our communities, I think students should be offered two years of free tuition at our public universities and community colleges. I will fight for that when I get to Congress.”
Jared Polis said that his plan draws upon the best principles of national and community service, and help for ordinary Americans to improve their lives through higher education.
Polis proposes that the federal government cover the cost of two years of college tuition for each year of national service. Polis’ plan would give any college graduate up to $25,000 – the average four-year cost of tuition at American public universities – in return for two years of national service.
Polis also proposed to double Pell Grant awards for students to help pay for college. The maximum Pell Grant today covers only a portion of the cost of a public university, or $4,000 of a bill that far exceeds that amount.
Polis also wants to increase direct government lending for college tuition and raise the cap on federally backed student loans. As more private lenders are pulling out of the student loan business under the “credit crunch”, Congress must strengthen the federal direct loan program, allowing more students to borrow directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Cutting out the middlemen promises lower interest rates for students’ loans, and offers a better deal for taxpayers.
To pay for free tuition for Americans in return for national service, which will cost $3.6 billion (that is less than two weeks of funding for the war in Iraq), the government can cut billions in subsidies to big oil and gas companies and subsidies to private banks and lenders who profit from our current insufficient student loan programs.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dayna Hanson Morain, Dayna@polisforcongress.com
Polis Proposes Aggressive Plan to Help Families and Students Pay for College
Plan calls for national service in return for four years of college tuition
Boulder, CO – Jared Polis, Democratic candidate for Congress in Colorado’s 2nd District, today announced bold measures to help students and middle-class families pay for four years of college. Polis said Congress must do more to make higher education affordable, and promised to push for free college tuition in exchange for national service, and other assistance with student loans.
“As Democrats, we know that the key to reaching the American Dream for working families has always been education. Congress is not doing nearly enough to help students and families with the soaring costs of higher education,” said Jared Polis.
“In return for one year of service to our country by working in the poorest urban and rural schools, in hospitals and in our communities, I think students should be offered two years of free tuition at our public universities and community colleges. I will fight for that when I get to Congress.”
Jared Polis said that his plan draws upon the best principles of national and community service, and help for ordinary Americans to improve their lives through higher education.
Polis proposes that the federal government cover the cost of two years of college tuition for each year of national service. Polis’ plan would give any college graduate up to $25,000 – the average four-year cost of tuition at American public universities – in return for two years of national service.
Polis also proposed to double Pell Grant awards for students to help pay for college. The maximum Pell Grant today covers only a portion of the cost of a public university, or $4,000 of a bill that far exceeds that amount.
Polis also wants to increase direct government lending for college tuition and raise the cap on federally backed student loans. As more private lenders are pulling out of the student loan business under the “credit crunch”, Congress must strengthen the federal direct loan program, allowing more students to borrow directly from the U.S. Department of Education. Cutting out the middlemen promises lower interest rates for students’ loans, and offers a better deal for taxpayers.
To pay for free tuition for Americans in return for national service, which will cost $3.6 billion (that is less than two weeks of funding for the war in Iraq), the government can cut billions in subsidies to big oil and gas companies and subsidies to private banks and lenders who profit from our current insufficient student loan programs.
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Ask Jared a question!
