In 1998, the NCAA began talk about resuming pay for student-athletes and a $2,000 stipend, but 14 years later it is yet to happen. This petition is to request that Congress mandate that the NCAA abolish all bylaws under section 12 (12.5.2.1, 12.5.2.3.2, 12.5.3, and 12.5.4) that forbid student-athletes from accepting any remuneration for the use of their name or picture to advertise, recommend, endorse, or promote the sale or use of commercial products and services. The splendor of abolishing NCAA bylaws under section 12 is that this strategy will help schools avoid Title IX and worker compensation issues. Moreover, universities and athletic departments will not have to directly compensate student-athletes because the free-market will provide enough revenue streams for student-athletes who deserve to further prosper. Simply put, this petition is aimed at "freeing" all student-athletes to participate in the free market.

The US educational system is in shambles; various studies have shown our students' skills & knowledge slipping below many others in other countries. Some politicians have said that they would dismantle the Department of Education, others want to further defund expenditures for basic research & development. In memory of Neil Armstrong, educator & astronaught, let us recommit to education as well as to research & development. This is a good use of Federal monies.

We all want to provide a good education for our children and its discouraging to see what a college education costs. The obvious reason is because of the-- availability of government backed loans--reduce or eliminate this and you will see tuition come down--supply and demand--forgiving student loans for taxpayers to pay is not the answer. Reduce the supply, and costs will come down.

Charter Schools undermine funding and "cherry-pick" students.

Vocational Training and Trade Schools helps to create jobs and microenterprises for our young and underserved Americans in areas such as, independent contractors, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, painters, cosmetology, barbering , computer technicians, registered nurses, chiefs, and graphic designs. Trade jobs cannot be outsourced to foreign companies and these skills can be passed on from one generation to another.

we, the students of the art institute of Tennessee-nashville, are petitioning via facebook to save our chefs from lay off. Chef Bussolino and Chef Piel are two of the best chefs in our school and many of us would not be here or have graduated without these chefs. we, the students, are taking a stand against the loss of our chefs and our educations. we are under lawsuits from the federal government for fraud and its us the students and our faculty and staff that are taking the bad end of this.

I was upset to see unused sealed food being thrown away after lunch by children at Merced Elememtary at West Covina, Ca. I was told by the Principal they are not allowed to return items that were not used back to the kitchen due to health regulations. Items were not perishable and could be given to homeless organizations. Besides the waste we are teaching our children that wasting food is acceptable.

The University System of Georgia's policy regarding academic renewal requires students to attend the same institution they dropped out of in order to achieve academic renewal, a policy that allows one semester of grades to not count against a student's final GPA after not attending college for 5 years. As over 25% of students do not return for their second year of college, this policy has the ability to negatively affect a large percentage of the population who want to be able to achieve a good GPA upon their return for their education later in life, but have moved to different states or even different areas of Georgia as adults.

Many aspiring students from the last decades were saddled with heavy student loan debt loads with high interest rates. Some continue to try to pay off loans incurred as early as the Reagan years when interest rates on some loans were as high as the double-digits and continue to pay interest on capitalized interest on those early loans.They are still trying to pay off their debt, even as they approach or enter into retirement. They deserve the same 3% rate that current new borrowers receive.

In this time of rampant disease related to the Standard Americian Diet, an increased disconnectedness of the people with the land, and climate uncertainties that may threaten our food supply, it is important that our children get exposure to basic gardening principles at an early age. Starting a nationwide public school gardening program will increase our children's connectedness with the land and provide inroads for healthy food alternatives in our nation's schools. Most importantly, with exposure to gardening, they will always know how to feed themselves with good healthy food.

The Teacher Forgiveness Program needs to include Librarians! My Mum worked hard as an elementary school librarian for many years at HISD and because she was a "librarian" she does not qualify for teacher loan forgiveness. This is not fair! She taught kids to love books and learn to read which included teaching the entire school kids. She is almost 72 and retired and most of her money goes to Parent Plus loans she got for her kids to go to college not even for herself!

Over two-thirds of the instructors at universities and colleges make less than thirty thousand dollars a year, have no health insurance, no retirement, and no job security. As we enter a new academic year please consider that while tuition has grown out of control little of this money goes towards the salary of instructors. Please stand with us by making this a topic of discussion in the upcoming election.