[T]he presidents of Vermont’s colleges and universities on Tuesday called on Vermont’s congressional delegation to push for changes in the Higher Education Act before it is too late.
The reauthorization bill will deprive those who can least afford it access to higher education, the presidents told U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., at Tuesday’s meeting, which Welch requested to hear their concerns about the legislation.
There is a narrow window of opportunity to make changes to the Republican-crafted bill before it reaches the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Welch said.
“The more we can mobilize to show our opposition for these specific things the better chance we have of averting something bad happening,” he said.
The controversial 542-page bill was approved in December by the Republican-controlled House Education and Labor Committee, but has not yet reached the house floor because of push back from both Republicans and Democrats. The committee held no hearings, and took no testimony, before approving sweeping changes, primarily to college financing.
The legislation went through committee without giving the higher education community a chance to be heard, Welch said, adding, “You can’t get a good outcome with a bad process, let alone, no process.”
Tom Sullivan, who is president of the University of Vermont, said the legislation will disproportionately hurt middle and lower middle class students. “This is really about a disinvestment in America’s students and their success opportunities,” he said.
The bill effectively increases the cost of college for those who depend on federal help, because the government will no longer pay interest on low-income student loans while students are in school. The bill also ends the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants program (a grant program for the neediest students). Parental borrowing — in the form of PLUS loans — will be limited, as will borrowing for graduate level study. The bill also eliminates the public service loan forgiveness program, which has provided a means for those who chose government service jobs to pay off their loans in ten years. At the same time, the bill loosens the regulation of for-profit colleges.
Champlain College President Donald Lackman described the bill as “hostile.” “We are making it more expensive for students,” he said. “Reducing how much parents can take out, which is problematic. We are streamlining in the interest of making it simpler but freeing up for-profits, who will rush into the breach, take the money, take advantage of these students, then be bad actors.”
Eliminating regulations, he added, will make it impossible to hold anyone accountable for wasting tax dollars.
Leaders of Vermont’s higher education community say they will share data showing how Vermont students and families will be affected by the proposed changes.
Welch said he hoped to have the data to present before the bill makes it to the house floor. Once it is on the floor there is no room for change, he said, adding that it is all about whose side you’re on, the red team or the blue team.
