I Am Not A Loan

Campaigns

• Senator Thad Cochran: Stop Voting Against Students in Mississippi!

  Senator Cochran voted against students by voting "NO" to a bill that would have stopped student loan interest rates from doubling, on July 1st, and he voted "YES" on a bill that would see interest rates skyrocket. Now, on July 10th, the Senate is planning to vote on The Keep Student Loans Affordable Act, which would cut our current student loan interest rates in half -- from 6.8% to 3.4 % -- for a year. In the Senator's home state of Mississippi alone, 54% of students from have student debt upon completion from college; the average student loan debt is $25,090; and 66,392 students in Mississippi are Stafford Loan borrowers. Going to college shouldn't mean a lifetime of paying off crushing loans, and students in Mississippi (and the rest of America) can't afford more debt!

  153 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Senator Mitch McConnell: Stop Voting Against Students in Kentucky!

  Senator McConnell voted against students by voting "NO" to a bill that would have stopped student loan interest rates from doubling, on July 1st, and he voted "YES" on a bill that would see interest rates skyrocket. In the Senator's home state of Kentucky alone, 60% of students from have student debt upon completion from college; the average student loan debt is $22,270; and 123,382 students in Kentucky are Stafford Loan borrowers. Going to college shouldn't mean a lifetime of paying off crushing loans, and students in South Carolina (and the rest of America) can't afford more debt!

  341 of 400 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Vote "NO!" to the Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013

  Under pressure from the White House, members of Congress are plowing forward with a student loan interest rate "solution" that is bad for students -- worse for students in the long-run than allowing the current interest rate (6.8%) to stand. With the Student Loan Certainty Act of 2013, the government stands to make $184 billion over 10 years off the backs of hard-working students, pushing them further into debt, and making it harder to pay for college.

  2,060 of 3,000 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Thank You for Supporting College Affordability!

  While some colleges have been in the news lately for cutting funding for financial aid programs or being in cahoots with banks and profiting off of students, these five colleges have raised their hands in support of students and making college affordable: Union College, Roger Williams University, Portland State University, Washington State University, and Ohio State University. By supporting efforts to make college more affordable for students, these colleges and universities acknowledge that costs have grown unsustainably. No two institutions are identical, and not every solution will look the same. But every institution of higher education needs to do something to ease the burden of student debt — and these institutions are committed to doing just that.

  116 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria, I AM NOT A LOAN
• Congress: Stop the Default; Protect Students & Our Country

  The U.S. could default on its loans tomorrow if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling and end the shutdown. A default could be a financial disaster. Interest rates on most types of loans are projected to skyrocket. Inevitably, student loans would become a lot more expensive, and future borrowers who take out a new federal loans would be crushed by these rates.

  1,212 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria, I AM NOT A LOAN
• Tell Congress: If you can afford to shut down the government, you can afford to invest in education!

  Sequestration cuts would chop funding for programs in the Department of Education by $2.5 billion. In addition, Head Start -- a federal program that promotes the school readiness of children ages birth to five from low-income families -- would be cut by $398 million. This would be the largest cut EVER to education programs. As President Obama said about these cuts: "If you think education's expensive, wait 'til you see how much ignorance costs."

  162 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria, I AM NOT A LOAN
• Stop Abuses of Veterans’ Education Tuition Dollars

  Current federal legislation says that for-profit colleges cannot receive more than 90 percent of their revenue in federal education dollars. Meaning that these companies have to receive at least 10 percent of their revenue from other, non-federal sources. Yet a current loophole allows these companies to receive Post 9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition assistance funds without counting them as “federal dollars.” This loophole makes it possible for a for-profit college to receive 100% of its revenue from federal sources. For profit college companies enroll only about 12 percent of all college students, but they account for nearly half of all student loan defaults. The Protecting Our Students and Taxpayers (POST) Act, introduced by U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tom Harkin (D-IA), will help curtail the impact of these defaults on veterans and active duty servicemen and women by taking away the incentive unscrupulous college companies have to aggressively recruit them. The bill closes the 90/10 loophole by including military education benefits in the definition of federal revenue. Our veterans and active duty service members deserve nothing less.

  11 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Rep. Carlos Trujillo: Shame on You for Selling Students Out to For-Profit Colleges!

  Last week, the Miami Herald published an article investigating the relationship between a notorious for-profit college (Dade Medical College) and state Rep. Carlos Trujillo. According to the Herald, Trujillo once did legal work for Dade Medical and his sister-in-law appears to have received free tuition to attend the school. For-profit colleges, like Dade Medical College, can be a dangerous pick for students. Their costs are often way too much, and students frequently leave without a credential or with one that leaves them hugely underprepared for the career they intend to pursue. But, Trujillo’s ties to an institution of questionable educational value are not the worst part. Recently, he used his position as a legislator to weaken laws that were put in place to protect students from underperforming schools like Dade Medical. According to the Miami Herald: “The tuition issue is not Trujillo’s only link to Dade Medical. As an attorney, Trujillo performed legal work for the college, and earlier this year, the Miami Republican sponsored legislation that loosened the accrediting requirements for physical therapy assistant programs. Dade Medical offers a $35,050 physical therapy assistant associate degree, and the state law change enabled the college to rapidly expand its program to five different campuses. Under the old accrediting rules, Dade Medical would have had to start with one campus, and then expand little by little. Trujillo’s legislation, could ultimately boost Dade Medical’s revenues by millions of dollars.” This is utterly despicable. Many students have criticized Dade Medical for overcharging them and for failing to provide a useful education. The school’s former president and founder is caught up in a slew of criminal accusations, which led to his recent resignation. In short, this is not the type of school a state representative should be supporting. Trujillo should be using his power to protect the students of Florida, not to increase the revenue of his friends at schools like Dade Medical.

  232 of 300 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Thank Senators Durbin (D-IL), Warren (D-MA) & Reed (D-RI) for Pushing Congress to Overhaul Stude...

  With the national student debt average now over $29 thousand -- up 10.5% in a year -- students are in desperate need of a break. Senators like Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Jack Reed (D-RI) have been unhappy and dissatisfied with the interest rate hikes from July. They've been working tirelessly to make sure that students and families are high on the agenda for 2014. Senators Warren (D-MA), Reed (D-RI), and Durbin (D-IL) are proposing some major changes to student loans – among them include “forcing colleges to pay the Education Department if they have high default rates and allowing student debt to be wiped out in bankruptcy” and “calling to revive a dormant grant program for poor students that could give the federal government more influence over state higher education policy.” Please tell these politicians that they have our support!

  106 of 200 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria
• Tell Congress to Support IN-STATE for Dreamers Act

  On Thursday, January 16, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) introduced “The Investing IN States To Achieve Tuition Equity (IN-STATE) for Dreamers Act of 2014”. The bill will provide federal funds to states that offer in-state tuition or state financial aid to undocumented students in their states. High tuition and overwhelming student loan debt can impact any student, but current policies make these problems particularly debilitating for those who are undocumented. Students who graduated high school and grew up in the U.S. deserve a fair shot at attending college here, regardless of their immigration status. An affordable college education is an increasingly vital component to achieving the American Dream—let’s give all students a chance to succeed. You can help by signing this petition and passing it on to your networks. Learn more about the bill here: http://1.usa.gov/1dzdxBL and read and share the word with your network here: http://bit.ly/1k8TqQV

  86 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Iris Maria