financial aid

• Starting off with some health news... One study recently found that many young people with Type 2 diabetes have impaired cardiovascular function due to stiffened arteries.
• Kurt Metzger's "Talk to Young People about Sex" album will be released on Comedy Central on June 28th
• We need to see more of this: An Iowa City city council candidate is running to give young adults a voice.
• Call it the scone rush? For struggling young people, one cafe in the Chicago area intentionally creates opportunities for recently imprisoned youth to get back on their feet.
• Obama again reaching out to youth through youth roundtables.
• New York's state financial aid agency offers college students advice on how to strengthen their financial fitness following college.
• The San Francisco Chronicle offers its own advice.
• But before you graduate from college, you need to succeed there. Here are some tips for first year students in your first year.
• Entrepreneurship 101: A guide for new college grads looking to fly solo
• Grants that help youth be their own bosses? Interesting.
• The trials and tribulations of the intern and other tales of unpaid labor
• The for-profit price of student loans (and it's not stormtroopers on a collection mission. At least in this story).

Money (or lack thereof) is behind the decision to leave college for many students.

In a survey released this week by Public Agenda and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, students also noted that to get students like them to go to college, higher education and society should improve and emphasize flexible scheduling and financial aid for part-time students as much as on cutting college prices.

The goal of the survey is to provide student viewpoints in a set of policy discussions around college access and completion that are often dominated by higher education officials and policy makers, said Jean Johnson, who directs Public Agenda's education efforts.

The survey also finds that another barrier for many of those leaving college is the need to work to support themselves and their families. Over one-third of respondents who previously left an institution and wanted to re-enroll explained scholarships covering their tuitions and books still would not be enough.

While education is supposed to be the answer for young people trapped on the lower end of our economy, what happens when they can't access it because of that economy? According to this survey, higher education becomes a pipe dream that passes them by.

One of my favorite aspects of blogging is learning about various programs and initiatives that infuse civic engagement and service-learning into the college experience. Dickinson College in Pennsylvania is prepared to announce the implementation of a public service fellowship program which will serve as one of the best examples yet of an institution linking its values with President Obama's call for public service.

From the soon-to-be-released release:

After four years of high school, not all students are ready to continue with higher education. For some, a one-year break from academia, commonly referred to as a "gap year," provides time for students to learn more about themselves and the world. Already common in other countries, the U.S. is now seeing an increase in students seeking time off before matriculation to save money for college; others seek civic engagement or travel. President Obama has called on Americans to participate in our nation’s recovery and renewal by serving in our communities. To support this idea, the federal government’s Web site Serve.gov is an online resource for registering a community program, finding service opportunities and the tools for creating one.

[...]

Students can apply for admission into the Fellowship in their senior year of high school. If accepted, students may defer enrollment until the beginning of the academic year for one, two, three or four years. Students who have engaged in public service for up to four years following high-school graduation receive a $10,000 tuition credit for each year of public service, up to a total of $40,000. Use of credits will be limited to a maximum of $10,000 annually and will be applied to the student's account when matriculated. The Fellowship amount will be in addition to other institutional grants and scholarships for which the student may be eligible. Dickinson grants and scholarships won’t be affected by receipt of the Fellowship unless the student's total gift aid exceeds the student's total cost of attendance. The college will work with students to determine the best timing for using the credits, within the context of other aid.

Students must engage in meaningful public service devoted to improving the human condition and/or the natural environment. A student may opt to join well-established public service programs that offer a wide array of experiences, such as AmeriCorps (which also awards up to $4,725 for college tuition), or the student may pursue an independently designed project with a local, national or international nonprofit organization. In all cases, students must work 30-40 hours a week for 10-12 months (at least 1,200 total hours). The hours may be a traditional 30-40 hour workweek, or a more intensive experience such as disaster relief work that may require 12 to 14 hour days. The public service work may be compensated or uncompensated.

In order to reap the financial benefits of this program, Public Service Fellows must submit an application including an essay stating how they hope to contribute to themselves and society through the work they will be completing. Once the project is complete, the student is then required to submit a reflection essay discussing how the student's experience will impact his or her Dickinson experience.

In addition to the financial advantages afforded to them, Public Service Fellows will add to an already impressive Dickinson education. Those students participating in the program will contribute to a reflection ceremony open to the Dickinson community by sharing lessons learned from the public service projects. Furthermore, the campus will give Public Service Fellows priority consideration for campus-based leadership positions, such as resident advisor and campus advisor, further emphasizing the importance of giving back to one's community throughout the Dickinson experience.

Granted, a Dickinson education isn't cheap to start with. The tuition itself is almost $40,000 a year, and the bill only increases after other fees are added. But as noted above, students can work in public service for up to four years, netting $40,000. While students can only spend up to $10,000 yearly, all of this money is on top of any additional financial aid the school offers (receiving the fellowship does not impact other scholarship and grant opportunities).

One way to add to the program might be to incorporate an academic piece. For instance, instead of limiting students to writing two essays, perhaps those deciding to matriculate at Dickinson any given year would be required to register for a seminar to further explore their experiences, more intensely investigating themes they observed or felt while serving. This would then improve the quality of the on-campus discussion led by fellows.

In 2008, many of the Democratic presidential candidates offered similar proposals on their platforms, but nothing was this beneficial to students. This initiative provides Dickinson with a way to accentuate the importance of civic engagement among its students, while making its valued education more accessible to students predisposed with the ability to work hard and develop strong reflective skills. Those fellows admitted will be offered opportunity after opportunity to learn how to contribute to the greater good, while following in the footsteps of Dickinson College's founder, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signatory of the Declaration of Independence. In a public address in 1787, Rush urged every citizen to become an engaged public servant. Now, some 222 years later, with another American leader issuing the same call, Dickinson College is leading the way among institutions of higher education.

Robert Frost once described education as "hanging around until you've caught on." Thanks to a generous scholarship program linking high school graduates with the local community college, many more young people will have that chance in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.

In 2002, a foundation started by John E. Morgan, whose knitwear manufacturing company was one of the few large businesses to spring up out of Tamaqua since the decline of coal production there, agreed to cover two years of tuition at Lehigh Carbon Community College for graduates of Tamaqua Senior High School.The stipulations are few: eligible candidates must have attended the high school for two consecutive years before graduation, file a federal student aid application, and enroll in at least nine college credit hours per semester.

Morgan's effort has now become the community's, inspiring another similar donation building on top of the original.

Morgan's gift has now inspired a copycat, to the benefit of Tamaqua's students. The Scheller family, which has an aluminum coatings manufacturing company and donates generously in the region, this April announced its own $1.5 million endowed scholarship program that aims to pay for Lehigh Carbon Community College students’ next two years of schooling at certain four-year institutions in the state. Roberta and Ernest Scheller announced the endowment and dedicated the half-million dollar firehouse-turned-student center on the same day, in honor of their daughter, Lisa Jane, an alumna of LCCC and now the CEO of the family's company.

The two scholarships together permit students to finish bachelor degrees at regional state universities, like Bloomsburg or Kutztown.

Congress advanced education and the public good with passage of the Serve America Act, which strengthens the bond between service and education. But programs like these represent what else might be needed. Yes, I believe the federal government can support and implement education-improving programs effectively, but perhaps an effort to strategically create these locally-focused scholarship programs across the country has its place too.

Sarah's post yesterday was correct -- we need to bring education in this country into the 21st Century. But while we're doing that, we should keep an eye on access to higher education, which has continued to be problematic for low-income students. In improving access, we should review win-win situations that not only improve education, but rewarding the communities supporting educational institutions as well. Tamaqua, Pennsylvania's program is a great example of this, providing underrepresented students with an opportunity to get that crucial college degree while settling in their home region.

• Obama and Duncan have plans to streamline the FAFSA form, which does nothing more than intimidate and confuse many families. My father and I just completed the FAFSA form after weeks of deciphering confusing instructions and pin-number debacles. Some sort of reform is absolutely necessary.
• Check out a hilarious piece on Congress Matters about a candidate trying join the leadership of the Young Republicans who was once arrested for voter fraud.
• Is Twitter for elderly, city dwellers? A new survey answers some Twitter demographic questions.
• Meghan McCain is proving to be very difficult to impress. Ben Smith of Politico reports.
• Few young voters are likely to appear at the Detroit mayoral primary.
• Nancy Scola of Personal Democracy Forum wonders why DC's top 10 Twitterers don't actually Twitter.
• NetCentric Advocacy explores the question of how to mix Alinsky's "Rules for Radicals" with today's new media tactics.
• Check out It's Getting Hot in Here's listing of what appears to be an amazing fellowship with The Breakthrough Institue for young intellectuals, ages 18-25.
• Clay Shirky has second-thoughts about online citizen participation stating,'Democratic legitimation via the web is not enough'.
• Be sure to take a look at Next Gen GOP's attempts to make lemonade out of the lemons offered by Steele's recent statements about Hip Hop and the GOP.
• James Carville says his new book will discuss the youth vote, as well as problems with the Hillary campaign. Looks to be an interesting read.
• Check out 'The Crisis of Credit Visualized' on Vimeo.
  The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Some reading material for your Saturday evening:

• brownsox from Daily Kos interviewed Ashwin Madia, the Democratic House candidate in Minnesota's Third District, this past Wednesday and has video of it. Madia is a 30 year old Iraqi vet and a lawyer -- another young candidate.
• A story in an Appleton, WI newspaper focusing on local youth involvement this election cycle
• The Nation compares both candidates' policies on national service.
• DNC '08: Pundit playtime?
• Young voters energized the Iowa delegation/were energized themselves at the convention this week.
• What are Boomers reading online?
• A profile of Headcount.
• An explanation of both candidates' views with regard to students and college financial aid.
• Finally, a columnist at the Pensacola News Journal observes the Millennials/Gen Xers are ready to "throw the bums out" -- of both parties.

Update: Here is the documentary shown prior to Obama's acceptance speech. Some powerful stuff -- check it out:

As Fred reported yesterday, the biggest student aid reform since the GI Bill passed with overwhelming support in the House of Representatives. A similar bill (with better provisions for Pell Grants) is working its way through the Senate. Yesterday, President Bush issued a rather toothless veto threat against the bill.

This same week, we saw the corporate lenders strategic playbook leaked onto the web, in all it's lobbyist/monied-interest/influence peddling glory. Sallie Mae and their corporate buddies are already plotting to recover as much ground as possible - even before the legislation has been signed into law. They're losing this issue, but their strategy is still that the best defense is a good offense.

In response to all of this, the College Democrats and the Young Democrats issued press releases congratulating the Democrats for following through on their election promises and condemning Republicans for obstructing aid to needy students. Case closed, job well done.

Fred, on the other hand, created a list of all the Republicans who voted against the bill, singling them out as future electoral targets. Fred was thinking like Sallie Mae. He's pushing an issue we're winning for maximum gain - not just on the current debate, but for the future of student loan reform and for a whole host of other issues that will tilt our way if we strengthen our hold on Congress. Student lending can be a lever to give us bigger, stronger majorities that can accomplish greater change on other issues.

Why aren't the official youth arms of the Democratic Party thinking the same way?

Over at Open Left, they've got a great new feature called Right to Respond. Any organization that is featured critically in a blog has the right to guest blog their response. It's a good policy. If someone from Young Dems or College Dems wants to clarify their position or elucidate a longer term strategy for this issue, I'm happy to let them post here.