Issues & AdvocacyFederal

WHERE THEY STAND:

THE CANDIDATES ON THE ISSUES

Student Loans

By Andrew Goldberg, Managing Director, Government Relations & Outreach

Helping America’s students access an affordable college education is something that both presidential candidates in the 2012 election have discussed, though with differing policies on how to achieve this aim. Recent studies show that the rising cost of tuition is leaving many college graduates with crushing student loan debt.

This is especially true for architecture school graduates: in a recent poll conducted by the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), respondents reported an average of $40,000 in accumulated debt after graduation, as well as many unexpected costs specific to their architectural training. As a result, many recent graduates are leaving the profession.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

ROMNEY. In an education white paper titled “A Chance For Every Child,” Governor Romney expresses support for plans to reintegrate private lenders into the federal student loan market in order to decrease student loan default rates and increase the efficiency of the lending process. By reintroducing private lenders, the paper says, the expectation is that innovation will be spurred and the private lending market will be redeveloped, limiting instances in which students borrow more funding than is necessary from the federal government.

OBAMA. President Obama has proposed a new “Pay As You Earn” proposal that will reduce monthly payments for more than 1.6 million students. Beginning in 2014, borrowers would be able to reduce their monthly student loan payments from 15 percent to 10 percent of their discretionary income. Obama has indicated that his administration would fast track the initiative to begin early next year.

THE AIA’S TAKE

The AIA is committed to advocating on behalf of the architecture student community to address the financial burdens imposed on students from crushing student loan debt. The AIA has urged policymakers in Washington to support legislation that provides both clarity and security in the student loan marketplace.

In April 2012, the AIA launched an advocacy effort to advance legislation that would allow them to engage in pro bono design assistance in underserved communities in exchange for student loan assistance, as many other professions enjoy.

We hope you will add your thoughts and comments to the discussion on Facebook. And if you think we missed an important point or facet of the candidates’ platforms, let us know at govaffs@aia.org.

For more information on how AIA DesignVote12 can help you participate in the 2012 election, please click here.

Back to Issues and Advocacy News

Government & Community Relations Archive:

2012 News Stories
2011 News Stories
2010 News Stories

This content is published by the AIA Government and Community Relations Department, 1735 New York Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20006. To contact the AIA’s Government & Community Relations team, send an email to govaffs@aia.org.