Students react to student loan forgiveness

By: Hayden Hewitt

Staff Writer

Student loan forgiveness is making major political headlines, but the students whom it may apply to might not even know about it.

On Aug. 24, President Joe Biden announced that $10,000 of student loan debt would be forgiven for individuals who make less than $125,000 a year and households that make less than $250,000 a year. 

People who took out federal loans and received a Pell grant will get an extra $10,000 in loan forgiveness.

Although the plan for student loan forgiveness will apply to many students at Tarleton State University, it seems not many of them know about it. 

“I didn’t really know what you were talking about when you first came up to me, so I guess it’s not something that I hear about often,” freshman health science major Kamryn Dickson said.

There was a widespread opinion that students need to know about the issue, even among the students who had not heard about student loan forgiveness. 

“I feel like our generation is the ones who need to know about it since we’re the ones who are taking out student loans,” junior animal science major Layla Huff said.  

Dickinson thinks the government should make more of an effort to inform the public.

“More people should hear about it. I think they [the government and media] should put it out there,” Dickinson said.

Though students generally agree they should be more informed about this plan, they have mixed feelings on whether student loan forgiveness is good or bad.

“I feel like it’s a good thing. I feel like we shouldn’t be penalized for wanting to advance in life. Our education standards have risen along with our working salary and housing as a whole has gone up. So, we should be able to pursue that career path that can meet the housing standards without having to worry about loans,” Huff said. 

Freshman business management major Michaela Lester had a different outlook. 

 “Well, because there isn’t much information about it, we shouldn’t get too excited about it. Also, because this is the government we’re talking about, they’re not always forthright about the consequences of what that means…  I think really what it comes down to is who’s going to pay for it, because nothing’s free and people can’t frame it that way,” Lester said. “I think it’s just where is that money going to come from, and who is going to get it.”

When asked if student loan forgiveness was a political strategy, Lester thought it was. 

“Oh, 100% because I mean, I’ve heard a lot. People say that he doesn’t really have any power to do it (Biden), and I think it’s more just empty promises because he said that several times,” Lester said. “I think it’s just political, it’s just to reel people in.”

The student loan forgiveness will not take effect until the beginning of October 2022, according to Federal Student Aid. Students can apply on December 31, 2023.

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